Disney apologizes for cheer routine

[sailorstitch]

That's what I've heard athletes from Indiana University referred to as. And yes, they're from Indiana, but so are Purdue athletes, Notre Dame athletes, Ball State, and probably dozens of others.

Sounds like somebody is using Hoosiers incorrectly.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

One of my students has a tee-shirt that says something like "Go, Caucasians!" and looks like a sports tee.
I'm very Irish, and I'm not offended by the Notre Dame Mascot. Being Irish isn't offensive, nor is being any other race.
Corned Beef is a cheap cut of beef that's been brined and spices. It's high in fat and sodium, so you shouldn't eat it too often, but it's completely delicious. It's also pretty expensive. Served with potatoes and cabbage, it's an absolute must for St. Patrick's Day.
Boiling a Corned Beef is the most common method of cooking, but I prefer to slather it in mustard and cook it in the crock pot.

Somehow this topic came up over dinner tonight... my step-daughter's boyfriend is HIGHLY offended by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Granted he is NOT Irish, but he is offended for the Irish people saying this mascot plays into stereotypes etc...

Ancestry.com says I am like only 9% Irish (which is about 9% more than he is), but I see the mascot as showing the fighting spirit and determination of the Irish.

 

[penn19]

Somehow this topic came up over dinner tonight... my step-daughter's boyfriend is HIGHLY offended by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Granted he is NOT Irish, but he is offended for the Irish people saying this mascot plays into stereotypes etc...

Ancestry.com says I am like only 9% Irish (which is about 9% more than he is), but I see the mascot as showing the fighting spirit and determination of the Irish.

Over 50% Irish. I don’t speak for all Irish of course. But I don’t get offended. A famous politician said the other day “I may be Irish but I’m not stupid”. Nope. Still not offended.

 

[cjlong88]

I think we are deviating from the topic at hand, which focuses on Indigenous Peoples having their culture appropriated and demeaned, intentional or not, in a way that white people cannot understand or do not want to understand.

Being offended or not being offended by things surrounding your own culture, race, or heritage doesn’t eliminate the harm or offense Indigenous people may experience when public schools use their race as a part of the school identity (i.e. mascot, school song, cheers, spirit wear, etc).

 

[xipotec]

I mean, maybe just do not single out any race or culture for a team name…..
The dictionary has millions of names to choose from ….

Its not that hard to pick a name thats not a characterization or stereotype of any kind….

I

 

[allison443]

Awareness of the inappropriate use of Native Americans as mascots has been around long enough that anyone who hasn’t changed their offensive mascots by this point is doing so as an act of defiance. That school’s administration, the cheer coach, and the choreographer (if they have one) are all certainly aware of the controversy surrounding their mascot and I fully believe the girls are as well (though I don’t expect teens to make great decisions when they’re surrounded by adults who don’t make good decisions themselves).

As if the words to the cheer weren’t bad enough, the choreography was filled with as many stereotypes as they could cram in there — the clunky attempt to synchronize native dances, the hand over the mouth… yikes. The whole routine, top to bottom, was built on Native American stereotypes. The fact that they conveniently performed a different, completely inoffensive routine on their submission video before quietly switching to this last minute tells me they were intentionally trying to get away with it, which means I have absolutely zero sympathy for any of them. Disney should permanently ban the school from ever performing there again.

I agree! It’s very sad in my opinion that the school administrators, coaches, parents, even students, apparently saw nothing wrong with this. It was cringeworthy.

 

[goofyernmost]

You highlight the importance of learning from mistakes. Just because you don’t intend to offend someone doesn’t mean that the words or action are inoffensive. It takes compassion and empathy to recognize when our words or actions have been offensive. Then we need to change our behavior to show respect to others.

Yes, and their behavior was unquestionably reprehensible, the name of the band, by itself, was not. If it is then when are we going to force Indiana to change its name because it is offensive to a culture?

 

[DisneyOma]

I'm sorry, I still don't understand this reasoning. Why is a sports team using a nickname of "Indians" bad, but "Commodores", "Knights", "Hoosiers", "Rangers", "Lancers", and "Senators" to name just a few, are fine? Shouldn't it come down to HOW the name is used?

You're comparing a race of people to an occupation, for the most part. That invalidates your argument.

 

[maxiesmom]

I agree! It’s very sad in my opinion that the school administrators, coaches, parents, even students, apparently saw nothing wrong with this. It was cringeworthy.

Look on Youtube. There is at least one video showing the school teaching this chant to small children, complete with paper headdresses. How can they not get what they are doing is teaching racisim?

 

[Stargazer65]

What is corned beef anyway? Why just have regular beef?

Corned Beef is a cheap cut of beef that's been brined and spices. It's high in fat and sodium, so you shouldn't eat it too often, but it's completely delicious.

Agree, totally delicious! The salt curing is just an excellent marinade and it just goes really well with potatoes and stew vegetables, and for breakfast with eggs and home fries, etc...

