![]() Barrett Rainey Second Thoughts |
From time to time, seems to me the “correctness police†take things a step too far. A State of Oregon busybody group is the latest “correctness†over-reacher.†Specifically our Board of Education which has decided that – henceforth- our public schools may no longer have mascots, nicknames or logos that are Native American in nature.
The official “thinking†behind banishing all things Indian connected to Oregon schools is that somehow they’re “racist,†“shameful,†“dehumanizing.†Apparently some in the American Indian community feel that way. Equally apparent, some don’t. Also apparent, some don’t give a damn.
I’ve never attended an Oregon school with an athletic team or image that contributed to this official human “shame.†We were the Bend High Lava Bears and, frankly, we didn’t much care if a few bears in Central Oregon or elsewhere were bent out of shape about it. The notoriously bad play of our football team in my senior year would have created enough shame even if we were St. Catherine’s of the Cascades. Bummer.
But here in the “burg-in-the-woods†where I now live, the local high school must surrender to this “correctness†which means removal of all things Indian from buildings, uniforms, letterheads, football end zones, basketball courts and cheerleader outfits. All must be done because the Board of Education “correctness police†are watching. And if all “dehumanizing†accouterments aren’t gone in 60 months, state funding will be withheld!
Imagine, for a moment, your state legislature took a dislike to the name of your town for some “correctness†reason, and told your city council to rename your village posthaste or there would be no more state dollars come 2017. “BLACKMAIL,†the cry would go up. “FISCAL BLACKMAIL!†Schools, however, are expected to roll over and get their collective tummies scratched.
What makes it even more ridiculous is this. In the community of Oakridge, school athletic teams are called “Warriors.†And they’ll continue to be called “Warriors†because the “correctness police†have drawn a fine hypocritical line between that label and any other thing “Indian.†(more…)