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Why should native american mascots be banned
Why should native american mascots be banned
American indian education in the united states jorje noriega
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It has been decided by the California State Legislature to approve the ban on use of Redskins as a mascot for Calaveras High School. By 2017, four high schools in California will have to phase out of their use of the Native American mascot. To some this is doing justice in defense to the Native Americans, but to others it is taking away a proud tradition of honoring them. For one to be reasonably offended one must understand both sides of the argument. As Calaveras High School, we are using the name in honor, pride, and respect but to others we are “politically incorrect.” Calaveras succeeds in showing the respectful and proud side of honoring the name Redskins, established relationships with the local Native Americans, and they have presented us with gifts such as the beautiful baskets that are still present in our front office. Everyone has their own way to define words and is entitled to their opinion including the group of people that have a negative definition of Redskin. Their belief is that the term is mocking, offensive, and racist. In 2005, a Native American Intellect named Ives Goddard of Smithsonian Institution studied and found …show more content…
I asked Blake Wilson ‘18, if this student came to Calaveras himself, do you think his opinion would change? He replied “I really do think it would change his mind. He would see that we in no way offend anyone. We don’t make fun of the term Redskin, he’d see that and it’d change his opinion on the whole subject. I feel the name change is unnecessary. There’s a very defined line between offending and honoring. So far, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who thinks this, our school never crossed over to the offensive side. Redskin to me means a lot. As a little kid growing up I always excited to become a Calaveras Redskin. I take pride in being one and no matter what I will always consider myself
The dispute over whether Native American mascots should be used as a team symbol dates back to the 1970’s (Price 2). People differ on the basic issue, but there is a more important underlying principle. It is called freedom. Determining whether or not someone is harmed by a practice can reveal whether that practice can or should be morally justified. Wherein lies the truth about exercising the use of American Indian mascots? The reality is that they cannot be morally justified. The certainty is not ascertainable by way of any comparison to other similar phenomena. No such comparison can be made as none exits. Then, are not the only relevant voices those of the Indians themselves? If so, the truth regarding this imagery can only be discovered by conferring with the groups that are depicted. Only those portrayed should have a voice. Or at the very least, be heard louder and more clearly than those who are not mirrored in the representations.
Mascots are beloved figure heads for sports teams everywhere almost every sport team has a mascot of some kind; that said, sometimes instead of bring people together it can cause a rift between two cultures. Such as Washington’s D.C.’s football team the “Redskins” often the word redskin was a derogatory word used against the Native Americans and while it may seem as though paying homage to the Native American community the overall stereotyped actions of the fans themselves as well as the sugarcoating of the previously racial slur has done little to bring the two cultures together and instead created a larger disconnect between white and Native American. The name Redskin should be retired and replaced so that rather
In a generation focused on social justice and the elimination of prejudice from our society, there is still a use of offensive language and terminology in the area of professional sports. In “The Indian Wars” by S. L. Price, Price attempts to make the reader aware of sports teams that use derogatory terms as their team name and their mascot. He does this by highlighting football, and trying to determine whether Native-Americans are offended by team names in sports, or more specifically, the Redskins. Price’s essay is ineffective because although he raises good points, he doesn’t help the reader to form an opinion by adding historical context to the derogatory names used. He also uses inaccurate poll results to make assumptions about the feelings
The debate is divided into two sides. Those opposed to the use of Redskins and all Native American names in sports, and perceive the use of such terms and imagery as racist and derogatory towards Native Americans and those for keeping the name who cite the history of the team, its links to Native American players and coaches who were part of the team when it was create...
There is considerable controversy that dates back to the 1960’s over sports teams’ names that reference Native American heritage. “The National Congress of American Indiana’s (NCIA) created a campaign in 1968 to eliminate stereotypes found in print and other media.” (ChangeTheMascot.org). The American Indian community has worked for many years to abolish the right to use Native American Names, spiritual and cultural symbols by professional sports teams (Teters) that they feel offensive. The Washington Redskins football team continues to battle a long standing controversy to change their name. Native Americans, politicians, fans of American football, as well as the general public all seem to have opposing viewpoints regarding if this team should be forced to change their name out of respect to those offended.
