Peter, Members of just about every tribe, are living off the reservations, and are in the main stream of society, working at jobs on an equal basis with all others. This was not always within their grasp which did cause some resentment, and the hopelessness of their plight caused too many to turn to alcohol. That trend is being reversed.
We go to several pow wows every year, and it is fun, and education for us. These days, pow wows are not held by just one tribe, but Indians of all nations are welcome to join in the fun, and celebration.
Perhaps saying a level playing field was not correct, but they did want to have the chance to show what they could do, instead of being banned from certain activities. In any venture, it is the one that wants the blue ribbon the most, that is the most likely one to win it.
The action of the employees of any business depends on how close management looks at the operation. People in America want to gamble, and were limited in where they could do it because of laws. The Indian tribes saw an opportunity to raise funds for the entire tribe, and get some of what the whites stole from them back. :^) I have been to Vail, Aspen, and Winter Haven, and can't say much for the young white employees either. They have a captive audience, and some of them, white or red, will take advantage of that. In casinos, any employee, regardless of who, or what, they are can be, and are fired. The Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Casino is only a mile from my house, and although I am not a gambler, it is run with the insistence that the customer, or player, is treated as a guest in their house.
Because of their ability to have casinos on Indian land, they provide a service for those people, of any race, that want to gamble. To me, they are accumulating money by working and providing this service which is much better than welfare, and as far as I know, there are no trust funds among them. The fact that Indians can have casinos, is not special treatment, it is a flaw in the domination that the white men intended to keep the Indians in the lower class of society, and it is being thrown back into to their face, which I approve of. If you beat a dog, he is liable to bite you when he gets a chance. The same is true of humans.
In many cases, if not all, the money earned by the casinos provide the ability for their young people to go to college, get a better education, and be able to advance themselves beyond what was allowed to their elders. Yes, there is still problems in the life of Indians, but look at the black drug pushers, ethnic gang wars, rampant theft, and shop lifting, and you will see that the problems with the Indians is no different than the other groups of society. There are bad apples in every barrel which takes away from all of the good ones that are sweet. There are good, and great people in every race, and ethnic group, which are sometimes overlooked because of the few bad ones. |
