Race-Based Mascots Fit In America

Lisa Chavez
Alana Brussin
English 102
24 September 2015
Where Race-based Mascots Fit in America
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 first meeting house was solid to withstand ye wyked onsalts of ye red skins.” This was the first time “redskins” was documented, which was in 1699 around 300 years ago (“Lanham Act”).

It clearly describes Native Americans as wicked when first used. In another 19th century document, it is stating the likely outcome should the Native Americans attempt to fight for their land. “Their fears are, that, should the Indians arise, the settlers will arm themselves and wipe the Red Skins out of existence before the ‘noble red’ man can be protected by Uncle Sam’s Bluecoats,” (Sanders). This not only speaks about Natives in a negative way, it also mentions their genocide and dehumanizes them much like “nigger” has to African Americans

alike.
The logo for the Washington Redskins (as well as other Indian mascots), is one that perpetuates the stereotypical Native American. The features of the “mascot” reinforce the belief that Native Americans have big noses, high cheek bones, long black hair, garnered with feathers. Whe feathers or headdresses are worn, they are worn as a sign of honor, or to signify status that was earned, like a leader of a village or a war hero. Moreover, the blatant use of a stereotypical image would not be tolerated had it been another race. Say the team name was the Washington Slaves and it had a profile of the stereotypical attributes of an African American from the 1700’s; that would not be trademarked no matter how much they skewed the viewpoint of the word or image.
Stereotypes like the Redskin’s logo also have lasting effects on Native American Youth. In a study done by researchers at Indiana University, it was found that being exposed to cultural stereotypes can affect one’s ability to learn and retain knowledge in math and science especially if they belonged to the group being stereotyped (“cultural stereotypes”). The participants were afraid that they would be seen as the stereotype they were shown, which made them do worse in the exercises than those that weren’t exposed. When others don’t define “redskins” as racist, it makes it acceptable for the Native American race to be stereotyped; and the ones who suffer the most, are the youth. In a world where you must balance tradition with technology, it is often hard for Native youth to thrive in both settings. They suffer even more when racist images are being engrained into their minds through everyday life. Dahkota Brown, Center for American Progress and Center for Native American Youth representative gave his thoughts on the effects of race-based mascots. “With our sacred native people as mascots, the younger generation, my generation has lost our sense of identity and pride…Native teens have the highest dropout rate, lowest graduation rate, and highest rate of suicide among any ethnicity, yet people don’t think of Natives as having these tragedies, but rather as mascots,” (Brown). If others don’t open their minds and see the devastating effects it has on Native youth, they will always have those mascots around to undermine their struggles and inhibit their ability to learn.
Many have said using the name “Redskins” is a way for them to honor Native Americans. Those people are the same ones who paint their face to simulate war paint, and wear headdresses for football games. For a term used to describe the killing of a Native American in exchange for money, it is hardly an honor to be called such a name. Native people have a rich culture seeded by tradition. In an attempt to honor Natives, teams with race-based mascots merely disrespect and make a mockery of the history Natives underwent. If Native Americans felt honored, why would there be any opposition to the name? The largest representation of Native Americans, National Congress for American Indians (NCAI) has actively fought against the race-based mascots, creating ads and having discussions to bring awareness to their efforts at their national conferences. This proves there is no honor in having a Native-based mascot.
There was also a study done in 2004 in which the results concluded that 9 out of 10 self-identified Native Americans didn’t think the name should be changed. However, if you look more deeply into the study, you will find the flaws: first, many non-natives identify themselves as Native American, claiming they are a little bit Cherokee and that their great grandmother was a Cherokee princess; second, the survey was worded in a confusing manner as, “The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive or doesn’t it bother you?”; finally, the surveyors only asked 768 “self identifying Native Americans”, which didn’t include Alaska or Hawaii proving the results are skewed greatly.
During recent months, a judge ruled on the federal trademark of the Washington Redskins; U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ruled to uphold a previous decision made which cancelled the federal trademark for the team. This has been the biggest step in the categorization of the Washington Redskins name and mascot as racist. He deemed it offensive to Natives, making it no longer protected by the Lanham Act (Times Dispatch) . However, the team can still appeal this decision once again and it still protected until further cases are disputed. It has taken years to come to this milestone, and will take many more until the general public knows just how racist the term “Redskins” is.

Works Cited
"An Integrative Approach To Understanding How Cultural Stereotypes Affect Performance, Learning, And Retention." Psychophysiology 44.(2007): S13-S14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
Brown, Dahkota. "Native American High School Student Gives Emotional Speech on Impact of Indian Team Names." For The Win. Center for American Progress, 23 July 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
"Lanham Act Forbids Registration of Disparaging Marks." Corporate Legal Times. (February, 1999 ): 765 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
SANDERS, KATIE. "PUNDIT CLAIMS REDSKINS HISTORICALLY USED AS 'TERM OF RESPECT'." Tampa Bay Times. (June 4, 2014 Wednesday ): 1900 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
Sappenfield, Mark. "Obama backs Washington Redskins name change: Is it his business?." Christian Science Monitor 06 Oct. 2013: N.PAG. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2015
Times Dispatch, MICHAEL PHILLIPS. "U.S. judge rules against Redskins trademark; ." Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia). (July 9, 2015 Thursday ): 663 words. LexisNexis Academic. 24 Sept. 2015.