PopSugar has this fun new feature called PopSugar Rush, a quick entertainment highlights video with commentary from their writers. That’s where I heard that Jessica Simpson used the arguably racially insensitive phrase “I’m not an Indian giver” when asked if she would take back the boat she gave Tony Romo. This surprised me for a couple of reasons. Maybe I’m ignorant, but I had no clue that “Indian giver” was derogatory to Native Americans. I always thought it referred to the fact that they were screwed out of just about every treaty and parcel of land they were offered. To me, “Indian giver” was about the people giving stuff to the Native Americans and then taking it back. I thought everyone knew that the US Government royally screwed the indigenous people over. It’s not like I use this phrase, but I’ll be more conscious not to say it now that I know what it refers to. (Wikipedia also notes that many people have the idea that the phrase is about the government reneging on promises to the Native Americans.)
Moving on, I also assumed that the “Jessica gave Tony a $100k speedboat” story was just something the tabloids made up, but it’s true! It sounds kind of desperate and sad that she would waste that much money on a gift for her boyfriend. It’s not like her career as a country singer is going well, although she probably makes a lot of coin from her shoe and now purse line.
As Kaiser reported yesterday, Jessica made her first event appearance post-split at a “listening party for singer An Ya,” where she was given a ton of jewelry by the man who owned the home, jeweler Pascal Mouawad. She received a $10,000 ring and other pieces also worth thousands. You forget that these celebrities are given so many free clothes, purses, jewelry and personal care items. Maybe a $100,000 boat doesn’t seem excessive to Jessica, but it still screams desperate, like some kind of “when are we getting engaged?” gesture. She gave the boat to Tony in April, and some reports claim that things went downhill from there. I wonder if Tony will enjoy the fast toy with his latest conquest or if he’s letting it sit there because it reminds him of Jessica. Given all that we’ve heard about the guy, I would bet he’s using it with no tinge of guilt whatsoever. After all, he barely dodged the bullet that was the “Ken and Barbie”-themed birthday party, the douche probably thinks it’s his consolation prize for breaking Jessica’s heart.
These are photos you’ve probably already seen of Jessica on 7/21/09. Credit: Fame Pictures
There’s no way she knows what it means, I’m surprised she actually came up with that phrase, as her vocabulary isn’t great
God.. who cares.
Jeez.. ya can’t say anything these days without ‘offending’ somebody.
It’s a phrase we all learned as kids.. get over it.
She is looking for pity. I don’t feel sorry for her. Sounds like she was trying to buy Tony. Why give that kind of gift then she and John Douche bag Mayer pass dirty text messages back and forth. Jessica got caught cheating via text. She should have gotten dumped. Good for Tony he probably didn’t want that boat any way.
Goes to show how desperate she is. Giving a 100K present to a boyfriend who has already dumped her once and obviously wasn’t going to marry her is just plain dumb. That said, if he was any kind of man at all he would return it to her
Jessica Simpson would be wise for future relationships to save her money and stick to giving “one free sexy backrub” coupons. Judging with how things are going in her slow career, I am surprised she throws that kind of money away.
can’t stand romo with the maturity of a 5th grader but have to wonder if unfaithful is her fav movie.
I’ve never associated the term “Indian Giver” as an insult to Native Americans. Geez, I guess I will now.
Forbes (6/09) just listed her as one of the top 5 earning young musicians. Her fashion line appears to be doing great. Even if $100,000 is chump change, she might have given him that boat because she thought she loved him. It’s not uncommon for women to think they’re in love only to later find out that their man has been cheating. She might be living her life in a fish bowl, but that kind of surprise has happened to a lot of us.
I thought I heard that he wrote her a check for the boat…
I agree with Skinz and enonymous. Desperate, it screams. You wonder when some of these women will learn to be more on the downlow with their relationships, given how they keep blowing up. Unless the guy is superficial and immature he’s not going to want the papps following them everywhere.
The boat could have been more a “thank- you-for-not-publicly-announcing-our months-ago-split-while-I-was-on-tour- because-that-would-have-been-really- embarrassing-to-sing-love-songs-about- you-on-stage-when-everyone-knew-we-had broken-up” gift than a birthday gift. And now she’s using it to get public sympathy.
I am also willing to believe it was a desperate attempt to buy his affection when she saw he would never see her as anything more than, in Romo’s words, “someone to hang out with and watch football.”
I guess Romo’s apologists are out in force today. Must be something worse about him getting ready to surface. For the past 2 months, HE has been the one giving interviews about their great relationship…..not her. And he’s said much more then T’s clipped quote. These other rumors seem like more attempts to once again blame her for every jerk thing he does.
