Follow-up Points: "In Whose Honor?"

Before I post some follow-up points on the video we saw last Thursday (11/12), let me remind you of the extra credit opportunities coming up this week. Sorry for the mix-up last week, but I did not know what to believe, the e-calendar or the daily announcements. Check that blog post, EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES, which is where you should go to post you comments if you attend either or both of these events.
_________________________

Follow-up Points: "In Whose Honor?"

(1) No matter how sincerely or strongly fans, alumni, university officials defended their mascot, Chief Illiniwek, the fact is he was just a mascot: his dress, his dance, etc. were not authentic. As that one Indian counselor put it, to have this person allegedly doing some sacred Indian dance at a sporting contest is a mockery. In whose honor, really?

(2) In attempting to resist the will of national organizations such as the NCAA and invoke states' rights (or university's rights), the University of Illinois and Rep. Winkel (who introduced that bill in the state legislature to protect the mascot) were following in the footsteps of Southern states during the civil rights struggle who resisted federal efforts to force them to abolish their state segregation laws.

(3) Indian caricatures are really no differnt than those of the past, such as Black Sambo, which almost everyone recognizes today as being demeaning and to be avoided.

(4) Finally, I would say that throughout the video, I believe it can be fairly said that many whites were really oblivious or insensitive to the issues raised by Charlene Teter (the Indian woman who protested against the mascot), in part, because they themselves have never really been the target of such a demeaning stereotype.

PLEASE INCORPORATE THESE POINTS IN YOUR NOTES. IF I ASK A QUESTION ON THE FINAL EXAM ABOUT THIS VIDEO, IT WILL BE BASED ON THIS. Also, for those who may have missed seeing the video, I turned it back to the library. You'll find it in the DVD collection under the title, "In Whose Honor?"