Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Orakpo
I know not all Indians care about the name but I can understand the other point of view of the Indians that do.
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Native Americans don't like the word "Indian" either, if you are going to go that way. They would argue that they are NOT FROM India, but rather were natives to this country long before the white men even started showing up. In fact, most Native Americans derive from the Inuits & groups of eskimo vagabonds & nomads that traveled south looking for warmer climates & better hunting grounds. So, calling them Indians is JUST AS offensive.
Now, that being said, there are few NAs that are actually offended by NA logos, symbols, team names, & mascots for the simple fact that they KNOW that once these NA remembrances are wiped out, so, too, will they be from our history books. What we remember now is so little as a society, there are people all over this country that aren't even aware of their current existence or the fact that they live on Reservations or even what a Tee Pee is. What is taught in schools today about the Native Americans is sad to say the least.
What the white man did to these people is absolutely horrific & we don't exactly set apart a day to celebrate their existence in our world. We have a whole month to celebrate our black brothers & sisters & NOT ONE DAY for NAs. If you say Thanksgiving...that is a joke. Thanksgiving Day was basically the white men saying to the NAs, "Step into my parlor said the spider to the fly". It was a way for us to trick them into giving or selling their lands.
As far as I'm concerned, it's not as if the logos or mascots or team names make these people look foolish. As if the logos are of NAs drinking whiskey & selling cigars. The mascots don't run around in each event & act as though they are being slaughtered (although, that would be more historically accurate). Most of these logos & names are respectful & often times portray them as fierce warriors who would not go down without a fight & were willing to die for their causes.
If they start actually removing these names & logos, to me it will be the final step in removing them altogether from our history. Eventually, the argument will arise (if it hasn't already) that the people who dress up as NAs for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are offensive & we should stop portraying them altogether because it is "disrespectful."
For the most part, these lawsuits are not even headed up by NAs but white people believing they are doing the right thing by trying to remove offensive logos & team names, when in reality they are trying to further destroy a culture that has been increasingly lost in our world today. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.