I’m Native American and anyone that doesn’t think that is a derogatory phrase is in denial. Indian-giver implies to give and take back and is a negative connotation that has attached itself to a people that were in-fact victims of that type of behaviour in history. Jessica S. is a no-talent barbie doll. If her parents had spent half as much energy in educating her as they did promoting her and selling her wares, she no doubt would have known better than to use that terminology. My only revenge is that I threw a “Jessica Simpson” themed party where everyone came dressed as “(insert color here)trash” wearing cut-offs and flannels. Since “white trash” isn’t PC we called it a “Jessica Simpson” party.
I seriously doubt 100k is much money to JS. I can’t believe you people just repeatedly bash this woman.
Having studied American history and knowing exactly how the European takeover of the Americas took place…I honestly assumed that phrase was about making promises to the aboriginal civilizations already on the continent with no intent to make good on those promises.
I never thought it had anything to do with a slur on American Indians.
(I don’t like the term ‘native’ because it’s inaccurate…it’s my personal little pet peeve).
The term “Indian,” of course, isn’t accurate, either. It came about because the first aboriginal people taken back to Spain were called Indians on the false assumption that the Bahamas (where they actually landed) were the East Indies.
Back to Jessica Simpson: The American Indians have REAL issues to fight for and be angry about. Her use of that term, whether you find it personally offensive or not, was more than likely an innocent lack of understanding.
I contend now, and will until the day I die, that finding offense where none was intended is a fruitless and life-stealing practice.
It’s better to educate. I mean, I’ll never use the term again…I honestly never knew until today what it actually meant. That doesn’t mean that, since I now know, that I will assume racism or insensitivity on the part of someone I hear using it in future. Instead, I will use the opportunity to say, “You know what that means, right?”
I’m not “delusional” for thinking the term wasn’t racist. I was merely ignorant. Ignorance isn’t a character flaw…and it’s easily remedied.
We also used the term Indian giver as kids, too. It never really made sense, considering Native Americans were the ones that got screwed.
Poor Jess needs a break.
It’s derrogatory? Hell yes it is-to the American Government. *sigh*
Poor harmless Jess. I feel bad for her, but at the same time I feel she got her just desserts, and Romo…there’s a reason they call him Romo-douchebag.
Agreed. She needs a break. Maybe she’s not the smartest but so what? People need to remember there’s always someone smarter that could make them look like a dumba**.
Another native (Canadian) weighing in: wikipedia is probably correct: traditional indigenous economies were trade-based and there was likely a presumption of reciprocity. Quite possible that the Europeans didn’t understand and then got mad when “gifts” were taken back. Remember, we are talking about two very different cultures meeting for the first time, language barrier and all.
That said, we need a new phrase, since it has a nasty association with it today. After all, I wouldn’t call someone living on my property without my permission a “European squatter”.
I’ll say what my mother has always said:
If you aren’t sure of the meaning, don’t say it, look it up. Also, never read illicit graffiti.
Methinks it’s time to read a book, put the snatch on sleep mode and go to bed.
I have thought “indian giver” was an insult to the white people who screwed them over. ???
@Aspen,
In Canada we are referred as a whole as Aboriginal, comprised of the Metis, Inuit, and First Nations people. Broken down further would be the Cree, Blackfoot, Dakota, Ojibway, or in my language Anishinnabe of which I am one..The majority of us do not refer to ourselves as Indians or Native or even Aboriginal..we tend to be very specific in our indigenous roots. I tend to just shake my head at comments such as these and use it as a teaching moment for my granddaughter..one of the most overused comments is “off the reservation” usually the term is used in action movies or police/lawyer dramas to explain rogue behaviour, I and my family have never lived on the reservation so..I suppose that explains a great deal.
There are many more Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States – forgive me for not mentioning the individual groups, I should have included etc.. in my statement.
This whole thing is so ironic it’s an instant cure for pernicious anemia. “Indian” was once used by the white man as an all-purpose adjective signifying “bogus” or “false,” owing to the supposedly low morals of the red man. Thus you had “Indian summer,” false summer late in the year; “Indian corn” and “Indian tea,” cheap substitutes for products the original colonists had known back in England; and “Indian giver,” someone who gives you something and then takes it back.
Well, the argument “We were all taught that as kids” is pretty flimsy. There are a lot of kids who are taught racism at a young age and that doesn’t make it okay. I’ve seen parents okay violent behavior to their kids and that doesn’t make it okay either. We’re supposed to break the bad cycles of our parents.
I’m unsure of my feelings on that term, but I respect people’s right to feel offended by it, and have never used it myself.
