Remember, again? John Wayne said terrible things about Indian people

Wednesday, February 20, 2019  

It's no secret that John Wayne, the actor who rose to fame as an Indian fighter on screen, had some questionable views about the first Americans.

But a 1971 Playboy magazine article in which Wayne said Indian people were "selfishly" trying to keep their own lands has gone viral again. Native users on Twitter were among those who shared the offending snippet online.

"I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, if that's what you're asking," Wayne said in the interview. "Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves."

The interview previously surfaced in 2016 when lawmakers in California killed a resolution that would have established May 26 as John Wayne Day. Democrats said Wayne espoused racist views and weren't interested in honoring him.

The Washington Post also points out that the interview made the rounds after Wayne's daughter endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016.

‘I believe in white supremacy’: John Wayne’s notorious 1971 Playboy interview goes viral on Twitter (The Washington Post February 20, 2018)

John Wayne's negative views about tribes resurface in California debate (April 29, 2016)