When a race of people or any grouping of individuals - a religion for example - are defined by attributes decided upon by others, there is the risk of dehumanization. That is the breeding ground for ideas of racial superiority and ultimately things like ethnic cleansing.
In our not too distant past many people believed that some races were superior to others. As recently as the 1990's people were making claims such as Asians are smarter than whites who are smarter than blacks. The majority of us have outgrown such sentiments with regard to the majority of ethnic groups, but remnants of cultural bias still remain in our society.
"I watched the movies and saw the kind of Indian I was supposed to be. A cinematic Indian is supposed to climb mountains. I am afraid of heights. A cinematic Indian is supposed to wade into streams and sing songs. I don't know how to swim. A cinematic Indian is supposed to be a warrior. I haven't been in a fistfight since sixth grade and she beat the crap out of me. I mean, I knew I could never be as brave, as strong, as wiser as visionary, as white as the Indians in the movies." Sherman Alexie: "I hated Tonto(still do)". Los Angeles Times 1998.
Sherman Alexie is Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian poet, author, screenwriter and director. In books like Reservation Blues and Indian Killer he illustrates the ways in which the stereotype of the noble savage is perpetuated. The stone-faced, stoical, mystic warrior never appears on the pages of his books except in the imagination of non-natives.
There are urban Indians going to school, getting drunk, being lawyers and living lives just like their white counterparts. There are reservation Indians living lives of desperate poverty, and there are the ones who have fallen so far that they will never get back up again from their seat on skid row. But not a one amongst them is a fierce warrior, any more than you or me.
If all of a sudden Indians were integrated into our society: taught in our schools, argued cases in our courts, just generally became part of our accepted landscape, how long would those nicknames persevere? These harmless nicknames and mascots are a symbol of the marginalized nature of their existence.
With the exception of Notre Dame's Irish how many sports teams make use of anything pertaining to ethnicity aside from those employing Native American mascots and nicknames? Why is less acceptable to call a team The Washington Blackskins than the Washington Redskins? Why is it okay for the University of Illinois to have a white person put on red make up and pretend to be native and not to put on black face and pretend to be black?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - John Bill
I would be pissed if there was a team called the dumb Pollack’s or the drunken Irish. Just because you have been doing something for years doesn't make it right.
2 - D.C.
Another politically correct holier-than-thou lefty. Grow up out there.
3 - alienboy
HI D.C: - the idea is that we write thoughtful, interesting, and possibly even funny responses, not shallow attacks on the writer personally.
Perhaps you are the one who needs to show a little maturity here; just because someone has different views to you doesn't make them less valuable than your own good self...
4 - JB
Excellent arguement. Our culture has become numb to how racist these "mascots" are. Can you think of any other group of people that are so widely used in this way -- everthing from sports teams to fast moving vehicles. But Native people aren't animals, or objects, or relics from some romantic past. They are real, diverse and individual people and cultures. They have survived a genoicde in THIS country. As a society we have come far, but until people stop trying to rationalize the "tradition" of Indian mascots, we are perpetuating cultural genocide and appropriation for profit.
5 - Mark the Sane and Sensible
Tell me something, JB, were you born in America? If so, then you are a native American, no matter what your racial or ethnic origin may be.
"Our culture has become numb to how racist these "mascots" are."
Bullshit! They are a testament to their fierce fighting spirit. Should we instead honor their ability to drink vast amounts of bad whiskey instead? Of course not. Their ability to fight was their best feature. They taught us how to fight wars by not marching in formation but by hiding behind trees and other natural objects. That was very significant and important in the development of modern warfare tactics.
It seems like you've watched Dances With Wolves too often.
6 - D.C.
Again-grow up.
7 - Margaret Romao Toigo
gypsyman, this is one of your best articles yet -- as well as one of the best I have read this week.
I never really considered the negative impact of positive stereotypes before.
I used to be one of those people who would say, "lighten up, it's only a mascot," but, now that I think about it, you're right, if it's only a mascot, then it should be no big deal to change it.
8 - Mark the Sane and Sensible
ms. Toigo:
"if it's only a mascot, then it should be no big deal to change it."
And you said before you weren't in favor of political correctness?
I LOVE catching you libs in contradictions!
