Offensive or Otherwise?

Native American as Mascots: Offensive or Otherwise?

 Well, if you were to ask an older man who has lived during a time when social injustice wasn't relevant to America (especially in sports), he would say, “Otherwise.” “Back in my day, nobody cared about those people who barely exist. It was all about whose team made it to the World Series or the Super Bowl and the pride it gave people in their hometown, not about whose Indian tribes’ feather color wasn't represented right on the logos. Why don’t these folks crawl back in that little hut where they came from and leave us sport lovin’ Americans alone?”

 If you were to ask a sports fan whose favorite team had a Native American mascot, he would say, “Otherwise.” “It’s not like we're saying Natives are losers or anything. I think we make them look pretty good. Where else do you see a whole crowd of people dressed like an Indian who are proud to be like that?” I can just imagine he’d look something like this:

 If you were to ask the owner of a NFL team who had a Native American mascot, he would say, “Otherwise.” “Look, I have money to make here. If these Indians file a lawsuit against us and they win, imagine what that would do to my reputation! Besides, our fans would never want their team to go from the 'Redskins' to the 'No-skins.' Who wants to support a team with a name like that?" That’s well-spoken by a filthy rich man.

If you were to ask a soccer mom who had all of her children in a sport, she would say, “Otherwise.” “Why this event is terrible! I mean, who are my kids going to play for if their team’s name disappears?  I already have Jimmy seeing a psychologist for his ADHD. I don’t think my other children should see a therapist, too, because of the possible trauma that’s going to fall on them due to their mascots being gone! I think these Indians need to be a little more sympathetic when they make these kinds of decisions.” Does this statement sound a little ironic?

 If you were to ask a man who had a doctorate in economics, he would say, “Otherwise.” “Being a proud American citizen under a capitalist country, the main goal for any of us is to make the most money as possible. Looking at the laws of demand, if your consumers reject to the product you are selling, in this case, the change of Native American mascots, you can expect your business to fall heavily in profits. It is neither ideal nor logical to cease any flow of revenue into your company; therefore sports owners should continue their traditional plan of making revenue.”

 If you were to ask a Republican senator in a red state, he would say, “Otherwise.” “Frankly, I find this mascot controversy to be quite silly. We have established civil rights laws years ago, so what is there left to complain about?  We also live in a country were majority rules; let’s see how the voters take on this issue.” I’m sure he’s one of the politicians involved in stopping complaints about the mascots.

 If you were to ask a Native American teenager who played on her school basketball team (with a N.A. mascot) with her classmates, she would say, “Otherwise.” “I don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, the Wild West was centuries ago, so this sympathy for my people is a tad bit, I don’t know, dated? I remember my mother making a fuss about my team’s mascot, because we’re called the Redskins, and she keeps going on and on about how ‘derogatory that name was to our family.’ Um, it doesn't offend me when my friends say it, so why bother nagging about it now?” Does she have any compassion for her heritage? Nope.

 If you were to ask an attorney who gets paid to fight for people’s civil rights, he would say, “Offensive.” “I will fight to the day I die, to put justice in the hands of these Indigenous individuals.  Once I notify a payment from them, every sports organization in the world would have to pay up for damage they caused.” Yes, just imagine all that money and recognition he would get from that.

If you were to ask a journalist who writes editorials for a popular magazine, she would say, “Offensive.” “Well, of course it’s offensive! I mean, disregarding that mostly liberals read our magazine, it’s just awful! The little man will always win in these kinds of situations, and besides, when was the last time you've seen Native Americans in the news, like, thirty years ago? Regardless of how you stand on this topic, you all will tune in for more details. I make sure I have the facts and I find myself pretty trustworthy.” Of course it’s offensive if you don’t buy her magazine!

  

The problem with this picture is actually not the lack of the common American viewing Native American mascots as offensive. One problem is their justification for why it’s not offensive. If you’re going to argue about any issue, your argument is invalid if it’s filled with logical fallacies, or better yet, it can be countered by a stronger argument. Another problem is the people who do believe it's offensive think that it is simply because it is the “politically correct” way of thinking. They feel like they have to side with some Native American tribes in order to look moralized. What ever happened to common sense? For this issue about Native American mascots, the real issue emerges: for our stances, we seek to benefit ourselves rather than to see all sides of the argument.  However this Native American mascot controversy plays out, I hope it considers the common sense side, not the political/economic/ignorant side.