Also, I feel for Jessica in the sense that my best friend recently did the SAME EXACT thing. Except of course, it wasn’t a $100k boat, it was a $3k boat but for a girl our age, that’s a LOT of money.
I know she’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and I know she meant no animosity, but her turn of phrase is really insensitive.
As it was explained to me, an “Indian Giver” enters into a semi-contractual agreement with another party for exchange of goods, and subsequently retracts their offer when the quality of goods is contested. (“Hey man, these blankets are full of small pox.” or “So about this time of year we usually set up camp along this river . . .”)
The term is always delegated to the party who was a bit naive in the transaction, and then thought better of it afterwards (or in the case of most Natives, didn’t realize the deal was “for keeps”).
The term is used primarily as a social tactic to shame a party into keeping their word, no matter how manipulative and dishonest the sales tactics of the first party. It’s an ugly turn of phrase, and I think it speaks more to the character of the people who perpetuate it, than the so-called “Indian Givers”.
Jessica doesn’t seem like the type to use a term to be offensive. It sounds more child like which seems to fit her character.
Also, did Romo not give back the boat? It would be so inappropriate if he kept the thing. Yes, her present was a little over the top but she was probably in denial and was hoping a big grand gesturewould fix things. Again, she is child like.
Damn I never knew that “Indian Summer” was a negative term either. Thanks, Jaundice, for explaining the more negative origins of the phrase. You learn something new every day. I really appreciate the intelligent discussion on this issue, it’s very enlightening to me.
Jeez, Is there any thing that isnt PC? I was always told that a Indian giver was when you gave something to someone as a gift in good faith, then have a falling out and demanding it back to be spiteful. Which would apply in this scenario. Jess is saying she gave him the boat in love and doesnt want it back, or the money.
So is giving an Indian burn not PC either? Is that racists too? When I was little, me and my sisters gave Indian burns to each other all the time.
i honestly don’t think the use of the terminology today is racist but more of an integrated phrase into american vocabulary. sorry if that offends people but honestly, people are so touchy these days. aren’t there bigger problems to focus on??
Oh good Lord!!! There are MUCH more important things to worry about than this petty crap. I’m white, but I don’t require the reference of “Caucasian” or “Anglo-saxon” or whatever the hell else I could think of. People need to seriously get over this “politically correct” crap. I will NEVER stop using certain phrases just because it “offends” some people. Hell, I’m “offended” every day by gays and lots of other disturbing behavior of today’s society but I’m not filing lawsuits or calling “activists” to make myself heard.
Hatsumomogirly-LOL!
I remember Indian burns. I was always on the receiving end and it hurt because my arms were hairy.
Since my childhood was spent in Illinois, I didn’t think much about it. So many things had Indian names–schools, neighborhoods, rivers, parks, etc.
As a wee little kid, I just figured anything Indian was part of growing up in my state.
@hatsumomo: Yes, Indian burn is also a vaguely racist thing, referring to the redness your skin attains when it gets rubbed vigorously, creating the friction burn.
@connie: There are more important things, yes. But day-to-day things that people should work on should include eradicating old, racist terms from their vocabulary. I always get annoyed when people say that it’s a small problem or whatever. If you were Jewish, how would you feel if someone said they’d “Jew you down to $5” for a lamp? It’s something that seems like the person shouldn’t be offended, “because everyone says it” and it “isn’t meant to be offensive”, but it still is and there is no reason to continue the use of such terms. Just say something else and be done with it.
I don’t think Jessica Simpson knew the original meaning of the term. Most people don’t. I have two grandparents who were Native Americans (and called themselves that, though they were ethnically Creek and Cherokee) so that’s how I know anything with “Indian” in front tends to have had racist connotations at one time or another. So I don’t say those kinds of things.
Connie having been discrimanated against for being Indian I feel very different about it. I grew up in a little town called Havre in Montana. The “white man” there called me squaw and made me feel less than for simply being Indian. So maybe I am a little “touchy” for being made to feel less than human my whole chilhood.
I agree with Kris – it’s pretty retarded how some people insist on attacking Jessica, no matter what she does or what happens TO her. It’s like an acid test for those who prefer to go after vulnerable people. She’s never done anything cruel or intentionally unkind that I’m aware of, so why bash her?
i’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again… this country is full of pansies…
ok…it wasn’t a 100k boat in the first place… she bought it and is on the title… she can do whatever she wants with it..
“Indian Summer” eh, CB? The gloves are off!! 😉
I didn’t mean to “whine” or create controversy, I’m just saying it’s not a very nice thing to say. (And something I’d fully expect a self-centered dummy like Simpson to say.)
