Should Democratic Underground retire its Cleveland Indians avatar?

[Nye Bevan]

Last edited Sun Oct 6, 2013, 03:20 PM - Edit history (2)

The "racist Cleveland Indians fans" threads made me wonder: given that many feel the Indians mascot to be racist, is it appropriate on a progressive website to have this as one of the pre-programmed avatars available for members to use?

24 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes. DemocraticUnderground should retire this avatar.
	10 (42%)
	No. DemocraticUnderground should continue to make this avatar available.
	14 (58%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Recursion]

1. Let's get rid of Washington's NFL franchise logo first

I say that as a fan of the team

[cthulu2016]

2. I have long maintained that the Cleveland Indian is more offensive than the

Washington Redskin... when it comes to shaping culture, images trump words.

Question, is there a Redskins avatar?

[madinmaryland]

3. They should also get rid of this one...

[Auggie]

4. There is an alternate logo: a "big C". But retire the name too.

Indians ... c'mon.

They were once called "The Blues," a shortened form of Bluebirds. But I'd build the image around rhythm and blues -- much cooler.

There was an earlier team in the city called "The Spiders."

[FSogol]

6. While the Cleveland Spider would be a cool name, no one will ever use it. The 1889

Cleveland Spiders had a record of 20 wins and 134 losses which is a record of futility that will never be eclipsed. They were so bad, that they played most of the season on the road since their share of the road receipts was higher than the loses due to zero attendance numbers at home.

[Auggie]

7. Wouldn't that make it perfect?

Long-time suffering fan. I can joke.

[Erose999]

5. I didn't see an "Atlanta Braves" avatar in your OP. Does DU have one of those? I don't think any

disrespect is meant by the team or the fans in the use of "Braves," but I guess people with roots in the Cherokee or Creek nations in Georgia might take umberage with the "tomahawk chop".

[NightWatcher]

9. I can't stomach a game because of that stupid chop

I was trying to watch to pull against the Bravos, but that stupid constant chop and chant gets freaking old

[Nye Bevan]

18. Yes- it features the tomohawk.

Here ------------------>

[NightWatcher]

8. Can we update the Marlins logo?

<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Tommy_Carcetti]

38. How about going back to the old black and teal logo instead?

One of the many missteps by Loria was getting rid of the color scheme that the team wore during its two World Series championships.

[NightWatcher]

39. aack! those are hidious. I love the new look

The re-branding was a smart move and got a little more interest in the team. We only need Loria to leave the team alone and not trade every prospect. They're on the cusp of winning more than 62 next year.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

40. Come on now, tell me the old uniforms didn't look sweet:

Rebranding as the Miami Marlins was smart (how many Marlins fans are there in Pensacola?) but was also contractually obligated by the new stadium deal. But the new uniforms themselves? I'm not a fan. Too much of a mishmash of colors. Are they an Orange team? A Blue Team? A Black team? A Yellow Team? There's no identity with any one color, like there was with the teal.

[NightWatcher]

41. sleeveless, pinstripes, old school script, teal?

They looked too busy and conflicting. Now they have black on white, basic with a little burnt orange for color

[DinahMoeHum]

10. "Indians", "Braves", and "Chiefs" don't carry the same pejorative

weight as "Redskins". IMO.

But I think that Cleveland mascot should be changed.

[panader0]

11. While the Indians logo is perhaps too cartoonish,

I see nothing inherently "racist" about naming a team for Indians, Native Americans. I am one eighth Crow.
It's a statement of admiration. Are Giants bad too? We all know Dodgers are bad (said as a Giants fan).
Are Seminoles bad? How about "Royals"? Didn't we get rid of them in 1776?
Now Red Sox? What's up with a team named after socks?
Change the logo to look like a fierce warrior, not a cartoon.

[Vogon_Glory]

12. Perhaps A Fierce Warrior Playing Baseball?

Perhaps a fierce warrior playing baseball? Maybe someone at bat, I don't know. Despite the fact that I'm not an Ohioan, I could admire it from a distance.

I liked the old New England Patriots logo. You could tell that the guy was enthusiastic and there to play football. The new face on the New England Patriots logo looks too much like a corpse.

[Nye Bevan]

22. Should we really be glorifying war? (nt)

[Vogon_Glory]

25. Is Your Ethnocentrism Showing?

Is your ethnocentrism showing? One of the roles for males of pre-Columbian Native American tribes was warfare. That didn't mean that they made war all the time or looked for reasons to start new ones.

I suggested a fierce male Native American playing baseball. I truly fail to see how such an image is "glorifying war."

[CreekDog]

23. right, because you believe all the money made of that logo goes to Indians/Native Americans

you believe that right?

[joeglow3]

27. So your issue is not with racism, but licensing?

[CreekDog]

29. it's with both, are you capably of thinking two things simultaneously?

is it impossible for something to be wrong for more than one reason?

if not, i don't know what you're doing here, arguing politics and whatnot.

[joeglow3]

35. I am, if they make sense.

However, I can't if one of the arguments is dog shit. Sorry, but there is NO licensing due here. Does every single meat packer deserve royalties from Green Bay? That is about as idiotic as this argument.

[ChromeFoundry]

13. Hey, lets just ban all sports and focus on education

Let's make smart people our children's "heroes".

With everything that is going on in the world, our country, our government, over the the past years...this is the cause that you have decided to promote?
OK - to each his/her own. I vote "NO".

[quinnox]

14. aww hell no

Not the most important issue in the world, but I voted.

[Initech]

15. So how are the Cleveland Indians racist, but the Atlanta Braves obnoxious tomahawk chant isn't?

[Comrade Grumpy]

16. Not a burning issue among any Native Americans I know or have known.

Aside from a handful of activists.

[Kaleva]

19. Same here

The Native Americans I know (they prefer to be called "Indians&quot are more concerned with preserving their hunting and fishing rights.

[denbot]

37. Bingo, most don't care one way or another

Personally I feel that it remembers what us "in'juns" lost so long ago.

[LittleBlue]

17. Absolutely not

How ridiculous.

[Bake]

20. Hmm, the Thugs have shut down the government

And they're threatening a default on US. Debt.

I know! Lets freak out about an avatar!

Bake

[Nye Bevan]

21. How can you justify taking the time out to post in such a frivolous thread

at a time like this?

[Bake]

24. Because its just too stressful to give a damn

The whole world is going to hell and there's nothing I can do about it.

Bake

[Paladin]

26. +1. (nt)

[KamaAina]

28. Um, it's the team's logo.

It's up to them to change it. Which they should.

[Orsino]

30. Re-read OP, please.

The poll concerns a different question.

[KamaAina]

31. If we're going to have team logos,

we should have all of them. Haven't Indians fans suffered enough?

[Orsino]

32. I think DU can and should be selective...

...but that may not be so important when users can set their own avatars.

[Nye Bevan]

33. The question is, when a member of DU clicks on "choose my avatar"

and is presented with a list of choices, should one of those choices be an exaggerated caricature of a Native American that many consider to be racist?

[Iggo]

34. Yes. Absolutely.

[Jamaal510]

36. DU could switch that avatar to the Cleveland "C" logo,

although probably less people would know what that logo stands for.