Thread by @urbannavajo

Cultural appropriation is when the dominant group co-opts cultural components from a racial group and subverts their meaning in ways only acceptable to the dominant group. Using Native peoples' likeness and culture as a mascot is cultural appropriation.

Racism is about power - the power of the dominant racial group over others expressed as individual and institution prejudices and discrimination. Sometimes it's about biology and other times about culture. Every time it's wrong.

The fact that members of the dominant group want to regulate the imagery of racialized minority groups is an exercise of racist power and a way to assuage racial fears. (Recall that "You will not replace us" was that tiki torch whites chant)

Racial prejudice can be "negative" or "positive." Either way, prejudice is an inflexible attitude and worldview that bestows upon someone or some group limited and specific traits. It locks people into a stereotype. It also often leads to discrimination.

Justifying Native mascots because #goodtraits is weird. Can't they be easily found in any group: "Natives are brave, stoic, and have a fighting spirit" <-- as if no other group has that. Don't whites have these traits too? How weird would it be to have "The Whites" as a mascot?

"I love the white people. They care about family and are a strong and fighting people because take what they want even if people resist."

Even though these are [supposedly] traits shown in a good light, don't you see how one-dimensional this is?

Where's the complexity and diversity? How can lumping a whole racial group into one narrow version be anything but dehumanizing? And whose likeness for a white mascot be used? Trump? Biden? *shudders*

This whole "we're honoring you" reasoning is stupid. It's preserving an imagined idea of Native Americans and passes that idea down and around to maintain superiority.

Here's what I mean: What are the traits of a Native to rationalize becoming a mascot? Bravery, stoicism, ferocity? (Any others?) Can a Native be intelligent, meek, kind, and conciliatory? In real life, yes. With a mascot? Well, doesn't the complexity start to unravel the image?

The mascot doesn't mean Natives can't have those traits, but by not explicitly expressing them means it's not on our cognitive plane, so we're not going to see those traits in them.

So by taking only small parts of "Native culture" judged appropriate by the dominant group's standard to perpetuate its myth of the normal racial order (what's an acceptable image & trope of Natives we can use that doesn't challenge us?) this is prejudiced cultural appropriation.

Pushing back against these asinine rationales for keeping Native mascots is sooooooo dumb. If we can't get a community to see how small and easy it is to overcome this tiny symbol of racism, how in the world can we expect to break down bigger racial issues in Utah?

I think the most bothersome part is not only the intense opposition to retire Native mascots at places like Bountiful High, but also the apathy of other whites. "It's not a big deal." Okay, then tell your mascot-defending fellow whites that so we can move on to the less trivial.

🤔 Man, I sure would hate to see a bunch of Bountiful High School students start kneeling to the national anthem at basketball, volleyball, and football games or track meets in protest of having a Native American as their mascot.

Hi, I'm James, but you may call me "merciless Indian savage" as it says in the Decl. of Ind. or "#SomethingElse" as @CNNPolitics eloquently called us. I'm a mascot for a living because I'm a brave, stoic, ferocious drunkard that is in touch with nature and talks to trees. #honor

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. #endrant