Ramone Romero wonders where the honor is when Washington football fans curse and yell at Native American children at the last football game of the season.
Last month when Washington had its final football game of the season, more than a hundred people protested the name and mascot at the home stadium. As usual, fan reaction ranged from indifferent to hostile, but since Native activists also brought their children along, the spirit of mascotry came more into full view: fans cursed, flipped off and shouted obscenities in the faces of Native children not even ten years old!
I hope that shocking behavior helps people see the disgusting “spirit” that is behind mascotry. In the following poem which I wrote earlier last month, I give voice to that spirit, in the hopes of exposing it’s condescending, insulting, demeaning and destructive nature:
“The Spirit of Mascotry”
My great-grandmother was
A Cherokee princess
So it’s my privilege
To Native griefs dismiss
For I’m just as “Native”
And I am doing fine
Natives should not complain
But all they do is whine
They don’t like being honored
As courageous mascots
Not appreciate our
Headdresses & tomahawks
But when I do war-whoops
Of them I am thinking
Well—those long dead, I mean
Not those today living
Natives who live today
I don’t know so many
Are they even still here?
Nope, I don’t see any
Besides, we won the land
So they should be quiet
And they did bad things, too
So just get over it!
Go away and go back
To the reservation
Fade away and just die
‘Cause this is our nation
We came, we saw, we won
We stole, killed and destroyed
We have no fear of God
His justice we make void
Among us Natives are
Less than the least of these
So we’ll pay them no mind
And go on in our sleaze
Our nation is God-blessed
Our righteousness divine
Native claims don’t matter
‘Cause this land it is mine
They should just be grateful
That we acknowledge them
They should just be honored
That we call them r-dsk-ns
So what if our forefathers
Bloody scalps meant?
So what if it offends
Sixty-seven percent? (*)
And if their kids are bullied
And get low self-esteem
I don’t give a damn ’cause
All that counts is my team
I don’t care about Natives
I will make any excuse
To keep the team mascot
And prolong the abuse
This is our tradition
It’s always been the same
God bless America
And this racist name
****
(*) Older polls interviewed “self-identified” Natives without checking for any tribal enrollment or connection to a tribal community or culture. (I.e., anyone claiming to have a “Cherokee princess” for a great-grandmother could count in the survey.) Seeing that huge flaw in the older polls, a new study was done interviewing people *in* Native communities and at powwows, etc. The results? 67% were offended by the term “r-dsk-n”, 20% saw no problem with it, and 12% were neutral.
ICTMN article: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/06/04/67-percent-native-americans-say-redskins-offensive-155143
Research Press Release: http://cips.csusb.edu/docs/PressRelease.pdf
It’s no wonder that controversy sells and why we buy it, Good Men. That’ll never change unless our social attitudes about victimization evolve to match the actual harm they cause; not just some narrow perception. A better story on this same subject can be found at http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/02/real-reason-dont-mind-redskins-chargers-calkins/. Snyder would do some good to help those whom bear his cause. But while these polarized attitudes remain, please join the lawyers in flipping out a race card after I purchase Cracker Jack from Frito Lay. That brand name honors the brave service men and women of our Naval forces, and I’d like… Read more »