We need a statute of limitations for well-worn political issues. It seems only fair that once you bring up an issue, society has 10 years to try and work through it, and if we aren’t satisfied with the results at that point, we’re just going to have to lean on the old adage that you can’t win ’em all. For one, this would instill a sense of urgency in our lawmakers, something they rarely feel unless they’re telling us they’re not guilty. But more importantly, it would keep us from having to hear the same gripes year in and out. Not every complaint is worthless, mind you, but give it enough time and just about every topic for concern looks a bit silly. Of course, this would never happen because treading water is the foundation of political longevity, but in a better world, we’d all learn to move on, and we’d start with the issue of Native American mascots.
The plight of the Native American cannot be overstated. They invited us into their house a few hundred years ago, and we’ve spent most of that time sleeping on their couch. Or chasing them into a tiny part of the backyard. While we today recognize — or at least attempt to — the horrible way we’ve mistreated the true settlers of America, our acts of atonement are severely misguided. By proposing a bill that would force investigations of high school mascots or logos if complaints are received, state lawmakers are trumpeting their belief in a moral high ground, yet ignoring larger problems in both Native American communities and society at large.
As Alice Cooper once noted, Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee, is named after an Algonquin term for “the good land.” In the Midwest, many towns, and a number of our states, reflect the heritage of the people here before us. But as soon as that heritage gets stitched onto a basketball jersey, something happens. All of a sudden, a chief goes from a tribal leader to a symbol of oppression, and a warrior becomes a symbol of disrespect instead of honor. The argument often presented against these names is that they lead us to stereotype Native Americans as combative, violent people with tomahawks and headdresses, but unless you’re the kind of person who’d cross the street to avoid walking next to a Swede, their eyes burning with the desire to uphold the Viking traditions of raping and pillaging, this doesn’t make much sense.
Ultimately, this issue is more about propping up our own morals than a real need to improve cultural understandings of Native Americans. While small high schools with smaller budgets are forced to repaint gyms and order new football helmets, the truly offensive Native American mascots remain untouched. The examples are obvious, but anyone who’s ever seen a Cleveland Indians hat or thought about how the nation’s capital is represented in the NFL by a team called the Redskins knows this isn’t an issue politicians take that seriously. Even the University of Wisconsin, who states they won’t let their athletic teams schedule non-conference opponents with Native American names, have no problem selling tickets when the Fighting Sioux come to town.
But while wailing against your local school’s nickname might make you sleep better at night, it does little to help the Native American communities all around us, and there’s no doubt they need help. Instead of spending money to investigate high school names, lawmakers should look to spend money on scholarships to put more Native Americans through college or money to improve reservation lands. Native Americans in this country have long been at a serious disadvantage as a whole, but it was never because of the Menomonee Falls Indians. Unfortunately, it’s much easier to change a high school nickname than it is to improve living conditions for a group of people.
It’s not that making school find new mascots is bad; it can sometimes be good, but in the long run, it’s rather inconsequential. More than anything, it’s just another case of replacing serious Native American issues with easy to handle pseudo-issues. And hey, if nothing else, at least the Fighting Sioux are consistently good. Us Irish are stuck representing a school full of pretentious jerks who can’t win anything.
Sean Kittridge ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
