Use of Racist Native American Mascots in Professional...

I awaited the day before the big game in nervous apprehension. Would the Red Sox be able to rebound from a 0-2 series deficit and advance to face the Yankees? They had already won two straight games and evened the series at 2-2. The next game would be the do or die situation. I stylishly dressed in all of my Red Sox apparel (even the lucky red socks) and prepared for an invigorating game. Mike from the third floor came down to the first floor lounge to watch the big game. Being from Cleveland, Mike was sporting all of his Indians apparel. For the next the 3 hours Mike would be my most bitter enemy. Mike was the antichrist. We would swear at each other, hurl projectiles at each other, and possibly even have an outright brouhaha if things†¦show more content†¦How have the Cleveland Indians been able to get away with such a culturally demeaning mascot without a significant public outcry? Our cultural absolutism along with our naivety places Native Americans on subhuman animalis tic level and feeds our unconscious notion that the logo is harmless. The majority of Americans practice cultural absolutism. Cultural absolutism, the tendency of individuals to view their culture as superior, ingrained itself into the American way of life before Columbus landed. Americans have a worldwide reputation as arrogant, ignorant, simple-minded cowboys. And these stereotypes are completely justified by past examples of cultural butcheries. I, as an American, can recognize our tendency to dominate others in the service of spreading the superior way of life. Native American people, misunderstood to this day, have been simplified to this naked, feather toting, red-faced, stupidly barbaric sub-human creature. (Notice that I use Native Americans, as opposed to Indians as Clevelands team so casually labels them. Calling Native Americans Indians is submitting to Columbus blunder, and would make me even more ignorant than I am already.) They chant, dance and worship strange deities ; somehow they are below Westerners on the evolutionary chain. We have no context to judge their culture except our own, which is absolutely the normal,Show MoreRelatedSports Teams With Native American Mascots1667 Words   |  7 PagesWell Known Sports Teams with Native American Mascots Have you thought about the name or mascot of your favorite sports team like the Chicago Blackhawks, the Washington Redskins, or even a college team like Florida State Seminoles? These teams and more have been accused of being racist towards Native Americans and their culture. However, many teams do not intentionally use their mascots to discriminate against Natives. Instead, they represent Native American Tribes and use names to respect the historyRead MoreStereotypes Of The American Indian Mascot1206 Words   |  5 Pagestwo-thousand sport organizations that portray the American Indian people as a mascot. Ninety-two percent of these sport organizations are high schools, which means roughly around eight percent of high schools have the American Indian mascot in some form (FiveThirtyEightSports). Frankly, this is an unacceptable statistic.This promotes racist mental images from a young age, and can lead many generations to recycle this outdated representation of Natives. One might a sk if an American Indian mascot is reallyRead MoreThe Controversy Of Indian Mascots Essay1261 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversy of Indian mascots is a widespread issue seen across the U.S.;is it racist , or is it justified? From different viewpoints from many people the answers vary from group to group.I believe it is not racist and believe that it is honoring. 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The Native American people have done more for this land than we have and we do not appreciate them at all for that. It is crazy how some people just blow them off like they are less than us and do not get anything special, but they do not also need to be disrespectedRead M oreIndian Mascots You re Out !910 Words   |  4 Pageschair of the Los Angeles Native American Commission, Jack Shakley, in his argument, â€Å"Indian Mascots-You’re Out!† disputes whether Native American mascots should be allowed to be the face of American sports teams. Shakley’s purpose is to convey the idea that is insensitive to have Native Americans as mascots. Jack Shakley uses a passionate tone to show readers that not only is using a Native American mascot racist, but it is wrong and should be changed to a less offensive mascot. Shakley starts off usingRead MoreTelevision And Radio Stations Should Be Banned From Repeatedly Saying The Name Of The Washington Redskins1360 Words   |  6 Pagesinappropriate or racist can be used on the airwaves and a petition claiming that the word â€Å"Redskins† falls within that category, a thus, could be banned from the air. I selected this particular topic because I am a fan of the National Football League and I believe that this is a topic that will spark a larger debate in the very near future. Research †¢ What is the history of the issue? Over the past 30 years, there has been a national debate as to whether school and professional sports teams should