Dead White Writer on the Floor

July 2018 

Dead White Writer on the Floor

Hayden Taylor, Drew. Dead White Writer on the Floor. 2011. Talon Books. 

Cultural conflict between Canada’s indigenous peoples and those of a european background is complicated, messy and painful, as Postcolonialism always will be by its very nature. This complicated issue is often ignored, and the way people justify that is by stereotyping Indigenous people and creating tolerable images of them that make them seem either all bad and violent, or not-so-hard-done-by. Dead White Writer rips this band-aid clean off by throwing all of the stereotypes into one room and killing the white man who was responsible for their stories, stuffing his corpse into a closet. The stereotypes begin to break down, revealing real people who just want an opportunity to make a life for themselves, but when they take the opportunity to write their own stories they end up far worse off and begin to realize that the White Writer may not be as dead as he first appeared. 

Coming from the interesting perspective of being caucasian with an indigenous brother I found this play challenging and fascinating, I loved its approach to typical stereotypes and that it addressed an issue that few are willing to address, but being willing to admit that it is a very complex one. Without pointing fingers or flinging accusations, Dead White Writer seemed to give a voice to the desire that indigenous people have to write their own story. The White Writer did not help them in the past, and he is not helping them now. Giving an honest voice to a hurting group of people may not solve the problems present in a post-colonial society, but it is a right they deserve.