back_handed unhinged 'i have lost track of the number of times a white person, hilariously thinking they were being complimentary, has said to me, 'but sherman, i don't think of you as indian.' throughout my rural and urban life, among white conservatives and white liberals, i've heard many other variations on that basic sentiment. 'sherman, you're not like other indians' 'sherman you're a credit to your race' 'sherman you barely seem indian' 'sherman i don't think of you as being indian. i think of you as being a person.' 'sherman you're not just a native writer. you're a writer.' 'sherman i don't see color. i see the person inside.' all of these statements mean the same thing. 'sherman in order to fit you and your indigenous identity into my worldview i have to think of you as being like me - as being white like me'' -sherman alexie 171001 what's it to you? who go blather from