Political correctness? No. It’s not being offensive

Understanding what is truly offensive to people of different cultures can be an uncomfortable process. It is all too easy to become defensive and blame “political correctness” rather than admit a caricature or a joke is disrespectful.

But, as we are learning through the craziness of Virginia politics, the United States can make progress. Discovering that two top Virginia officials wore blackface as young men has sent shock waves through the commonwealth; for a time, it appeared obvious that Gov. Ralph Northam would be forced out of office. That is, until it was discovered that his lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, is being accused of two instances of sexual assault. Fairfax still might face impeachment or even criminal charges, but currently he is refusing to step aside. Amid all this, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring admitted he, too, wore blackface at a party in the 1980s. The place is a mess.

We’ll leave Virginia to sort itself out, but there are lessons for the rest of the country to take in, including New Mexico.

While most people understand the offensive nature of wearing blackface, too many Americans think it perfectly acceptable to don tribal headdresses, wear “war” paint or otherwise dress up like Natives. It can be as a school mascot, an attendee at a rock concert or for Halloween. Yet redface is just as offensive as blackface and needs to stop.

Not helping the situation is a president who calls a leading Democratic presidential candidate “Pocahontas,” using the name of a revered Native woman as an ethnic slur. Donald Trump has long mocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has made herself a target with her claims of Cherokee ancestry.

Even for Trump, though, his tweet welcoming Warren to the presidential race was obnoxious: “Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President. Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”

New Mexico’s U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the first Native women to be elected to Congress, agreed with critics that Trump was referring to the Trail of Tears in his tweet. That forced relocation of Native tribes, including the Cherokee, is a blot on our history. Despite Trump’s general disdain for history, he is a fan of Andrew Jackson, the president who forced the Cherokees and other tribes West.

As Haaland told CNN: “It’s completely exhausting to try to keep up with so much of his ignorance and racism for Native people.”

The bright side to the controversy over Warren’s claims of Cherokee ancestry — and, yes, there is one — is that people around the country might become more knowledgeable about what tribal membership means. Warren may well have had a Cherokee ancestor, but she has made it clear that ancestry is not tribal membership. Tribes determine membership, according to the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1978 Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez decision.

If, out of this whole controversy, Americans begin to understand the complexity of tribal affiliation, we will count this as progress. But don’t stop there. Let’s place redface alongside blackface in the ash heap of history.