 

[monsterkitty]

Look on Youtube. There is at least one video showing the school teaching this chant to small children, complete with paper headdresses. How can they not get what they are doing is teaching racisim?

I was just going post the same.

Apparently, it's a tradition for the high school students to visit the elementary schools and teach them the "school song" and chant. Disgusting.

 

[cjlong88]

Yes, and their behavior was unquestionably reprehensible, the name of the band, by itself, was not. If it is then when are we going to force Indiana to change its name because it is offensive to a culture?

Unfortunately, it’s the name that inspired this school to use these chants, wear the headdresses, etc. The name does matter, because it provides the context for which the behavior occurs.

My school’s mascot is the Knights. And because of that, we have all of these traditions and ways of existing that surround that identity. Our marching band uniform has that look. We have chants inspired by our mascot. Even the warning bell in our school is a medieval trumpet call.

So yes, the name standing alone might not offend you, but that name inspires all of the things that are offensive. Just like the word “fire”. Alone it means nothing to anyone. But if I shout it loudly in a hospital and cause panic and pandemonium, whether or not there is an actual fire or not, that word now has meaning attached to it and led to a behavior. The school has done the same with “Indian”. It has completely become a part of the school culture and inspired all of these things that are not okay.

Words matter and have weight to them. They influence how we behave and what we think.

 

[AustinTink]

When the article first ran earlier this week, I somehow knew the group would be from Texas before I even opened it to read. The Port Neches/Beaumont area folks would not bat an eye at this type of behavior. I'm a native Texan, so before someone tells me I'm wrong just know these types of groups exist all over the state of Texas still in this day and age. No matter how far some areas of the state progress, there will always be these racist strongholds around the state.

Texas is super divided these days between areas where real positive change exists and areas like Port Neches where "tradition" is their racist battle cry.

 

[RedAngie]

Hopefully this isn't directed at me, since I was an active member of our community that managed to get our own stereotype mascot (also a Native American reference) removed from our local high school. From what others have posted, which I didn't know about, Disney should have indeed been refusing to let them march. I don't think Disney can be the ones to state all Native American references need to be appropriate until they deal with scenes in Peter Pan first, though, as that would be a double standard, don't you think?

No, it wasn’t directed at you. But rather to the poster who insinuated I was racist for having concerns about the group’s outdated and demeaning name.

 

[Jangles]

What I find quite interesting, is that the people watching the parade, who presumably understood the words being chanted (are they supposed to be so tuneless?) and saw the accompanying actions, continued to applaud. I am surprised that people didn’t turn away, although I suppose someone must have complained for it to be picked up as a story.

 

[kymom99]

What I find quite interesting, is that the people watching the parade, who presumably understood the words being chanted (are they supposed to be so tuneless?) and saw the accompanying actions, continued to applaud. I am surprised that people didn’t turn away, although I suppose someone must have complained for it to be picked up as a story.

I think the people applauding were probably there with the band.

 

[backformore]

What I find quite interesting, is that the people watching the parade, who presumably understood the words being chanted (are they supposed to be so tuneless?) and saw the accompanying actions, continued to applaud. I am surprised that people didn’t turn away, although I suppose someone must have complained for it to be picked up as a story.

Since there were something like 50 cheer members in the parade, their classmates and families would have been there to cheer them on.

 

[purpliequeen]

Regarding the audience cheering - you could only hope that they were "classmates, friends & families" "cheering" them on. I personally would've booed.

I'm glad someone posted the video to social media to call Disney out because I'm not quite sure Disney would've realized how shockingly appalling this routine is otherwise.

 

[goofyernmost]

Unfortunately, it’s the name that inspired this school to use these chants, wear the headdresses, etc. The name does matter, because it provides the context for which the behavior occurs.

My school’s mascot is the Knights. And because of that, we have all of these traditions and ways of existing that surround that identity. Our marching band uniform has that look. We have chants inspired by our mascot. Even the warning bell in our school is a medieval trumpet call.

So yes, the name standing alone might not offend you, but that name inspires all of the things that are offensive. Just like the word “fire”. Alone it means nothing to anyone. But if I shout it loudly in a hospital and cause panic and pandemonium, whether or not there is an actual fire or not, that word now has meaning attached to it and led to a behavior. The school has done the same with “Indian”. It has completely become a part of the school culture and inspired all of these things that are not okay.

Words matter and have weight to them. They influence how we behave and what we think.

It is easy to blame a name for rude, uncivilized, bigoted behavior of the people involved. I'm not accepting that as an excuse. Blame the ones actually doing it not the name of a culture.

 

[chickapin parterre]

Disney could have and should have removed them from the parade after the first time they got to the offensive chant.

I never had my groups audition for a Disney performance because I know the students could never afford to go and fund raisers don't go well when you teach in a very low socioeconomic area. However, I can guarantee there is a clause about appropriate performances and consequences. Heck, we even had this clause in our "contract" for the school talent show.

wow...contract for school talent show...we used a green chalk board