Team picks white man mascot to make point

Greeley Tribune ^ | 10 Mar 02 | Julio Ochoa

[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."

[MarkL]

"The Fighting Whities".....I like it!

Tell me again why we're supposed to be offended?

I can see the headlines after a winning season...

"White Men are Supreme!"

Yeah, right...Does anybody at the school have a clue?

Mark

[Travis McGee]

I like it too!

"Whitey Kicks Ass!"

[Boucheau]

Truly an excellent choice of team name and mascot! Way to go lefties! You pathetic clods!

They even chose a businessman! Perfect!

[MarkL]

Ok... Here are some of my favorites...

The University of Missouri @ Kansas City has the Kangaroos!

But I think that my favorite mascot of all time is for the Kansas City Flying Monkeys Lacrosse Club!

Mark

[Ryle]

I guess the people that voted that name extinct, werent history teachers

You sure got that right, they don't even teach "History" any more, it's "Social Studies" and seems to reflect the latest "cause" rather than giving any notion of placing events in any historical context.

[Consort]

Is "Paleface" a Native American name?

[jackbill]

arent razorbacks white guys

Razorbacks are wild boar hogs.

OK, then White DemocRATs?

[#3Fan]

It does point out the asininity of the protest against nicknames (they're not always mascots) that invariably stress a trait positive to an athletic tem; i.e., strength, indomitablity, and the like.

True. Everyone is looking for a way to be a victim. Even when it doesn't make sense.

[#3Fan]

Excuse me? As an American of Norwegian/Swedish descent, I am OUTRAGED that the Minnesota Vikings have opted to sully my heritage with such degrading actions as losing four Super Bowls and employing Randy Moss. I was just going to let it go, but now that I've seen what can be accomplished with a little initiative, I'm going to contact a lawyer tomorrow... Clearly, the Vikings are deliberately besmirching my Scandinavian heritage

Especially when they misrepresent you with those silly horns. Vikings didn't wear horns. You can add the ridicule you get from those horns to your lawsuit. :^)

[stripes1776]

Teams pick mascots that have some virtue that they want, for example courage, intelligence, strength, power, skill.

If some American Indian on this team needs a white guy as a mascot to give him an identity with a virtue that he is in need of, then let him have the mascot. He is really flattering white guys.

[freebilly]

If they want to offend white folk they could've called their team "The Wimpy Whities" or "The Dumb White Crackers" or "The Ignorant Red-Necked Honkies".

[Bullish]

Doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, this country could use more fighting whities.

[rvoitier]

Their mascot must've been...Uncle Tom.

LOL!

[Michael2001]

Finally, we white men get the recognition we deserve! (What, I was supposed to be offended?)

[Dan4175]

So did I...It is actually better this way. A group of idiots showing how poorly equipped they are to handle a world with sharp edges.

[Lee'sGhost]

"White Men are Supreme!"

LOL! So the people who created the concept to start with will now be offended by their own work. Classic. Can't you hear 'em whining now. "We didn't think about that. Snif, snif."

[CurlyDave]

arent razorbacks white guys?

Razorbacks are hogs.

[liberalism=failure]

Razorbacks are hogs.

No, they are differently snouted Americans

[Nakota]

For many years the nickname of the Wahpeton, ND high school was the "Wahps". Then, to be PC, they changed it to the Huskies. I suppose if you combined the names you could manage to offend two identity groups at the same time.

[babble-on]

U. of Pennsylvania Quakers

Fight! Fight! Inner Light!
Kill, Quakers, Kill!!