Opinion: No dishonor in using Indians as mascots

Thursday, March 6, 2008  

"I see no dishonor in the way any mascot is represented. Even if I were to take insult to a mascot distorting my heritage, is it right for me to protest and rile up like-minded people until the logo is removed? Of course it is my right, but is it right?

A fuss can be made over nearly any mascot; where do we draw the line? I can easily voice concern over any of a number of offensive icons.

For instance, I strongly identify with my Danish heritage, and am very insulted by the warrior representation of my ancestors, as portrayed by the Minnesota Vikings.

I also take offense to the pejorative images the Boston Celtics and the University of Notre Dame project onto my Irish roots. Not all of us Irishmen are pale pipe-smokers with top hats, anxious to pick a fight.

I also resent the way the San Francisco 49ers portray my gold-mining grandfather as a greedy opportunist; he did nothing to deserve this sort of treatment."

Get the Story:
Zach Townsend: Has political correctness gone too far? (The UNLV Rebel Yell 3/6)