AIM is going to be protesting at an up-coming UND-St.Cloud hockey game. Part of me is sympathetic to the AIM complaint; part of me is totally apathetic to the NCAA half-baked political-correctness mascot-war.
Fighting Sioux? Why is it no one is upset at the "Fighting Irish"? Have you ever seen the incredibly dorky thing that Notre Dame uses as its logo? I don't recall NCAA demanding that Notre Dame (another UND, come to think of it) get "permission" from the Irish Parliament to keep using the name?
As silly as I think Golden Gophers sounds, compared to, say, the Mountaineers - why is it that we want to cling to some stereotyped culture that isn't even our own? Why does UND want to associate themselves with the Sioux? Is it just some romantic notion of the mythical, rose-colored (i.e., ignorant) history of the area? Just habit? Is there really nothing else they could use? Hey, we've got Golden Gophers here; maybe they can be the Prairie Dogs. Too cute? They're disease-causing little rodents! The school could change it's cheer to "Go Hanta virus!"
For those who argue that it's just a name, I can only offer the following observation. I asked Peter about this, and wondered how he thought people would respond, if it was the "Fighting Spics" or the "Fighting Kikes". Thinking that this would put the argument clearly into the realm of acknowledged racial pejoratives. He looked at me blankly, and then told me he didn't really know, since he didn't know what a Spic or a Kike is. Names only carry meaning to some of us.
If I need to explain the bad feelings the name "fighting sioux" should elicit, my audience isn't going to be able to be sympathetic to my cause. If AIM is serious about getting UND to change its mascot, they might be better served convincing the population of North Dakota. Having NCAA be the bagman for their fight doesn't serve anyone. NCAA comes across as a tyrannical, paternalistic, politically correct machine, trying to force the various schools to be culturally sensitive. (that is not the mandate I see for an athletic group.) AIM (et al.), since they aren't seen as part of the conflict, loses the ability to get allies in this effort. This just leaves it on the back page of the paper with European-Americans apathetic to their cause. Not much has changed in 150 years, eh?
Exclusion Principle
2 days ago
1 comment:
Hi! There are any number of interesting animals that could be used as mascots for athletic teams whether at the college or pro level. Why not combine the notion of environmental conservation and naming mascots and use the names of endangered species? This would call attention to saving these animals (or birds or insects, etc.) as well as provide a mascot name that would not be offensive to any human group.
Or another idea: use the names of fish whose populations humans have nearly decimated without consideration to sustainability?
I don't know why I got on this particular environmental kick, but sports teams could also use the names of stars in the sky, candy bars, real drinking bars (don't they do this for soccer clubs in the UK?) or rotate names every 5-10 years.....
My 2 cents. Thanks for your comment at my blog! Come visit me often....Cinda
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