Another response to Fighting Sioux vs. Fighting Irish:
Another response to Fighting Sioux vs. Fighting Irish:
A leprechaun is not a fictional, imaginary character to all Irish people. Only to those who have lost touch with their heritage.
Most Irish do not get concerned about the stereotypical picturization of the leprechaun.
Sometimes it is better to have people who don't 'know', to have them think of leprechauns as some type of cartoon character.
Yes, it does get tiresome when people say negative things, and demonstrate their lack of knowledge.
But it seems to be a part of these times, this era we are living in. But it is a cycle, a season, and those who do not understand are perhaps only having to learn at a different pace than others. Sometimes it seems those who are so negative have lost touch with their roots, their heritage and because of that they struggle when confronted with people who have maintained more ties.
Mostly the solution, it seems to me, is about self-esteem. If we don't value ourselves, then others won't value us either. Just because someone calls me a bad name doesn't mean I am any less a person.
But when we are denied jobs, housing, education, etc. then as a group it is time to clarify the information that is being acted on — by whatever means necessary, i.e. legal system, etc.
Grit and patience come into it. And reaching out to re-educate the ones making the poor judgement.
Rob's reply
>> Most Irish do not get concerned about the stereotypical picturization of the leprechaun. <<
Are you saying there's an accurate depiction of a leprechaun and an inaccurate or stereotypical one? What's the accurate depiction? How do we know the stereotypical depiction isn't accurate?
We know the truth in the Indians' case: that all Indians weren't chiefs or warriors or braves. I don't see how the leprechaun case is comparable. Even if some people think they know what a "real" leprechaun is like, they can't prove their case.
>> Sometimes it seems those who are so negative have lost touch with their roots, their heritage and because of that they struggle when confronted with people who have maintained more ties. <<
In the mascot battle, both sides might say the other side is too negative. Whom are you saying is "so negative"? Indians?
>> Mostly the solution, it seems to me, is about self-esteem. If we don't value ourselves, then others won't value us either. Just because someone calls me a bad name doesn't mean I am any less a person. <<
Have you ever been a victim of racism or stereotyping? To say people who react to racism don't have self-esteem is to blame the victim for the offense.
By the same logic, a woman who is raped doesn't have to let that crime bother her either. If she has enough self-esteem, she'll be strong and put the pain and suffering behind her. Do you really want to make that argument?
If you want to try an experiment, I'll be glad to insult you and your family a few hundred times. I'll bet I can annoy or upset you with "bad names" regardless of your self-esteem.
>> But when we are denied jobs, housing, education, etc. then as a group it is time to clarify the information that is being acted on — by whatever means necessary, i.e. legal system, etc. <<
It's easy to see a link between these problems and stereotyping. If people think Indians are dead, they won't focus on their problems as living people. If they think Indians are drunks, they'll tell them to sober up rather than focusing on their other problems. If they think Indians are rich from casinos, they won't focus on their problems because they can help themselves.
As I wrote on my Mascots page:
Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, explains how mascots are representative of a larger problem. From Indian Country Today, 9/2/01:
Actually the mascots are a small part of an overall issue and that is of Indian imagery. In that you have public domain cartoons, movies, nicknames, icons, logos, commercial appropriation of Indian images—it goes on and on.
If it's part of an overall problem, I'd say deal with it as part of an overall problem. Don't overemphasize it but don't ignore it either.
If someone asked me, I wouldn't suggest Native people focus on mascots to the exclusion of other issues. I also wouldn't suggest they focus on other issues to the exclusion of mascots. I probably argue for or against a hundred issues every month, so multitasking is more than possible. These days it's essential to get things done.
Rob
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