The whining Illini
Christopher Skeet
Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: Opinions
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So who opposes the Chief? Oh, the usual suspects: Amnesty International, NEA, NAACP and the National Congress of American Indians.
As these are special interest groups with narrowly defined interests, perhaps the University students themselves should have decided the fate of the Chief.
Well, they did. In March 2004, the Daily Illini published a student poll regarding the issue, in which 69 percent of University of Illinois students voted to keep the Chief.
Unfortunately for democracy, special interest groups have little use for the will of the people.
Who cares what the majority of both students and Native Americans think? There's a powerful grievance industry to maintain.
As is standard procedure nowadays, a non-democratic institution was used to enforce the will of the political minority.
Whereas the courts were used to outlaw the Pledge of Allegiance, with Chief Illiniwek it was the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which banned all postseason events at the University of Illinois until the Chief was removed.
If the Chief's inauthentic dance and costume were the source of protest, as the activists claimed, wouldn't the obvious remedy be to correct the dance and costume? Wouldn't that be a truly multicultural outreach?
But that would defeat the goal of the grievance industry, which is to keep certain groups in statuses of victimization for as long as possible.
The Illiniwek cannot be brave warriors. They must be helpless children who need the protection and guidance of these special interest groups and expanded bureaucracies.
It goes without saying that the Chief was never intended to be a symbol of disrespect or racism. Being of part Irish descent, I take no offense to the "Fighting Irish" mascot whom, though inaccurate, I nonetheless find honorable representing my culture as a symbol of fighting spirit.
The Illiniwek culture's use by the university to motivate students, to give them a sense of pride and comradeship and to lead them to victory could only be twisted into a negativity by those who have entirely too much free time on their hands.
Unfortunately, when people think "Illini," they will not think of the actual plight of the Native American. They will think of the Chief (now a political martyr) and of the culture police who forcibly retired hi
As these are special interest groups with narrowly defined interests, perhaps the University students themselves should have decided the fate of the Chief.
Well, they did. In March 2004, the Daily Illini published a student poll regarding the issue, in which 69 percent of University of Illinois students voted to keep the Chief.
Unfortunately for democracy, special interest groups have little use for the will of the people.
Who cares what the majority of both students and Native Americans think? There's a powerful grievance industry to maintain.
As is standard procedure nowadays, a non-democratic institution was used to enforce the will of the political minority.
Whereas the courts were used to outlaw the Pledge of Allegiance, with Chief Illiniwek it was the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which banned all postseason events at the University of Illinois until the Chief was removed.
If the Chief's inauthentic dance and costume were the source of protest, as the activists claimed, wouldn't the obvious remedy be to correct the dance and costume? Wouldn't that be a truly multicultural outreach?
But that would defeat the goal of the grievance industry, which is to keep certain groups in statuses of victimization for as long as possible.
The Illiniwek cannot be brave warriors. They must be helpless children who need the protection and guidance of these special interest groups and expanded bureaucracies.
It goes without saying that the Chief was never intended to be a symbol of disrespect or racism. Being of part Irish descent, I take no offense to the "Fighting Irish" mascot whom, though inaccurate, I nonetheless find honorable representing my culture as a symbol of fighting spirit.
The Illiniwek culture's use by the university to motivate students, to give them a sense of pride and comradeship and to lead them to victory could only be twisted into a negativity by those who have entirely too much free time on their hands.
Unfortunately, when people think "Illini," they will not think of the actual plight of the Native American. They will think of the Chief (now a political martyr) and of the culture police who forcibly retired hi
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 18
Maxtotal
posted 2/26/07 @ 8:11 AM EST
Although the author of this piece cherry picked his references with the skill of a right wing maniac salivating at the chance to go to war, at least he illustrated one of the primary benefits of the issue. (Continued…)
Rob Schmidt
posted 2/26/07 @ 8:06 PM EST
This resolution seems perfectly clear to me:
http://www.aistm.org/2000peoria.htm
RESOLUTION R-04-04-00-C
"Request to University of Illinois to Cease Use of
Chief llliniwek as Mascot "
WHEREAS, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is a federally recognized Indian Tribe organized under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of June 26, 1936, and is governed by its Constitution approved by the Acting Deputy Commissioner of Indians Affairs on August 3, 1997, and
WHEREAS, the Business Committee of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is authorized to enact resolutions and act on behalf of the Peoria Tribe under Article VIII, Section 2, of the Constitution; and
WHEREAS, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma are descendants of the Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankeshuw, and Wea tribes, a group of tribes known as Illiniwek, or Illini, or Illinois Nations whose members were removed from their homelands and forced to move first to Missouri, then Kansas and finally into the northeaster
Rob Schmidt
posted 2/27/07 @ 3:03 AM EST
Also, the Sports Illustrated poll is bogus, since it's impossible to poll Native Americans accurately. See http://www.bluecorncomics.com/sipoll.htm for details. (Continued…)
Peter Lakota
posted 2/28/07 @ 11:43 PM EST
PC has nothing to do about it - since its creation in 1926 you can find Native Americans that hated the dancing Chief Illiniwek. If you are not Native American how can you say that anything that the Chief Illiniwek did was dignified and honorable? You can't. (Continued…)
Lauren
posted 3/03/07 @ 10:27 PM EST
If the National Congress of American Indians, the largest Native American organization in the United States, considers the whiteboy halftime portrayal of the Illini offensive, than who are you, Christopher Skeet, to argue otherwise? Your disregard for this organization's position exposes your callous, racist voyeurism. (Continued…)
Lauren
posted 3/08/07 @ 9:15 AM EST
Skeet, you dodge the issue: Both the Peoria tribe AND the National Congress of American Indians find your beloved Chief demeaning and want him removed. (Continued…)
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