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Team picks white man mascot to make point
Greeley Tribune ^ | 10 Mar 02 | Julio Ochoa

Posted on 03/10/2002 7:27:34 AM PST by real saxophonist

Team picks white man mascot to make point

 Story By Julio Ochoa

An intramural basketball team at the University of Northern Colorado called "The Fighting Whities" is turning the tables on the Eaton mascot issue.

Led by Solomon Little Owl, director of Native American Student Services at UNC, the team chose a white man as its mascot to raise awareness and understanding of stereotypes that some cultures endure.

"The message is, let's do something that will let people see the other side of what it's like to be a mascot," Little Owl said. "I am really offended by this mascot issue, and I hope the people that support the Eaton mascot will get offended by this."

The players, made up of a mixture of American Indian, Hispanic and caucasian students, wear white jerseys with the picture of a white man in a suit on the front and the slogan "Every thang's gonna be all white!" printed beneath.

"It's not meant to be vicious, it is meant to be humorous," said Ray White, a Mohawk American Indian on the team. "It puts people in our shoes, and then we can say, 'Now you know how it is, and now you can make a judgement.' "

Judging right or wrong is hard when you don't understand how it feels to be stereotyped, White said.

"We are looking for understanding," he said. "We want change, but you can't force change."

American Indians could go through the general assembly or town meetings to try to change mascots, but the same message might not get through, White said.

"We all live in the same community and want the same things, so it is good to be standing in each other's shoes for a while," he said.

Charles Cuny, an Ogalala Lakota and member of the team, said he went to an American Indian Catholic high school with a mascot called the Red Cloud Crusaders, after a famous chief of the Lakota Indians.

The problem with Eaton's mascot is a matter of respect, he said.

"There are certain words that are accepted and certain words that are unacceptable," Cuny said. "Really a mascot is something that you look up to, and on one hand that is nice, but maybe we could go about it another way."

Having a white mascot is a way to make people more aware of American Indian issues, he said.

"We live in a politically correct society, and sometimes indians get overlooked," he said. "There are so few indians who have clout that there are a lot of things that go unsettled."


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: mascot
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To: Polybius
Great point. These names invariably are high compliments
161 posted on 03/10/2002 9:19:55 AM PST by luvbach1
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To: real saxophonist
I would proudly play for the "The Fighting Whities".... Though it's already been done. The were just called the early 80's Milwaukee Bucks. Paul Mokeskie rules!!!
162 posted on 03/10/2002 9:22:29 AM PST by Daus
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To: greenishness
If whites turned out in force at their games they likely would be forced to change their name
163 posted on 03/10/2002 9:22:39 AM PST by luvbach1
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To: balrog666
I LOVE the name "The Fighting Whities"!!!

It shows how stupid people are to be offended by names...did they really think that white people would object to this name?

Morons.
164 posted on 03/10/2002 9:22:58 AM PST by Dan4175
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To: mlibertarianj
The SD State Aztecs (great contoversy over that name) just defeated UNLV in basketball tournament
165 posted on 03/10/2002 9:23:45 AM PST by luvbach1
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To: Dubya
Hoooah!
166 posted on 03/10/2002 9:24:33 AM PST by luvbach1
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To: real saxophonist
SO how about it? if the fighting whities win too often will it be the beginning of sports affirmative action?

will their touchdowns then be reduced to 5 points to make it a "level playing field"?

Will they get 2 free throws while the other team gets 3 for the sake of "promoting diversity"?

Will they make an out with 2 strikes instead of 3 in the interest of furthering "civil rights"?

Will they have to pay reparations to every team they win against?

Indeed this certainly opens up a lot of questions.

167 posted on 03/10/2002 9:26:24 AM PST by liberalism=failure
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To: DouglasKC
This whole thread is a hoot!

You are onto something. IRS agents would be just as bad.

168 posted on 03/10/2002 9:28:08 AM PST by martian_22
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To: Dan4175
Until the article told me different, I thought this was an all white team trying to point out the absurdity of being offended by something so trivial.
169 posted on 03/10/2002 9:29:25 AM PST by Gumption
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To: real saxophonist
bump to see if the t-shirt address ever shows up

I gotta have one of these....

170 posted on 03/10/2002 9:29:28 AM PST by knews_hound
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To: real saxophonist
I am white and I am NOT offended. Idiots!
171 posted on 03/10/2002 9:31:07 AM PST by PISANO
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To: cidrasm
too stupid to understand words
172 posted on 03/10/2002 9:31:47 AM PST by luvbach1
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To: real saxophonist
I'm deeply offended

I believe that the bears and lions as mascots are insesnitive to Furry Americans

I believe that the Arkansas razorbacks as mascots is insensitive to snouted Americans

I believe that the chargers as a mascot is insensitive to cadmium and nickel celled Americans

And I believe that the red wings mascot is insensitive to flying Americans of color

Oh, the horror, its all so offensive!!!!

173 posted on 03/10/2002 9:34:49 AM PST by liberalism=failure
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To: counterrevolutionary
I guarantee that if the jerseys become available and people start wering them then wearing them will be a hate crime. These people are so hopeless. Would they rather that the Indians be forgotten and ignored.
174 posted on 03/10/2002 9:34:49 AM PST by willyone
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To: knews_hound
The best team name ever...Macon Whoopee
175 posted on 03/10/2002 9:35:05 AM PST by xp38
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To: real saxophonist
I like it. It'll only last until they realize that white people don't care and racists from some other ethnic groups are offended.
176 posted on 03/10/2002 9:36:09 AM PST by FreePaul
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To: Cable225
A while back, a popular T-shirt among some types has a picture of Malcolm X with the slogan "It's a Black Thing, You Wouldn't Understand".

Sometime thereafter, I saw someone did a T-Shirt that went something like this:


It's a White Thing
You Wouldn't Understand

177 posted on 03/10/2002 9:36:14 AM PST by SauronOfMordor
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To: xp38, dbwz
Yep. Born in Macon.
178 posted on 03/10/2002 9:36:45 AM PST by real saxophonist
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To: liberalism=failure
Boy, You're one step ahead of me on this! Are these guys allowed to try their best to win? It's already a given by your post The Whiteys will have to play harder but how hard is harder? Will all the games end in a tie so no feelings are hurt? Or will The Whiteys have to lose until the other teams get their act together? You seem to be the pro on this so I await your unbiased and thoughful answer. My home school was the Roughriders. I now live in Shawnee so perhaps the Shawnee Indians will have to change their name to the Shawnee White Boys.
179 posted on 03/10/2002 9:38:32 AM PST by Jaidyn
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To: real saxophonist
"Go Whitie"
180 posted on 03/10/2002 9:39:12 AM PST by CWRWinger
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