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Another Stereotype of the Month entry:
From Indian Country Today, 5/17/00:
Win-E-Mac High School in Erskine, Minn., held a basketball pep rally on March 17 to motivate the students against the Red Lake Warriors, a team from the Red Lake Indian Reservation. As the lights dimmed in the gymnasium, Win-E-Mac teachers dressed as "Indians" danced to a "tom-tom." Another teacher, dressed as a cowboy, said something like, "We're going to put Red Lake back on the reservation where they belong."
When one of the Indian boys said he hoped Red Lake would beat Win-E-Mac, another student kicked him and others yelled racial slurs at the boy and his brother.
Said one observer who watched a tape of the incident, "It's unbelievable that that sort of thing can go on today."
A reader responds (6/30/02)
Dear Mr.Schmidt- I was reading this on your web site. I have attended Win-E-Mac school and was at the pep fest that was put on that day. This article is full of lies and lines that have been made to sound aweful that never happened. Maybe you should research your articles a little more before you go and blast this on the internet. This was a poor poor article and I would like to see it removed. Thank you.
Brandon,
You remember a school event from March 17, 2000, even though nothing happened? Okay, if you say so, though that seems unlikely.
My posting came from the Indian Country Today account. If that wasn't clear before, I've edited it so it's clear now.
ICT is a professionally-run newspaper and I didn't doctor its account. I merely reposted it. If you think ICT fabricated the reported events of 3/17/00, you should talk to their editors first. Demand a retraction, maybe.
I didn't "blast" the article, I posted it. Once. I don't check most things printed by professionally-run newspapers because they get enough scrutiny as it is. If ICT made a mistake, normally someone would point it out, and ICT would publish a correction or retraction.
If ICT did publish such a retraction, I missed it. Did it? Did anyone else publish a critique of ICT's findings? Not that I know of.
Remove the article? I don't think so. Especially since I don't know you from Adam and have only your word that you were at the event. Have a Win-E-Mac school official write me and I'll discuss the issue with him or her. Or send me a published account that disputes ICT's account and I'll revise my posting. Even better, send me a copy of the tape ICT referred to. The truth of what happened should be evident there.
Rob Schmidt
Publisher
PEACE PARTY
http://www.bluecorncomics.com
Related links
Students dress as Indians and perform "war dance"
Team names and mascots
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