After we left Dry Falls, we continued driving to Grand Coulee Dam to see the laser show. I had forgotten how much the presentation is really a propaganda piece for the American colonial domination of the Columbia River. I mean, the lasers are fun to watch, but it was depressing to hear the narrator describe the destruction of the tribal lifeways, not to mention the salmon - only to then justify that destruction. If "man" had not tamed the "wild" waters of the Columbia, the desert would have never reached its full "potential," or so they said. They even said that "man" did what nature could not accomplish when it provided "rain" to the parched soil of central Washington in the form of irrigation. I suppose in their mind the economic benefit of the dam outweigh the cultural and ecological destruction of that massive structure.
I really didn't like the show, but much to my surprise, my youngest daughter also expressed her displeasure. She said, "I hated that show. They made it sound like God: 'I am the river; I am life,'" she mocked the deep, god-like voice of the narrator. Then she said, "When I grow up, my kids are never allowed to watch that show."
2 comments:
My then 11-year-old son said at the end of the show: "Well that was certainly biased." Kids are so smart.
Have you heard Michael Finley talking about the dam on Native America Calling? There is a link on my blog somewhere. He called Grand Coiled Dam "a tombstone for our traditional way of life."
There is supposed to be a new show in the works.
I certainly hope they change that laser show. The bias is appalling. I have never heard the Michael Finley talk. I will look for it on your blog.
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