School ban on tribal nicknames upheld

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | 3/11/03 | Deborah Bach

[ppaul]

Bunch of PC nonsense, if you ask me.
Seems most of the complainers are women.
Don't know what their gripe is.
The "mascot" is an Indian brave - which portrays Indians in a proud light.
Now if the school wanted to call them "Squaws", maybe they'd have a beef.

[aynrandfreak]

If they were consistent, they would ban the name Seattle too.

[Mark17]

Don't know what their gripe is.

They have no gripe. They simply have too much time on their hands. Don't you think that calling a football team "Vikings" is kind of racist? Same principal they are using. sarcasm off.

[Always Right]

The three major universities in Indiana all have white-males as their mascots, and the one for a Hoosier is not all that flatering. I need to sue...

[borisbob69]

Your comments remind me of the nonsense here in Phoenix about a mountain and a stretch of freeway. Squaw Peak Mountain is offensive to some local NA's and they have protested not only the mountain but also a section of a local freeway named the Squaw Peak. I'm not sure where all this stands as of now...but my solution: Go with the flow and then ignore the offended parties.

If mentioning/naming something about/after Native American's or (fill in the blank) offends people despite its existence for decades, even centuries...then when you finally roll over or a school district or the courts roll you over...then for the sake of rewritten history...make sure you write the future so as to never offend. By ignoring an offended group you make them irrelevant...actions have consequences after all.

[M0sby]

Here in Seattle we also have: The Highlanders, The Scotts, The Vikings(as mentioned)and I'm sure many more.

Want to hear greatness in action? My former High School, Meadowdale, changed its mascot name from the Meadowdale Cheifs to the Meadowdale Marauders. One Dictionary (Websters online)defines Marauders:

Main Entry: ma·raud
Pronunciation: m&-'rod
Function: verb
Etymology: French marauder
Date: 1711
to roam about and raid in search of plunder transitive senses : RAID, PILLAGE

Amazing...isn't it? Sure glad they decided "CHEIFS" was negative... wouldn't want to have a negative mascot :-(

[IrishBrigade]

"Seems most of the complainers are women'

And just what else is new??? (Joking, just joking...)

[Sacajaweau]

The Indians etc are wiping themselves out with these actions. Those names represented the vigor of the indians and were originally in support of the Indians. The records are full of their statements of the Greatness of braves, chiefs etc..Foolish, Foolish!!!!! AND Ignorant.

[IrishBrigade]

The Hoosier, the Boilermaker, and the Leprechaun are all pretty silly looking as mascots...which I think is the point. Mascots are caricatures, by their very nature intending to promote fun and games...only professional offendees (and their their easily led young skulls full of mush)could see a sinister vein in all of this. But then, in our rush to sensitivity we've created numerous monsters from the one we've slain...

[kms61]

I think most of the names are fine.

However, IMHO the Washington Redskins moniker is over the top. It's not quite the equivalent of the N-word, but it's in the neighborhood. And I think the Cleveland Indians caricature mascot is in bad taste.

[borisbob69]

LOL...an excellent example of how absurd these people can be!

One of our Community Colleges in Scottsdale gave the students a chance to select their mascot a number of years ago (early 70's)...and they decided to be the Scottsdale "Artichokes".

Long story short: the Student Senate was getting back at the Administration because of a perceived wrong involving expenditure of funds supporting athletics...the Senate gave the student body 3 choices: Artichokes (the winner), Rutabagas or Scoundrels. After the election, the college voided the results and in a subsequent election Artichokes beat out Drovers (supported by the athletes) 70% to 30%. This time the Administration let the results stand. How's that for absurd?

[nhbob1]

A few years ago the PC crowd at the University of Massachusetts tried to get them to change their mascot by going on a hunger strike. It seems that the Minuteman mascot was offensive to them because it was "a white man with a gun". So the minorities complain if the mascot is a member of their group, they also complain if the mascot is part of the majority group. You just can't win!

[Free the USA]

It seems to me that Conservatives should support this ruling. We have a Judge who does not believe in simply substituting his opinion for that of the elected representatives who do reflect the opinion of Seattle residents. We may not agree with the opinion of Seattle voters and their representatives on the school board but they should be allowed to decide the name of their public schools without outside interference by an overreaching judiciary.

[borisbob69]

I can see it now:

This Year's Veggie Bowl featuring the Fighting Okra taking on the Artichokes!

ROFLMAO!

[kms61]

Just like the Stanford student body years ago voted to change the team nickname to "Robber Barons." Has a nice ring to it. But the administration went with "Cardinal" instead.

So now Stanford has a color for a nickname and a tree for a mascot (what is up with that?)

I wish they'd stuck with Robber Barons.

[borisbob69]

Maybe...an exhibition game in Asia..."The Stir Fry Bowl"