Media is a
means of communication which holds a significant impact on today’s American
society. In this country there is a long history of white empowerment
controlling the media which can lead to a subjective outlook, specifically on
issues of race. In recent years, the topic of offensive mascots has been a
controversy throughout the media. The media has created the problem itself by
generalizing the topic of offensive mascots based on the assumptions from those
in power creating negativity instead of taking advantage of these educational
opportunities.
The influence
that the media holds can portray false assumptions of virtually any topic because
of the power that they hold. In the diverse 21st century that we
live in, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and reactions. There is not
one way that a group of people will respond to anything within society but the
media can easily portray it in this way. In the ESPN article Have the People Spoken, the topic of
offensive mascots is discussed. The article describes a number of schools who
have used these tribal mascots as an honor and pride rather than offense. The
assumption that Native Americans are taking offense to these names is often
times wrong, but the empowered media wants to think otherwise. “White America
has spoken. You aren’t offended, so we’ll be offended for you” (Reilly). Even
if one person is offended by these mascots, the media can make it seem that the
majority is offended, when this doesn’t seem to be the case at all. In today’s
society, virtually anyone can take offense to anything, so the media must decipher
between the opinions of singular people and majority of a group.
The media has
created an overall negative stance on the topic of potentially offensive
mascots which seems to have created the issue in itself. The majority of
coverage on this issue speaks of the violation and disrespect that these mascots
hold, but rarely are living Native Americans used as a source. Many sports
mascots such as the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves, and Florida State
Seminoles have been a part of American athletics for many decades, but the
media has decided only in recent years that these names should be taken to
offense by Native Americans. In my opinion, the fact that these mascots have
had such a long history with minimal controversy shows that the issue may not
be as substantial as portrayed by the media. A topic that seemed to be less of
an issue can turn itself into a considerable issue by continually mentioning it
within the media. People hear the idea that these names are offensive enough
that they start to agree that it must be reality.
The media uses its
power to show the negativity associated with the Indian mascots and often
overlooks the importance of these groups of people and educational
opportunities that exists. Native Americans and minorities in general is a
difficult subject to bring up in today’s society, but something such as a
sports mascot can bring up the subject, bring light to it, and enlighten the
general public about the history of these minorities. According to another ESPN
article titled Tribe Supports Native
American Mascots, this idea is further supported, “it’s important to talk
about the true history about the settling of the United States, and to talk
about those things that happened to Native Americans that are often not talked
about” (Lukas). Our nation cannot and should not hide from our history. Native
Americans play a large role in the history of this country so instead of
creating a bigger, negative issue, the power that the media holds could use
this as an opportunity to educate the general public on these groups of people.
Race and social
class are brought to attention while interpreting media coverage of offensive
mascots. The idea of race is the reason that the topic is controversial in the
first place, and it is the American white empowered media that interprets these
circumstances to give to the general public. Linked closely to race is the connection
to social class. The inferior, lesser Native Americans are said to be insulted by
the more powerful, significantly white American society. These connections to
race and social class make the topic difficult to approach, but in my opinion
the topic can and should be handled in a completely different way with an
emphasis on educating. The American society in general knows very little about
the history of Native Americans. Seeing that changes with these mascot names
are not happening quickly, the media can take its power and impact on society as
an opportunity to educate about the history of Native Americans and bring positive
light to the situation.
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