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Tina Ensign

English 1301

28 Feb. 2017

Mexican Americans and African Americans Used as School Mascots

Would it be uncomfortable or wrong to have Mexican American, African

American, or even an Asian American as a school mascot? I’m not referring to the

ethnicity of an individual, but a stereotyped culture to be put on display as a

character figure to represent school spirit. In Amy Stretten’s article, “Appropriating

Native American Imagery Honors No One but the Prejudice,’’ the author allows the

reader to feel the personal hardships that she faced being a Native American while

attending a school represented by a typecast Indian mascot. Throughout the article,

Stretten builds her credibility by sharing her personal experience and citing

convincing facts and statistics, while successfully employing emotional appeals to

convince readers of the misrepresentation of her culture.

In an effort to bring awareness to the negative connotation of Native

Americans as mascots, Stretten expresses not just her own personal accounts but

those of other Native Americans that have faced similar situations. The author

effectively broadens the scope of this issue beyond her high school to professional

sports around the United States, including the team of our nation’s capital, the

Washington Redskins. In the article, Stretten notes the team owner of the Redskins,

Dan Snyder, refuses to change the team’s name despite the obvious offensive nature

of the imagery and name itself. Snyder has been quoted as saying, “We’ll never

change it. It’s that simple. NEVER – you can use caps” (par. 17). This particular quote
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allows the readers to understand the vast reaches of this topic, and the resistance

faced by those who are fighting for change.

In addition to bringing awareness, Stretten employs an emotional appeal by

scattering personal high school experiences throughout the article in an attempt to

pull at the reader’s heartstrings. In one such instance the author illustrates, “A

rather hostile group of cheerleaders and football players cornered me, yelling, as I

sat on a bench in the quad between classes. ‘You should feel proud!’ ‘We’re honoring

your people!’ (par.1). Whereas, this is just one of several accounts of the bullying

Stretten has endured in her high school career, she claims that “Maybe the

Woodbridge High School community and others don’t understand this type of

bullying affects young people. Native American youth have the highest rates of

suicide-related fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. The lack of positive images of Native Americans doesn’t help self-

esteem” (par. 9). Unquestionably, Strettens personal accounts affectively tie in her

experiences to that of others that have paid the ultimate price for this type of

discrimination.

To strengthen her credibility, the author utilizes the recommendations of the

American Psychology Association (APA) in her article. In an effort to prove the

discrimination issue is more widespread than her local high school, the APA

recommends retiring the American Indian mascots altogether. Stretten reports that

according to the APA, American Indians mascots are “’undermining the educational

experiences of members of all communities – especially those who have had little or

no contact with Indigenous peoples.’ And, it ‘establishes an unwelcome and often

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times hostile learning environment for American Indian students that affirms

negative images/stereotypes that are promoted in mainstream society’” (par.12).

With attention to the statements of the APA, Stretten effectively proves that the

scope of this issue goes far beyond her independent school and effects more

students than just herself.

Although this topic invokes a high level of emotion, the author maintains a

constant level of maturity by painting vivid pictures of her personal experiences

without hindering her credibility with offensive language towards others. Stretten’s

descriptive accounts allow readers to feel present in experiences throughout her

high school career. In one of many encounters, Stretten describes, “Students wore

goofy, cartoonish costumes of our mascot (and his equally tasteless ‘Warrior

princess’ girlfriend) at pep rallies and games. The pair would dance and do

occasional acrobatic moves, as they made their grand entrance to the deafening

sounds of the school’s marching band, playing the quintessential Hollywood fight

song...” (par. 4). Although this type of situation was intended to invoke school spirit

it proved to do the very opposite. The author adds, “Racial stereotyping, inaccurate

racial portrayals, and cultural appropriation do not honor a living-breathing people.

Plain and simple, cultural appropriation – especially when members of the culture

protest the appropriation – is not respectful” (par. 7). Aside from this being a

controversial subject matter, the author continues to uses non-violent language to

effectively invite the readers into her daily struggle.

To create an effective argument, Stretten utilized rhetorical strategies, such

as emotional appeal, statistics, and personal accounts to strengthen her argument.

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Through analyzing her article, I found even the topics that invoke the greatest

reactions from both sides can be portrayed in a respectful manner. I have also

learned that supporting data and statistics from a reputable source enhances

credibility with the ability to build a bridge with your audience. The author

reminded us through employing good rhetorical technique that we could effectively

reach an audience of readers even when the topic is as emotionally charged as

cultural stereotyping.
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Work Cited

Stretten, Amy. “Appropriating Native American…” Everything’s an Argument,

Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016,

www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/everythingsanargument7e/48463.