Minority protesters just spoiled whiners

Andy Gonzales

A week ago I watched “The Road to El Dorado” and was disappointed not with the movie but with the whiny protesters outside screaming about how natives are portrayed in the film. I’m going to be the first to say, get a life. Don’t you have anything better to do than protest outside an almost empty theater?

Attacking DreamWorks is not going to help your “cause.” What is your cause, anyway? Daily we hear how minorities are stomped on. Yet most of us haven’t felt any real oppression; we’re just a bunch of cry babies.

What’s worse is that in our college campuses across the nation we are being taught racist views. For example, on this campus alone, if you’re white and disagree with positions of affirmative action, quota systems, LGBTAA stuff, etc. you’re a red-neck racist.

So there I’m sitting with my $4 popcorn bucket and miniature-sized Coke, and in the background, I hear “Down with El Dorado.” What were they complaining about? The movie seemed pretty funny to me, with the exception of the boring un-Disney like choruses.

I guess they were complaining that the natives were portrayed as “savages.” If you want a cartoon to accurately portray life, then make your own. I guarantee it’s going to be a C type film that goes straight to video because it’s too realistic for your audience, i.e. children.

I’ve heard complaints that the Indians were too scantily clad. Let’s all take a moment to realize these are cartoons. They’re Indians, folks; I highly doubt they wore khakis and T-shirts in the 1400s.

There’s a reason fairy tales begin with “Once upon a time” or “A long time ago” — they’re stories from a past that are meant to entertain children, not make them politically correct. If you’re really that scared to see a PG-rated cartoon, you have bigger issues.

Other than that, stop your needless whining. It’s bad enough we see minorities in jail for wreaking havoc in urban ghettos; now we have to listen to your spoiled ranting of how you have it bad. Those who were protesting, you have no idea what the world is really like.

You’re a bunch of stuck-up, hate-the-world babies, whose seemingly sole purpose in life is to make others see injustice where none exists.

If it makes you feel better, James Edward Olmos, Rosie Perez and Armand Asante are few of the actors who did voices. Other than being a spin off from “The Man Who Would Be King,” this movie is fine for all audiences.

The movie portrays the Eurocentric view of how the Americas were discovered by the rest of the world and how the two main characters fool the natives into thinking they are gods to steal as much gold from the Indians as possible.

What can’t be more accurate? Did the Spanish not invade South America? Did they not portray themselves as gods? The decision to have English actors play Spanish parts is confusing. Whose decision was that? Although I suppose you would insult all Spaniards everywhere if you went Paul Rodriguez or Cheech Marin.

I don’t understand the whole protest thing. Do people really have that much time on their hands? There are people starving in this country, and you want to protest a movie? What message does that send?

What did you expect the movie to be about: murder, rape, pillaging, looting, disease and warfare?

The only foreseeable problem was that Indians don’t believe in God the way Christians might, and that was the only false premise of the movie.

The protests seemed to have nothing to do with earning an understanding of native culture but more to do with the notion that all white people are racists.

Kids don’t think of these things when they watch movies by Disney, DreamWorks or anyone else. They go to the movies to be entertained.

They have no understanding of the nuances of social discrimination. They probably won’t go home thinking that white people are superior to anyone, either.

What they will remember is that while they were watching a cartoon at the theater, a small group of spoiled know-nothings were verbally assaulting them.

The rather unfortunate aspect of all the PC crap going around this nation is that everybody has wronged somebody at sometime, but the problem has nothing to do with racial discrimination from white people.

It does though have everything to do with minorities who have turned the tables and scream “racism” every time they don’t get their own way. The ironic twist to this is that if you cry “wolf” enough times, nobody will listen to you when there is a problem.

Stick to the real issues. As much as you have every right to protest, I have every right not to hear you protest.


Andy Gonzales is a junior in political science from El Paso, Texas.