To think that in 2013, We should not be referring to Native Americans as "bandits"?

[GoshAnneGorilla]

The new Playmobil play sets have a Wild West theme. The advert shows the cowboys getting the gold and then the voiceover says "Oh no! Bandits!" and shows a bunch of Native American Playmobil figures.

AIBU to think this is pushing a false and frankly racist view of history?

What happened to the Native American people could (and should) be described as genocide, rather then them being portrayed and bandits and theives. I am astounded the manufacturers thought that this is ok.

But the use of the word 'bandit' is American though. It isn't something we would use in the UK.

For the purposes of the playset I am taking 'bandit' to mean enemy.

Should clarify that that is what the lady at the centre told me, maybe others do not feel the same, I don't want to appear to be making assumptions. The treatment of the Oneida people was disgraceful whatever you call any party involved.

Holly, Playmobil are making the assumption for us that the Native Americans are the bandits. It is far from innocent. With bandit applying to the NIs here, the narrative is being told from the Cowboy's perspective.

Good point, DrCoconut: I don't know how else to describe 'Native Americans/Native American Indians'.

MolotovCocktail "why can't the playset involve Native Americans focused around the tipi encampment, within their social groups i.e. the mother with baby in a papoose, the father, the chief, a brave, a totem pole within the camp etc"

It does.

You can buy the Native American family (mother with baby in papoose, father with daughter), the SuperSet Native American Camp (teepee, totem pole, chief, canoe), or the Native American Camp with Totem Pole (totem pole, teepee, rocks, campfire, mother and baby), or Native American Children with Bear Cave (children, stream, cactus, wildlife).

The Outlaw Hideout doesn't have any Native Americans at all.

Plus the advert that shows Playmobil cowboys getting ambushed (at 15 seconds in). OP, is this the video you saw (presumably dubbed in English, of course)?

Whilst that is really good ecclesvet, as I've been replying to this thread, I think it has become apparent to me that I'm extremely uncomfortable with the play set being set within a period of history that resulted in genocide. Nothing is going to help me gloss over that, despite me previous comment.

I mean, I can't see Playmobil releasing a Plantation playset, or a Nazi army base playset. The Native Americans are another people who had atrocities committed against them.

Taliban mountain fortress playset, anyone? (I am being sarcastic, of course).

Its the picking and choosing of what is acceptable from history, and what is not, that rests very uncomfortably with me.

Just wanted to pop up and agree with DrC, the appropriate term (as chosen by the First Nation people) is American Indian or Name of Tribe Indian. Using Native American is common but a bit like saying 'coloured', trying to be polite but missing the mark rather.

And anyway I always thought that bandits were the baddy coyboys and weren't the Indians - they were - well - they were the injuns...

Oops got distracted with bedtime before having a chance to hit post; thread's grown and moved on a lot since I started to type - I wasn't deliberately ignoring everybody's posts

Hang on are you sure you got the Ad right. Native Americans aren't the ones called bandits that would be the cowboys taking the gold.
Sort of like Jesse James and his gang.

That's not necessarily true. The Anishinaabe people I grew up with liked Native American. Or First People, etc.