Quote:
Originally posted by rainmaker
If it seems small and petty to us, but it's huge to the indians, then why would we not quickly change the mascot and get on to discussing more important things? If they keep telling us it's important, and we keep saying no it's not, then we're just being hypocritical -- by acting in a way that doesn't accord with our words.
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It is far from small and petty to many non-Native Americans. The issue is one of identity, not national or racial identity, but of identifying with a particular team or institution.
Consider my brother-in-law Sean. Sean has spent the past six and a half years at the University of Utah, four as a student, the remainder as an employee. He is as avid a sports fan as you are ever likely to meet. His rabid support for the Utes is by turn both vastly irritating and embarassing (depending on who beats who) to a family composed mostly of BYU alums.
There are millions of Americans like Sean. We spend several of our most formative years at a college or university. For most students it's an all-consuming, coming of age experience. It's during this time that most of us discover our own identity, we start to become who we'll eventually become, we make most of the major decisions we'll make in our lives (career, marriage, family, etc.). We're exposed to new thoughts and ideas that will shape how we think and view the world. And we make some of the dumbest mistakes of our young lives and live to laugh at them later.
By graduation a "traditional" student has spent nearly 20% of his or her life at that school. It's no wonder that the "The world is our campus" sign at BYU is almost universally misquoted as "The campus is our world."
Many of us turn to college athletics for diversion, socialization and a celebration of sorts of the institution we're attending. Many become such devoted fans that they live and die with the fortunes of their team. Rivalries develop. And so do lifelong friendships.
Being an Illini or a Seminole or a Ute is a very powerfully meaningful identity for many people. Yes, it is a different meaning than for Native Americans. Nonetheless it has deep meaning for them and will for the rest of their lives.
Schools themselves face a similar identity crisis. If the University of Utah is not the Utes, then who will they be? They have invested millions of dollars in marketing and merchandising, all aimed at bringing vital monies in to their treasuries. If alumni lose that sense of identifying with the university, contributions vital for their success may diminish. Community support may diminish as well. And future progress in many areas of achievement may be derailed as the institution searches for a new identity.
I'm not suggesting that this sense of identity should trump that which has been discussed at length. It is, of course, less important. But to suggest that changing such an identity is a trivial matter, of little consequence, is patently absurd.