The IL-Liberal Campus

The debate on using Native American mascots for schools heated up in the early 2000’s in Champagne, Illinois. The school used the mascot Chief Illiniwek in most of the licensed apparel and in just about everything associated with sports. It’s hard to remember exactly how or why the chief became such an offensive symbol of genocide in America, but the students at the University had brought it to this point. Many student groups wanted the University to abolish all references to the Indian, something about giving offence, and stop using the mascot in sports ceremonies. The details of the controversy are a little foggy to me and I could goggle some of the specifics for clarity, but the argument seemed to hinge solely on the fact that American Indian mascots were offensive to Indians because they represented a negative stereotype. I thought the argument was silly then as I do now; the controversy seemed completely artificial and invented to create a victimized group out of whole cloth. Many native groups were supportive of the University’s efforts to use the Illiniwek mascot as a tribute to the tribes that lived in the central Illinois region. Supporters of the Indian always maintained that the mascot was a tribute and quite the opposite of ridiculing the plains Indians, they were showing respect.

 

The chief was a symbol, nothing more. It made no difference whether it was a racist image or a proud artifact, Illinois students should have rejected the effort to take out their mascot and change so much of the history of the school. College is the type of liberal center for debate that suggests all parties have a voice, no matter how ridiculous or divisive their motives. The price of not standing up to silly attacks on tradition when they occur is losing every attack that comes along afterward. Princeton students have convinced the academic higher ups to debate Woodrow Wilson’s legacy at the university here. This will no doubt include removing his name from countless buildings, scholarships and most historical artifacts associated with the Progressive Wilson. He held some terribly racist views even by the standards of his day but he is part of the history of America, good and bad.

 

Control is the real prize in cultural sensitivity battles and anyone who acquiesces does free speech and courage a real disservice. For every battle lost to sensitivity flag wavers another one is around the corner and it will cost something dearer and closer to home the next time. The college campus landscape has frequently been the ideological war zone for issue of the day whether foreign wars or sexual liberation. Much of what is taught and learned in college will play out in the professional world years after graduates have entered the marketplace. A big aspect of the tech boom in San Francisco that began with the sixties college graduates was due to a real understanding of an open market place and a hopeful optimism about the future. Their parents lived through a major depression and fought in a world war, they did not share the same hopeful energy about wealth and riches. Instilling a sense of gratitude about what freedom really costs to a generation used to getting everything for free is a tall order.

The generation currently stuffing their heads with cultural relativism and transgender theory classes are the next group to innovate and drive the economic engine of capitalism forward. They believe ‘safe spaces’ and ‘micro-aggressions' actually exist in the world outside of textbooks and late night study sessions. Or, if they are offended by some colleagues’ language or behavior toward them, they can escape to a room and imagine it away. Debate and free expression are disappearing on the very campuses where liberal ideas have always been welcomed and encouraged. Don’t take my word for it, listen to the professors who are beginning to come forward and lament the days when ideas were actually debated. Kids now want to have their debates sanitized lest the issues offend. This focus on hearing only what pleases the listener gives way to a generation of leaders that follow the voice of deception. It starts with mascot and ‘offensive’ symbols of racism, gender bias, male chauvinism and other ‘sins’ that traditional America is constantly criticized for. The academy should push back against silly demands from leftist student groups used to forcing every issue with marches and boycotts. Once faculties begin insisting on an educational focus in curriculum and say no to these kids and their demands, it will begin a chain reaction in other institutions. Colleges are as prone to the herd mentality as businesses. Are the teachers and faculty up to it?