Invoking Pocahontas and throwing around terms like “the Indian” is still racist, in part because it reduces an entire ethnic group into a stereotype.
Consider the following scenarios:
Politician mentions unconfirmed oral family history that they have Latin-American ancestry:
“Oh, look at Pancho Villa over here!”
…African American ancestry:
“Check out Harriet Tubman!”
…East Asian ancestry:
“Oh, you mean the Oriental?”
