I’m Offensive, You’re Offensive, Wouldn’t You Like To Be Offensive, Too?
Ah, spring is in the air, time once again for the home opener at Jacobs Field and the annual protests by our Native American friends and supporters. They believe Chief Wahoo is a caricature of an Indian and negatively represents their people. They are right. You should have seen the old Chief Wahoo; he was nothing short of the devil. I want to side with them on this issue, but I won’t because they don’t pick their battles wisely. In their zest for political correctness and equality, these groups have gone against numerous major athletic programs in the nation. Even the teams with non-stereotypical mascots have been targeted. The Seminoles, The Redskins, The Braves, The Reds, all of them brought into this debate because their names refer in some way to the Indian culture or because their fans partake in the Tomahawk Chop as a rallying cry. I can see their point, but where does it end? If we go after everything that is offensive to someone nothing would be left. The redneck white men would protest they are being unfairly represented by the Cowboys. Next it’s the Mariners, the Patriots and the Wizards. Pretty soon the Ravens will be protesting their association with backstabbing traitors.
I know what you’re going to say, I am part of middle-class white America and I can’t possibly understand. You might be right, but I do know one thing, everyone can not be happy because then we would lose sight of what happy is; and if you are going to protest something, at least have a course of action prepared. You see, the thing that bothers me most about this is, if the Cleveland Indians management went outside the ballpark today and said, ok we agree not to have Chief Wahoo anymore, what would you like in his place? No one would know what to say because they haven’t thought it out that far. They don’t even believe they can win. In fact, they only schedule protests for opening day and during the playoffs because of the media attention on these days. Occasionally, you will see individuals who choose to protest during the regular season, but it’s usually one guy with a sign. He is the guy I want to side with. The man who truly believes in his cause and is not just riding on the band wagon because he can. He has a cause and whether he wins or not, he is making his voice heard. That is what America is all about.