On Fri, 11 Feb 1994 [log in to unmask] wrote:
 
> I THINK THIS COULD BE LOOKED UPON ANOTHER WAY.  IF A SPORTS TEAM HAS A NICKNAME
> SUCH AS SIOUX, WHY COULDN'T THIS BE LOOKED UPON BY NATIVE AMERICANS AS A SOURCE
> OF PRIDE?  I HONESTLY DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE NAMES GIVEN TO TEAMS ARE MEANT TO
> BE OFFENSIVE, BUT THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HOT TOPIC.
 
You're right, they weren't *meant* to offend, but the deciding factor in
cases like this isn't how the act was *intended*, but how it is *perceived*.
 
In any case, it isn't just "Sioux," it's "FIGHTING Sioux."  There lies
the difference.  Many of these nicknames and logos stereotype American
Indians as warlike and violent, which is ironic considering the brutal
and bloody way they were wiped off their own land by Europeans.
 
David M. Josselyn
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