Mas·cot [mas-kot, -kuht] (noun): an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck. Why we should change it:
-While the term is not necessarily politically incorrect, there has been doubt surrounding the word Indians given its origins (when the settlers first arrived in the Americas, they thought they were in India and referred to the nat
ive people as Indians) and many people still feel uncomfortable using it. (The most politically correct way to refer to Native people is by their tribe.)
-Having an ethnicity as a mascot opens doors to stereotypes and gross misrepresentations. The image on our floor (this page's profile picture), for example, is a stereotype.
-Having an ethnicity, any ethnicity, as a mascot, compared to an "animal, person, or thing," is illogical. And since the definition only cites "animal, person, or thing"... which is it?
-Controversy has surrounded Native American mascots for years, and ours is no exception. Stanford University, for example, changed their mascots from the Indians to the Cardinals in 1972 (that's 41 years ago!!) because they found the term offensive.
-Frankly, it's just plain embarrassing. Using history as an excuse, we have been the Indians for far too long. It's an embarrassment to our school, community and students, past and present. It's an easy thing to ask and a simple thing to fix that we adopt a mascot we can be proud of. What I'm (Lisa) asking of you, whoever you are, is your opinions. I'd like to hear what you think (if you agree and think it's long past due that we update our mascot), anything you've heard people say about our mascot and island (for example, Lea shared with me a time that she wore her sweatshirt to work and on two different occasions, someone approached her and told her her shirt was offensive), and most importantly, any suggestions for a new mascot! Please comment (or send me a personal message if you prefer) telling me your thoughts. Also, please share this group with whoever you think might care (students, alumni, parents, friends, people who don't like offending other people) and get them to like this.
