The Mascot Slot: Cultural Citizenship, Political Correctness, and Pseudo-Indian Sports Symbols

Strong, Pauline Turner

doi:10.1177/0193-723503261672

Cited by 19 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…American Indian names are among the top 10 most popular mascot names for U.S. high schools (Clarkson, 2002). This popularity and persistence in the use of such mascots comes despite criticism that the images are derogatory and result in negative repercussions for American Indians (e.g., Gone, 2002; Strong, 2004). Proponents have rationalized their continued support by noting that the depictions are positive and complimentary, rather than derogatory (e.g., University of Illinois, 2007).…”

Section: The Present Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of Exposure to an American Indian Mascot on the Tendency to Stereotype a Different Minority Group

Kim-Prieto

Goldstein

Okazaki

et al. 2010

J Applied Social Pyschol

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Numerous findings have documented the adverse effects of stereotypes on those negatively portrayed by the stereotypes. Less is known about the ramifications of stereotype exposure on those who are not the objects of the stereotypic depictions. Two studies examined the effect of exposure to an American Indian sports mascot on the stereotype endorsement of a different minority group. Study 1 used an unobtrusive prime, while Study 2 used a more engaged prime. Study 2 also investigated the effect among those unfamiliar with the controversy regarding American Indian sports mascots. Results from both studies show that participants primed with an American Indian sports mascot increased their stereotyping of a different ethnic minority group.

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Section: The Present Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Chief Wahoo” is the mascot of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Chief Wahoo, who is depicted as a grinning red face donned by a feather, has also been criticized for its derogatory portrayal of Native Americans (Strong, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Exposure to an American Indian Mascot on the Tendency to Stereotype a Different Minority Group

Kim-Prieto

Goldstein

Okazaki

et al. 2010

J Applied Social Pyschol

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“…More frequently, they pair this same basic idea with the concept of political correctness (see Strong 2004; Davis and Rau 2001: 231):…”

Section: Public Accountsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Accounts: Defending Contested Practices

Silva

2007

Symbolic Interaction

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Little attention has been paid to how actors account for controversial institutional conduct or contested practices. Relying on a content analysis of letters to the editor, I explore how actors operating in the Habermasian “public sphere” justify the contested practice of linking Native American symbols with sports teams, and suggest that in their rejection of challengers to their definitions of the situation, authors create public accounts. Consisting primarily of justifications rather than excuses, these accounts are of four types: “denial of injury,” “assertion of benefit,” “claim of authority,” and “rejection of challenge.” For those who wish to conduct comparative analyses of contested practices, these concepts may prove useful.

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“…In fact, such symbols and spectacles of Indianness alternately underscore Euro-American triumph and superiority (the taking of the metaphoric taking from the vanquished enemy, the Indian head as trophy, the Indian name as talisman) and actually narrates the past through ritual claims to culture and place, ranging from mimicking dance and dress to mockingly encoding historical peace offerings, as when Chief Illiniwek smoked the peace pipe with William Penn at the half-time of a football game between Illinois and Penn. In a very real way, Native American mascots foster the rote memorization of how to live as racialized citizen-subjects: who won the war, who is superior, who is a citizen (Strong 2004), who can take from whom, who can take pleasure in mimicking and mocking whom, what happened in the past, what is fun, and so on. Indeed, the continued use of Indian imagery in athletics offers lessons in white supremacy.…”

Section: Miseducationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Intolerance: Anti-Indian Imagery, Racial Politics, and (Anti)Racist Pedagogy

King¹

2008

Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies

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In the immediate aftermath of the semiannual University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting, which witnessed yet another official endorsement of the school's embattled mascot, Chief Illiniwek, albeit through one more deferred vote, Chris Neubauer (2003), sport columnist for the student newspaper, The Daily Illini, did not call the process obstructionist or the school symbol racist, but instead called for more education. In addition to a preponderance of courses devoted to ''Hindi, Japanese, Bulgarian and many other languages and nationalities'' and the paucity of offerings on Native Americans, Neubauer lamented the costly, decade-long debate over the use of Indian imagery, blaming it for the collective ignorance of the student body about ''their'' Indian: ''We are at one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world, but sadly we aren't educated about our own symbol.'' To rectify this cultural illiteracy, he implores the university to teach more courses on American Indians, particularly the indigenous peoples of Illinois, and to develop a Native American Studies program. Importantly, his real commitment lies in the tradition of playing Indian at the university, evidenced by his interest in learning about the naming of the state and school symbol as well as the origins of Chief Illiniwek, rather than the complex history of the native nations of North America, including dispossession, forced removal, assimilation, survival, and sovereignty. As a consequence, Neubauer's appeal, ''Educate me, please,'' is not about empowerment or enlightenment, but a self-indulgent defense of the status quo. Neubauer's commentary reveals something more 420

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The Mascot Slot: Cultural Citizenship, Political Correctness, and Pseudo-Indian Sports Symbols

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Effect of Exposure to an American Indian Mascot on the Tendency to Stereotype a Different Minority Group

Effect of Exposure to an American Indian Mascot on the Tendency to Stereotype a Different Minority Group

Public Accounts: Defending Contested Practices

Teaching Intolerance: Anti-Indian Imagery, Racial Politics, and (Anti)Racist Pedagogy

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