USAToday: Alcoholism joke on CBS sitcom angers Arizona tribes

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona tribal members say they're shocked by a television sitcom that made fun of one of the most pervasive social ills on American Indian reservations — alcoholism.

One of the characters on the CBS show Mike & Molly joked about drunken Indians in Arizona, a state that is home to 21 federally recognized American Indian tribes. Although drinking and selling alcohol largely is banned on reservations, it can easily be found in border towns, brought in by bootleggers or sneaked past authorities.

No one disputes that public intoxication is a problem on and off the reservations, but tribal members say alcoholism often is linked to poverty, hopelessness and a history of trauma within American Indian families that is hard to overcome. American Indians and Alaska Natives die at a higher rate from alcoholism than other Americans, according to federal data, and authorities say alcohol fuels a majority of violent crimes on reservations.

Read the full article at USAToday

Posted March 5, 2013, 11:37 AM PST