In general, it’s pretty offensive/stupid to imply that Native Americans didn’t get a raw deal. And having Lakota blood (and subsequently, very distinctive “non-anglo” features), I may be a little oversensitive to such stupidity, but I don’t see how that makes me a whiner or a pansy.
And again, I’m 99.98% sure Jess didn’t mean anything by her comment. Girl just doesn’t strike me as the academic type. (Which is sad, because it’s painfully obvious she doesn’t have much in the way of street smarts either. That’s a double fail.)
@Vondao, I am sorry to here that about your childhood, but I am sure that you understand the difference between someone saying something meaning it derogatory, and a phrase such as this that is commonly known and used by children who have no idea. Until today I myself had no idea that it was offensive, I used it every day at school, and I never once meant it as an insult.
People (in general) need to learn to differentiate between malicious use and i guess “ignorant” use-which would apply to the majority of us.
Jaundice, you are NOT oversensitive.
And frankly, it’s comments like: I will NEVER stop using certain phrases just because it “offends” some people. Hell, I’m “offended” every day by gays and lots of other disturbing behavior of today’s society but I’m not filing lawsuits or calling “activists” to make myself heard.
and this country is full of pansies…
That make me ashamed to be American.
How can ANYONE say they’re “disturbed” or “offended” by “gays”? No WONDER you have no sympathy for those who are of an ethnic background, you seem like a bigot/racist and totally ignorant person.
I don’t think Jess meant any harm either, but again, it doesn’t mean that the term is suddenly ok. Or that any term like that is suddenly ok. Many of these phrases/terms/what-have-you were invented to separate a group of people from the accepted norm.
We’re not throwing up pitch forks, girl says some dumb things on the reg, but again, I can understand someone being annoyed by the comment.
@obvious: But once you know, it should just be taken out of your vocabulary. Some people will continue to use derogatory terms under the pretense that “most people don’t know” even though they are perfectly aware that it could hurt someone’s feelings.
I was called “colored” by a girl in 6th grade; I’ll never forget it. I wasn’t offended by it because of the way she said it: she just seemed not to know that it wasn’t proper. So I told her it wasn’t the right way to refer to black people and she was mortified (she came from a tiny backwoods town in North Dakota to Los Angeles…go figure) and never used the term, to my knowledge again.
I understand that some people use these words out of pure ignorance but excusing it as though it doesn’t matter is insulting to whomever they are unintentionally insulting.
To those griping because these comments are racially offensive, what in the world is so hard about just NOT saying them?
I mean, really, I don’t find it difficult to NOT say “Indian giver” or “Indian summer” or “Indian burn.”
Is it really that much of a hardship to drop those phrases from your vocabulary? Really? Does it lessen your life in some manner?
I’d rather not use them and then not sound like an insensitive or ignorant jerk.
Shorty40: Wow, you’re quite the a**h***.
jaundicemac: so its been established that the ‘academic type'( i.e. someone with a Harvard degree) would know better that to use such ‘racially insensitive’ words than a stupid ‘redneck’ or ‘idiot’. Is THAT what you meant? She doesnt know any better cause she’s white?
I just love how people who have probably never been the victims of politically incorrect behavior love to criticize those who are upset about said behavior. Try getting called the N word, or S word, or f word, or an indian giver, and then tell me how little patience you have for political correctness. Treating others with respect and dignity, and not using terms that are derogatory is part of being a decent human being.
i bet you Jessica will never utter that racist phrase again! see there, even idiots can learn.
Romo sent her a check for the boat. maybe it’s deposited in Papa Joe’s account.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH. I’m sick of everyone complaining bout stupid lil sayings or phrases. If I want to say “indian giver” or “jew them down” or any other term for that matter, the constitution of the United States of America allows me that right whether it offends someone or not. Get over it. Stop wasting your energy on such petty BS and do something meaningful with it.
@ Ms. Martin you’re right you can say anything you want according due to freedom of speech. So that means I can call you an insensitive jerk right? After all, I’m just expressing my freedom of speech.
Ms. Martin…people who use their freedom of speech in controversial ways must prepare to suffer the consequence of anger produced by that controversy.
Just ask Natalie Maines.
You go ahead and say whatever inflammatory thing you want…and I’ll call you out for it whenever I want.
And so it goes.
Being on the lookout for offense is useless, and I don’t understand people who constantly search for reasons to be angry. That said, I cannot understand intentionally hurting people. Maybe that’s what you want to be…but it’s not what I want to be.
If you KNOW that saying something could hurt someone…then why would you say it?
Of course she didn’t have any idea it was offensive. Does anyone remember the Chicken of the Sea conversation she had with then husband Nick? ‘Is it chicken or is it tuna?’
