Quote:
Originally posted by Back In The Saddle
This is just one more shining example of the supposedly enlightened thinking of the self-appointed elite intellectual class seeping from academia and the fringes of society into the mainstream via some respectable but misguided benefactor.
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Sheez, BITS, do you suppose you could quit being so specific and generalize a little?
Isn't it at least possible that there are some people somewhere who ARE offended and that they have expressed this opinion, and that they deserve to have their feelings considered? This whole issue was begun not by "the self-appointed elite intellectual class seeping from academia" but by Indians themselves who found that the stereotypes and prejudices of "mainstream" people were promoted and reinforced by the mascots.
I'm not surprised that some Indians don't object to their own tribe's name being used. That doesn't change the fact that many are hurt by the practice of 10,000 fans doing the Tomahawk" and that false stereotypes are reinforced by pictures of "indian heads" with "war bonnets" who are chanting in a minor key.
The fact of the matter is that those "on the fringes of society" deserve to be treated with respect, and their wishes deserve to be considered. Virtually everyone in the "mainstream" today was once on the fringes of society. They are now in the mainstream only because our constitution and set of laws give those "on the fringes" the same privileges, rights, and responsibilities as those "in the mainstream". You know that holds for the Mormons, and there have been numerous other groups who have prospered and succeeded in life because of our respect for decent law-abiding citizens, regardless of which group they belong to.
For us to take the names and drawings of Indians, and use them in ways that they find offensive is arrogant and self-serving. Basic human dignity should include the right to control, at least to some extent, my image and my name. Why doesn't that seem reasonable?