Fight Like a Warrior

I’m not going to speak about the Washington Redskins or the Oneida Indian Nation (from New York State, not DC, mind you) and their desire to see the name changed.  I’m not a Redskins fan, nor do I know the history of the team enough to make an argument for or against the name.  And unlike other individuals who don’t have a horse in the race, I’d rather not comment about something that I’m not familiar with.

The insanity doesn’t end in Washington though, and this instance is something I can speak to with a bit more knowledge.  Weedsport high school has been known as the Warriors for much of its existence.  Now “warriors” could mean different things to different people.  Whether it is some Spartan soldier, or a member of the military, warrior can be applied to many different groups.  I was not there when the moniker of warrior was chosen, or when that moniker was applied to a logo depicting a Native American.  However, I can say with a decent amount of certainty that the discussion was a lot more:

“Hey, the Iroquois are a huge part of this area of the country, maybe we should incorporate that into who we are as the Weedsport School District”

as opposed to:

“Screw ’dem Injuns, let’s use their head as our logo so that people can laugh at them when we lose a football game.” 

“Let’s keep in the grand tradition of exploiting them by handing out small-pox infested blankets at homecoming, too!”

“That’s a great idea Cletus, let’s just make you mayor-for-life.”

Did that sound ridiculous?  Good.  Now look at the argument of people that want to change the name and you'll see much of the same.  First of all, anyone that has a child in Weedsport schools, or grew up in the area itself knows the great lengths that Weedsport goes to to incorporate Native American history and culture into the curriculum.  Hell, in fourth grade we turn the elementary school hallways into a living museum devoted to Native American culture.  Native Americans are not swept under the rug in that town, and they certainly aren’t being mocked by anyone associated with the school district. 

Secondly, unless you are a Native American, you don’t really get a voice in this, in my opinion.  The Warrior logo is bothering you white boy?  Suck it up and go back to your Starbucks.  People that take up the cause of someone else’s race or culture for no other reason than they think they should (because activism is cool, yo), should be forced to endure what that culture endured.  That means, Chet, you get to spend six months as a sex slave of a surly, entitled Spaniard who just “discovered” your home.  How does that sound?  That’s what I thought, go play on your iPhone and shut up.  

The reason I say that is that Weedsport is predominantly white.  When I say predominantly white I mean you could count the number of non-white kids in my graduating class on one hand.  I’m sure it’s more diverse now, and getting more so with each passing year, but my best guess is that the “concerned parent” is either some entitled white bitch that feels guilt as she sucks down her low-priced cigarettes and fills up her tank with cheap gas at the reservation, or it’s someone out of the district that felt empowered by the Washington Redskins bullshit and went through the list of schools and mascots in the area and realized that “Weedsport mocking and defacing the good name of the Native Americans must be stopped”.  

If it’s the first one, then please, move out of the district, preferably somewhere under a moving bus because your self-righteousness can’t be contained.  If it’s the second, spend time in the schools and community before you start making broad generalizations about the state of our school and intentions of our mascot.  Could it be that the people in the community and the students in the school are honoring the Native Americans that came before them in that area?  Could it be that the student-athletes are doing their best to not only make their school and families proud but to live up to the Warrior name?  I know I was proud to be a Warrior, still am.  If they change the name to the Weedsport Flying Ground-Squirrels I have a feeling that that sense of pride will be lessened.  I know that it will for me at least. 

The name warrior and the logo itself is neither hurting nor embarrassing Native Americans in general.  The logo is literally a bust of a Native American, nothing cartoony or exaggerated about it; nothing that could be misconstrued as racist or discriminatory in the least.  If that bothers anyone, it’s probably got more to do with their own issues than anything else.  How about, instead of trying to make broad sweeping changes for the sake of making said changes, you look inside yourself, ask what that logo and name means to you.  Does it mean pride?  Then you probably attended Weedsport, or at least know someone that did.  Does the logo engender only hate or feelings of negativity?  Why are you projecting your feelings towards Native Americans onto a logo and a school district?  Maybe it’s time to look at why you’re filled with such venom.  Why does that logo mean something so negative to you?  Maybe if the citizens of our great nation focused more on making themselves better people from the inside instead of changing everything around them we would have a country more focused on progress instead of handouts.  

However, if you absolutely must change your logo, Weedsport, might I suggest the following:

                You’re Welcome.