11/05/24
April 03, 2003
One less cause the PC folks can champion.: "The Seminole Tribe of Florida has once again told Florida State University it is welcome to use 'Seminoles' as a nickname of its athletic teams. ... Members of the tribe don't think it's a problem and are proud of the relationship."
"This is our tribe, and the tribe that is represented needs to have final say and they need to respect that." -- Max Osceola, acting chief of the Seminoles. so what would happen if the tribe changes its mind? would the university be so quick to herald their close relationship with the seminoles? one tribe and one team having an understanding does not equal "One less cause the PC folks can champion". as jason quoted above, many indian groups ask the use of indian mascots be stopped. mascots are not inherently demeaning. the seminoles are OK with FSU. irish-americans are OK with notre dame. but many, if not most, native groups are upset by names like the redskins and their sentiment must be the highest priority. unfortunately fans who want to keep the names do even want the issue to be discussed, much less to give the affected peoples a first choice in the matter.
posted by danostuporstar at 08:45 AM on April 04, 2003
Personally, I think we should all just relax with the PC stuff but as a middle class white guy, I don't really get a vote. Here's an idea: you can name your team anything wouldn't lead to a bar fight. "Redskins" is out, then, as are other racial slurs. But a proper noun like a "Seminole" should be fine. I don't see how people can get upset about adopting anything as a mascot, as long as the thing in question isn't inherently offensive. So long as the Seminole mascot isn't stumbling around drinking firewater or pretending to scalp people or something during games, there's no problem. Good for the Seminole tribe for not making a big deal out of nothing.
posted by Samsonov14 at 10:16 AM on April 04, 2003
Also from the article: "Our position in general is that the tribes have the prerogative to address the mascot issue any way they'd like," said Adam Bailey, a spokesman for the National Council of American Indians. But he said Thursday the organization's position is that the use of the names and mascots is degrading, and it wants them to be eliminated. Leaving aside PC-happy folks who like to jump on bandwagons, is it okay for any ethnic group to to be unhappy with this kind of association? Whose interests are more compelling, the tribe's or the franchise's?