Slings & Arrows cover art

Slings & Arrows

How Toxic Narratives Perpetuate Poverty in Indian Country

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Slings & Arrows

By: David W. Bland
Narrated by: David W. Bland
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Stories define us. They tell us who we are or, at least, who we think we are. The American story of westward expansion draws upon heroic tales of courage and perseverance and the "pioneer spirit". But settlers and their descendants also spread false narratives about Indians in order to justify ruinous private and public acts.

The stories we heard and the tales we hear even now give people cover to behave abominably. And this abominable behavior has economic effect. It means that bankers are less likely to make loans to Black and Native American men and women, and it means that fewer businesses are started, less wealth is accumulated, and poverty is more intransigent.

But narrative is not destiny. From "welfare cheat" or "food stamp fraud" to absurd stories about an Indian cutting a hole in his house so his horse could drink from the bathtub, the labels and stories applied to poor communities gain currency in the majority world through their meanness, absurdity, and repetition. It is easy for people to traffic in these toxic stories, but the White majority does not reckon with the impact on minority communities.

Slings & Arrows tries to break the cycle and describes the author's 40 years of experience learning how communities beset by generations of trauma and dispossession fight back using their history and culture to create a better path. A new narrative must be told, and Slings & Arrows is just one small step in rewriting the stories we tell.

©2019 David W. Bland (P)2020 David W. Bland
Indigenous Peoples Native American Racism & Discrimination

What listeners say about Slings & Arrows

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.