Tokata Iron Eyes and Ezra Miller - brainwashed?

A statement appeared on my social media this morning that was begging to have its words analysed. It concerns Tokata Iron Eyes, whose parents are alleging is under the control of actor Ezra Miller. In the statement, Tokata seeks to reassure videos that she is acting for herself.

You can watch the original on Instagram here

tokatawin

A post shared by @tokatawin

You can read the background here

Is she telling the truth? Or is there something in what her parents are saying?

Let’s break it down

The words:

Hi guys, hi folks.

Um, I've become aware that some people are saying that my statements were not written by me. I'd like to clarify that they are in fact directly from me. Nobody is controlling my Instagram account. I don't have a phone right now. Out of my own personal conviction and honestly, it's really distressing that the narrative of the “victim” is not being granted, and trust I worked really hard to make really clear what was going on. And if the statements are too profoundly contrasting to whatever assumptions those of us who have garnered and have chosen to carry I'd like to say that it's nobody's business and that no one is owed a story or an outcome This is my life. These are my decisions. And I'm disappointed in my parents and the press in every way. Thank you

I want to stick to the words used when I do my analysis and not be distracted by anything else. However, I can’t fail to notice that in the video, Tokata doesn’t appear to be fully present. I can’t diagnose from a video, but it doesn’t look right to me.

I’ll go back to the words, and the first thing I noticed once I had transcribed the words were how short it was. The full video is 2 minutes and 22 seconds long. It contains 140 words, that should take around 1 minute and 15 seconds to read. That shows there’s a lot of pausing and slow delivery. This could be due to a careful consideration of the words to use, or that something else is slowing her cognitive functions.

Audience

The opening words of a statement are often important and revealing. These words here are “hi guys, hi folks” showing she is aware she is addressing numerous people in her audience rather than anyone specific.

Next comes, “I've become aware that some people are saying that my statements were not written by me. I'd like to clarify that they are in fact directly from me.”

I see ownership here as she refers to “my statements” and “directly from me”. That is reassuring.

There’s distance in this part. “I’ve become aware that some people are saying…” could be said much more directly. Tokata works hard to persuade us that they are her statements, with the phrases “I’d like to clarify” and “in fact”.

There is a mismatch here in that she says the allegation is that the statements are not written by her. Instead of directly rebutting that by saying “I did write the statements” she says “they are… directly from me”. I got the impression from these words that she didn’t actually do the writing, but she agrees with, or even has laid out, the content.

Tokata’s next lines are: “Nobody is controlling my Instagram account. I don't have a phone right now.”

I find this concerning. It’s stated in the negative. I’d have preferred to hear “I control my Instagram account”. Instead, she tells us “nobody is controlling my Instagram account”. Not even her?

Phone home

The following line, “I don’t have a phone right now”, feels disjointed from the previous line. It would make sense if she was explaining why someone else was posting to her Instagram account along the line of: “I’m controlling my account, but someone is posting on my behalf because I don’t have a phone right now”. Is that what is going on here? Is someone posting on her account?

The words that come next don’t join well with the previous ones, but do seem to be the reason that she doesn’t have a phone: “out of my own personal conviction”. She doesn’t go on to explain what conviction that is. When she mentions not having a phone, Tokata says, “right now”, which gives not having a phone a temporary feel, somewhat at odds with the word “conviction” which is more permanent.

The victim

Tokata continues: “and honestly, it's really distressing that the narrative of the “victim” is not being granted, and trust I worked really hard to make really clear what was going on.”

As with a lot of these words, it doesn’t feel too lucid, but the use of “victim” worried me. Yes, she puts air-quotes round the word as she says it, but why word things this way? And why is there an edit in the video after she uses the word victim?

There’s more: “And if the statements are too profoundly contrasting to whatever assumptions those of us who have garnered and have chosen to carry I'd like to say that it's nobody's business and that no one is owed a story or an outcome.”

Once more, this isn’t the most lucid of wordings. I’m drawn to the phrase “whatever assumptions of those of us”. Her use of “us” joins her with the people she is accusing of making assumptions. Where Tokata creates distance in a lot of what she says, when she talks about people making assumptions she creates closeness.

Giving a statement on Instagram to a big audience (“hi guys, hi folks”) is a strange was to prove that “it’s nobody’s business and that no one is owed a story”.

She finishes with, “this is my life. These are my decisions. And I'm disappointed in my parents and the press in every way. Thank you.” This feels factual, the words are straightforward and direct, especially compared to the rest of the statement.

Throughout the statement, Tokata alludes to some convictions, decisions, assumptions and profound contrasts. She never elaborates on what these are, she never gives any depth to what she is talking about or the situation she is in.

Conclusion

I’m concerned by this video. If the aim was to give a convincing denial of the allegations that were made, then it has failed.

Tokata does own things like “my decisions” and “directly from me” but doesn’t expand on much beyond that. The words aren’t fluent, and large parts don’t make sense logically or semantically.

There is a lot of distance in her words, she brings up the allegations but doesn’t robustly and straightforwardly knock them down.

Two parts, where she refers to herself as a “victim” and says “assumptions of those of us” suggest strongly there is more going on.

I think Tokata believes she has made her own decisions. I also think there is an element of manipulation that has got her to arrive at these decisions; hence, she doesn’t have the words to expand on them or explain them.

I believe that it’s more than her Instagram account that is under the control of someone else, and I hope this is a story that resolves happily.

Those are the main things I’ve noticed. What do you see, let me know in the comments.

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