Chief not a Chief

[mattd]

First some background;
Here in the USA stereotypes of racial minorities are a
popular way of selling products and sports teams. All
very much like the Nazi images of Jews, Romany, and
Slavic people that allowed them to be thought of as
less than human.
Until fairly recently exaggerated and demeaning
cartoons of African Americans were used to sell
everything from pancakes and breakfast cereal to
cleaning products. While these have - through boycotts
and other actions- become a thing of the past the use
of these same types of demeaning and dehumanizing
caricatures of American Indian peoples is still
common.
Sports teams call themselves the Red Skins, Chiefs,
Braves, Savages, Warriors, Indians, etc and use half
naked grotesque depictions of Native people as their
symbols.
The Illinois University Basketball team goes a step
farther by having a white dressed as *a real savage
redskin* come out and do a *traditional Indian dance*
in a performance that casts ridicule on the Indigenous
Peoples of Turtle Island (North America). This at a
time when the Gov't. and their multinational corporate
friends have increased their attacks on our
reservations and way of life.
Doc

OreadDaily at yahoogroups.com wrote:

AND IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Missouri got its tail whipped in basketball last week
by Illinois. The highlight film however does not show
a man, dressed all in black (probably one of them
anarchists or something) burst through a ring of fans
and tackled Chief Illiniwek, Illinois' mascot, at
half-time. Illinois University spokesman Kent Brown
said the mascot has never been confronted before.
Chief Illiniwek performs a traditional Indian dance at
home games but rarely performs on the road. The
performances have been criticized for racial
insensitivity. It is unknown whether the attack was
related to the years-long debate on campus and beyond
over the controversial Chief. If it wasn't it should
have been. Several Illinois fans in the circle around
the court wore ``Save the Chief'' buttons.
Scott Keihl, 24, of Columbia, faces up to a year in
jail and a $1,000 fine on the third-degree assault
count.
Sources: Native News,Daily Illini, St. Louis Post

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Wonder how james cosners going?