The word redskin is a dated and offensive noun which means, “A North American Indian”. For many years now, people have been discussing whether the mascot for the Washington Redskins, a National Football League team, should be changed. Some believe that it should be changed due to the offensiveness of the term. Some people think that the mascot shouldn’t be changed because it will have negative effects on the team, including a loss of brand recognition which would lead to revenue losses, and that he changed the name to honor a coach. While it might have negative effects at first and he may have changed the names because of a coach, the word originated from a bad thing and its usage with other terms is normally derogatory, the coach was not actually
The author uses allusion by referencing the the University of Southern California schools mascot the white Andalusian horse named “Traveler” but after some thought the horses name was too closely resembled the name of Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s favorite horse “Traveller.” Today’s society is too correct, because it is just a name. Names come and go and different races in America’s society are still living in the past.
Chink, wetback, nigger, honky; all of these words have been deemed racist by their respective races and therefore, are rarely used in a neutral sense. However America has vastly overlooked the racist nature of the word “redskins”; making it the name for the football team located in the Nation’s capital. In recent years, Native Americans have gained traction in the fight against the team’s name, yet many non-natives claim they are honoring the culture and heritage. Even President Obama suggested a call for change, mentioning that if it offended a large group of people, that the team should consider retiring the name (Sappenfield). The term “redskins” is racist because it perpetuates stereotypes, and was first coined as an inaccurate, demeaning way to describe the first people of what is now America.
The ban of the word “Redskins” is starting to become a trend throughout the United States, according to M. Johnson’s California Becomes First State to Ban ‘Redskins’ Nickname. A law just signed states California can no longer use the word “Redskins” in any school team name or mascot. President Obama seems to agree with the trend as he ordered the NFL team, the Washington Redskins, to change their name to move stadiums. This movement is starting to catch the eye of people everywhere including the National Congress of American Indians. “They have set a shining example for other states across the country, and for the next generation, by demonstrating a commitment to the American ideals of inclusion and mutual respect,”
Over 80 high schools in the United States once used or currently use the Redskin mascot. 56 currently use the mascot for their schools in California and four high schools bears the Redskin name. Students, alumni, community members and staff all carry the Redskin name with honor and dignity there's no “misappropriation” of the mascot, from small communities to large districts. Even though some Native Americans find the Redskin name offensive, schools should keep the Redskin mascot because the students, staff, and community members take pride in their mascot and removing it with AB 30, violates First Amendment rights and does nothing to prove the lives of Native Americans.
The same article also addresses the fact that the mascot name "Redskins" is racist. Many people do not know the origin of this racial slur. It comes from when Native Americans were being hunted for bounties. In order to get said bounty, one had to bring
A high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee suspended a student for wearing a jacket that depicted a Confederate flag. The school had already banded the flag prior to the student’s suspension, for fear of racial backlash. In a slim one-vote margin, the court upheld the school’s decision, solely for the possibility that racial retaliation could ensue. The student’s parents did appeal the decision, but the court deemed that this was not a violation of the student’s freedom of speech or expression.
7. Instead of using the term ‘redskin’ the Washington city newspapers boycott the term and refer to them as the pigskins (Berman NP).
The next reason we’ll be looking at are the stereotypical images commonly seen in literature and mascots. Mainstream media such as “Dances with Wolves”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Last of The Mohicans” and mascots in professional sports teams like Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Blackhawks all include representations of Native Americans that for some, are offensive. With this in mind, ...
The use of a name such as the Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, or Illinois Fighting Illini should not raise such a great concern. This is an issue that hits close to him with me. I am from the central Illinois area, and seeing Chief Illiniwek at the Illinois basketball and football games