Another dumb blonde.
wow! it’s amazing how we all are hurting financially in this messed up economy, and these celebrities than just throw thousands of dollars away, when people are out in the streets and starving. she doesn’t have a clue about the term “indian giver” most of us don’t.
all right all ready, so what does it mean to native indians? Probably nobody knows.
Jessica, give me a boat and I promise you I will never give it back and there will be no name calling – just sincere appreciation:) Don’t listen to the scribes for they no not what they write.
Just a though here, as I have never posted to a blog as most times I do feel as it is not worth my time. In this case I do find offense and take exception to Aspen’s comments posted July 29th, 2009 at 11:13 am, apparently after studing American History, for whatever length of time and at whatever place, you have arrived at the conclusion that “aboriginal” in the context of your post was directed at Native Americans. Follows excerpt from original blog:
(I don’t like the term ‘native’ because it’s inaccurate…it’s my personal little pet peeve).
The term “Indian,” of course, isn’t accurate, either. It came about because the first aboriginal people taken back to Spain were called Indians on the false assumption that the Bahamas (where they actually landed) were the East Indies.
Back to Jessica Simpson: The American Indians have REAL issues to fight for and be angry about. Her use of that term, whether you find it personally offensive or not, was more than likely an innocent lack of understanding.
My response would be that perhaps you didn’t follow you instructors lessons of were swayed for whatever reason, “Native” is and would be the correct description of the peoples that were in the America’s proir to the landing of one Mr. Christopher Colombus, as I gathered from your discourse. The term native, from the merriam-webster dictionary would be as follows:
1; native, adj\ 1: INBORN, NATURAL 2: born in a particular place or country 3; belonging to a person because of his birth {his~language} 4: grown, produced or originating in a particular place: INDIGENIOUS
2; native, n\ : one that is native; esp : a person that belongs to a particular country by birth.
Now back to your discourse on; my terminology; “Native American Indians”
per your description of:
aboriginal\ adj: ORIGINAL, INDIGENOUS, PRIMITIVE
or:
aborigine\ n : a menber of the original race of inhabitants of a region: NATIVE
All terms were taken from The Merriam-Webster dictionary to give proper credit with reference to copywritten material.
Perhaps Aspen could have given this definition from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giver
prior to his/her discourse, to allow people from this blog to be “up to their speed”.
I personally would hope that their “Ignorance”, and apparent unfamillarity, with the terms that, they themselves have espoused to have “studied”, is in fact ignorant themselves.
I would agree with lilo’s comments in this blog posted: July 29th, 2009 at 11:02 am
with regards to a denial of what the “Native American Indian” has endured for more than two centuries in this country, “the land of the free and home of the brave”. Does anyone out there have a level head anymore?
Does anyone see what is happening? apparently people are more interested in being “politically correct”, or wishing they were, and being ignorant of the “facts” they espouse, would lead them to believe they can now be “easily” remedied. Who are you? In closing I do believe that, quoting you;
‘that finding offense where none was intended is a fruitless and life-stealing practice.’
Having said that please check up on what you have “studied” and make sure all the relevant information you put forth is factual.
Her name is on the title of the boat. To get her off the title all he has to do is write a check.
For her to say “Indian giver” was just an indication of how ignorant and shallow she is to financial affairs.
She is such a child.
I just read how much money she is using for her hair and makeup crew for her show, and looking at those bad blonde streaks I am in shock, looks like something that was done at the quicky hairsalan next to the grocery store in small town USA. WOW, she is wasting $ on boats and hairstylist, hope she doesn’t blow through all her money before she is 35.
HIGH FIVE to MAV and whoever else called the student of Native History to the carpet.
I don’t bother getting too upset by other’s ignorance either, but I HATE it when people claim to have knowledge of the sufferings of our ancestors because they have some percentage of “Native Blood”.
There is a lot of pan Indian baseless facts floating around America’s general population and I don’t care how long one has “studied” the history. You HAVE to experience it first hand in order to be a REAL student of the Native sufferings and its after shock which is still a reality that families like mine live in.
“Indian Giver” is derogatory- no matter how anyone tries to paint it. That being said- celebraties and those like Jessica Simpson are truly of no consequence- no matter what is uttered from her lips. She is as ignorant to our culture as she seems to be with her own personal life. I don’t care what she says, but I WILL stand by any TRUE native person and fight the good fight when need be.
The Native American culture is a mystery to anyone who does not and has not experienced the seemless layers that make it what it is. No one can “Study” it’s reality anymore than you can understand what it’s like to experience something like childbirth, without actually going through it.
I said too much…..
Peace.