Lone Ranger's 'Kemosabe' Called Racist

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to hear arguments on whether the word "kemosabe" is racist to native people. The case came from a complaint by Dorothy Kateri Moore, a native Mi'kmaq, that her boss, Trevor Miller, referred to her and other workers as "kemosabe" and that it was a racial slur used repeatedly, poisoning the work environment. Interestingly, there isn't a consensus among the Mi'kmaq regarding the word "kemosabe." Some are offended, some are not.

My take is that it would be difficult to consider the term racist since it was Tonto that used the term of friendship in speaking to the Lone Ranger. Using "kemosabe" repeatedly could be considered rude, annoying, and aggravating, but it hardly seems racist. It does appear, however, that Trevor Miller is a mini-tyrant but having a boss that's an arrogant, rude, and aggravating bastard is not unique and, in my opinion, shouldn't be made into a Supreme Court case.

Companion post at Our Life.