9 - Margaret Romao Toigo
I never said that I was not in favor of political correctness, only that I despise the way that some of the more cumbersome terminology mangles the language.
I have always tried my best to be politically correct, I'd just rather call it tact.
I did not come in here looking for a fight -- or even conversation, really.
I like reading gypsyman's articles and I thought this one was particularly good (because it made me think), so I left him a compliment to that effect.
Oh, and I'm not a liberal (or even a Democrat), I am a non-partisan libertarian capitalist.
10 - RogerMDillion
"I LOVE catching you libs in contradictions!"
You mean like how you are for the redistribution of wealth, Markist the Sad?
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
If I recall, the term 'Yankee' was once a derogatory word for 'American.'
How about Cowboys? Dodgers? Pirates?
12 - Shark
Matthew, the term 'Yankee' is still a derogatory term; where I'm from, it means, "Anyone NOT from Texas."
====
BTW: Nice article, gypsyman.
13 - Mark the Sane and Sensible
"I am a non-partisan libertarian capitalist."
Sorry, Ms. Toigo, but you are lying about the non-partisan part. Why do so many of you bloggers lie and distort your motivations and true selves? Your record of articles show a high degree of partisanship. You bash Christian leaders, President Bush, and you support a pothead drug dealer like Marc Emery.
tell me the truth, when have you ever ripped a bona fide left winger with the same fervor you have with Robertson or Bush?
This genteel affectation is one big phony act in my estimation. I see right through you and I'm not afraid to say it.
14 - Mark the Sane and Sensible
"You mean like how you are for the redistribution of wealth,"
Good thing you're a English teaching loser, because you would have failed poli sci.
15 - RogerMDillion
I never said I taught English. I said that it was obvious your comrade Grnade's parents werewn't English teachers.
Are your comprehension skills are really that terrible or have you lost your short-tern memory from all the pot you smoked at the worker's party meeting you just attended.
16 - Margaret Romao Toigo
"have you ever ripped a bona fide left winger with the same fervor you have with Robertson or Bush?"
I did not "rip" Reverend Robertson (I reported other peoples' criticisms of him) and I have not criticized Mr. Bush even once since he was re-elected (have you seen his approval ratings? I don't know about you, but I don't like to kick a man when he is down).
And I have ripped plenty of "left-wingers" for trashing our Second Amendment and other rationalizations of socialist authoritarianism.
17 - DrPat
Margaret, eventually little Markie will get tired of nipping at the adults' ankles, and crawl off to his crib. Right now, he's a bit cranky.
18 - Nancy
Actually, I think there is a team called the "fighting Irish" (Notre Dame?) after the rather notorious reputation the 19th-c Irish had of engaging in brawls at the drop of a hat, or enjoying a good fight - a rep. that some of them are proud of even today. And a team called the Vikings - I believe the logo is a berserker in a horned helmet. I may be recalling these incorrectly.
19 - Nancy
I guess if a team wanted a name that really reflected being win-at-all-costs contenders, they could call themselves the Litiginous Lawyers, or the Playing Pols - but that might be too lowdown & dirty for most.
20 - Gary
I personally think the 'Kansas City Cheifs' sounds better than the 'Kansas City Fat Unemployed Drunks With No Car Insurance And 8 Kids'.
21 - DrPat
How about "Kansas City Crackers"? As long as we're talking about "racist" mascots...
22 - Nancy
Someone has already proposed changing the Washington Redskins to the Washington Rednecks. LOL - I LIKE it! Ditto KCCs: has a real swing to it!
23 - Gary
Sounds good. I bet the crackers would probably laugh and not get too bothered. Some races don't have to fish around trying to place blame on stupid monikers to explain their failings. And Cheif was the opposite of derogatory. Actually it had to be turned into a deragatory term so there would be something fresh to blame for a culture that can't pull itself together.
24 - Gary
And give them crackers some college money and casinos while we're at it.
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
Yes Nancy, there are the Fighting Irish and Vikings. These are two names also given to high school mascots as well.
Let us not forget the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns and the University of Mississippi Rebels. "Oh noes, they're people and they're mascots!"
Note: The San Diego State Aztecs are not on NCAA's "hostile and abusive" list. I guess you can't be abusive to a dead tribe of First Nations.