Native American Mascots Pros And Cons
Controversial Mascots
What is a controversial mascot? Controversial is defined by the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument” (“Controversial”). What is meant when one says “controversial mascots,” is a mascot that resembles a person, place or thing that is not agreed upon or supported by all people. A major controversial group of mascots that have been talked about for over four decades now are mascots that are Native American based. There are multiple ethical issues that have been brought up over using these mascots. Using Native American objects or even the Native American people as a mascot is a racial issue, and the stereotypical images of the Native Americans affect …show more content…
The schools that have mascots that are Native American based use Native American faces, weapons, art or even a Native American Indian as their mascot.
Mascots that resemble Native Americans can be seen as racist. They degrade the Native American culture by not representing the true Native American tribes. People from other cultures and beliefs have come to believe that these mascots are representative as to who the Native American tribes are and want to be seen as, which is never true.
These racist mascots are caricatures of Native Americans and are meant for entertainment for the crowd. They do not depict the actual Native American culture and are presenting a false persona of the Native Americans. Most colleges that have a Native American mascot have a negative image along with the name of a tribe such as The Fight Sioux or The Fighting Illinois. Names like these give off the image of vicious, aggressive tribes; which is not what the current tribes are. These mascots depict what the original settlers thought about the Native Americans when they first came to America, that the Native Americans were savages. These people were thought to be uncivilized and …show more content…
They often do not see the problems with having these mascots. A study done at the University of Florida was conducted among 167 undergraduate participants. They were asked a series of questions over the course of an hour. The questions asked were to answer three major questions being asked by a psychology class. The three major questions that the psychology class wanted answered by the study were: “Are some Native American sport mascots considered to be relatively more unacceptable compared with others based on the extent of stereotyping; Is there any attitudinal difference toward Native American sport mascots
What is a controversial mascot? Controversial is defined by the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument” (“Controversial”). What is meant when one says “controversial mascots,” is a mascot that resembles a person, place or thing that is not agreed upon or supported by all people. A major controversial group of mascots that have been talked about for over four decades now are mascots that are Native American based. There are multiple ethical issues that have been brought up over using these mascots. Using Native American objects or even the Native American people as a mascot is a racial issue, and the stereotypical images of the Native Americans affect …show more content…
The schools that have mascots that are Native American based use Native American faces, weapons, art or even a Native American Indian as their mascot.
Mascots that resemble Native Americans can be seen as racist. They degrade the Native American culture by not representing the true Native American tribes. People from other cultures and beliefs have come to believe that these mascots are representative as to who the Native American tribes are and want to be seen as, which is never true.
These racist mascots are caricatures of Native Americans and are meant for entertainment for the crowd. They do not depict the actual Native American culture and are presenting a false persona of the Native Americans. Most colleges that have a Native American mascot have a negative image along with the name of a tribe such as The Fight Sioux or The Fighting Illinois. Names like these give off the image of vicious, aggressive tribes; which is not what the current tribes are. These mascots depict what the original settlers thought about the Native Americans when they first came to America, that the Native Americans were savages. These people were thought to be uncivilized and …show more content…
They often do not see the problems with having these mascots. A study done at the University of Florida was conducted among 167 undergraduate participants. They were asked a series of questions over the course of an hour. The questions asked were to answer three major questions being asked by a psychology class. The three major questions that the psychology class wanted answered by the study were: “Are some Native American sport mascots considered to be relatively more unacceptable compared with others based on the extent of stereotyping; Is there any attitudinal difference toward Native American sport mascots