Okay, so that link leads to a clip of the Daily Show. (Who doesn't love Jon Stewart???) However, the beautiful anchor is not the subject of the conversation.
What we should discuss is his hilarious method for delivering the message that Native Americans (not "Indians") should not be represented as mascots for a football team.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is an undeniable truth.
How would you feel if Canadians had a beer drinking, hot dog eating, ball cap wearing, pot bellied American for a hockey mascot???
Okay, that example is probably a little off. I'm not sure if hockey teams have mascots. However, you get the picture. People are not mascots. Haven't we put Native Americans through enough the past three hundred years?
It's kind of funny (and when I say that, I mean not all that funny) when I hear someone talking about how racist another country is or how hateful a group of people are towards others as if they are completely prejudice-free. America is probably one of the better countries to live in, but it doesn't mean it's an example to follow. The problem with our culture is that we point out our flaws in other cultures without ever fixing our flaws.
Before I go off on a rant, let's go back to the mascot discussion. We have the Georgia Bulldogs. The. Georgia. Bulldogs. A dog. A dog is a mascot. For the most part in our society, it is insulting to call someone else a dog.
"Bill, you are such a dog!"
"You know what, Sally? You are a female dog!"
Ahem. Female dog means bitch. For all of you who don't know that.
So why on earth would we make a Native American a mascot if a dog is a mascot? We are basically putting a group of people on the same level as a dog. We are calling them animals.
You know, most Americans have this picture of a Native American as an "Indian" dancing around a fire, banging a drum, and playing flutes. Those are naive Americans. The truly hateful ones see Native Americans as alcoholic casino owners. Both images are absolutely too far from the truth.
To the Redskins fans in that video clip featured above, maybe if you read some Sherman Alexie or actually visit a reservation, you'll change your mind about your football team's mascot.
Native Americans are people that have been murdered, massacred, and mistreated. What has happened to their culture is the same thing that has happened to Africa. Oh wait, that's because Europeans tore apart both continents. No wonder it's pretty much the same thing.
I hear people say all the time how bad they feel about what happened (what is still happening, in my opinion) to the Native Americans, and then turn around and say there is nothing wrong with a football team having a racial slur as their name and a person as their mascot. You're not truly sorry unless you recognize the racism in this situation. No, not cultural insensitivity. We're all adults. It is racism.
What do you think about this problem? I know I feel pretty strong about this subject, but if you feel differently, I promise I will not tear you down or any way disrespect you. Your opinion is just as valuable as mine. Thoughts?
What we should discuss is his hilarious method for delivering the message that Native Americans (not "Indians") should not be represented as mascots for a football team.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is an undeniable truth.
How would you feel if Canadians had a beer drinking, hot dog eating, ball cap wearing, pot bellied American for a hockey mascot???
Okay, that example is probably a little off. I'm not sure if hockey teams have mascots. However, you get the picture. People are not mascots. Haven't we put Native Americans through enough the past three hundred years?
It's kind of funny (and when I say that, I mean not all that funny) when I hear someone talking about how racist another country is or how hateful a group of people are towards others as if they are completely prejudice-free. America is probably one of the better countries to live in, but it doesn't mean it's an example to follow. The problem with our culture is that we point out our flaws in other cultures without ever fixing our flaws.
Before I go off on a rant, let's go back to the mascot discussion. We have the Georgia Bulldogs. The. Georgia. Bulldogs. A dog. A dog is a mascot. For the most part in our society, it is insulting to call someone else a dog.
"Bill, you are such a dog!"
"You know what, Sally? You are a female dog!"
Ahem. Female dog means bitch. For all of you who don't know that.
So why on earth would we make a Native American a mascot if a dog is a mascot? We are basically putting a group of people on the same level as a dog. We are calling them animals.
You know, most Americans have this picture of a Native American as an "Indian" dancing around a fire, banging a drum, and playing flutes. Those are naive Americans. The truly hateful ones see Native Americans as alcoholic casino owners. Both images are absolutely too far from the truth.
To the Redskins fans in that video clip featured above, maybe if you read some Sherman Alexie or actually visit a reservation, you'll change your mind about your football team's mascot.
Native Americans are people that have been murdered, massacred, and mistreated. What has happened to their culture is the same thing that has happened to Africa. Oh wait, that's because Europeans tore apart both continents. No wonder it's pretty much the same thing.
I hear people say all the time how bad they feel about what happened (what is still happening, in my opinion) to the Native Americans, and then turn around and say there is nothing wrong with a football team having a racial slur as their name and a person as their mascot. You're not truly sorry unless you recognize the racism in this situation. No, not cultural insensitivity. We're all adults. It is racism.
What do you think about this problem? I know I feel pretty strong about this subject, but if you feel differently, I promise I will not tear you down or any way disrespect you. Your opinion is just as valuable as mine. Thoughts?