The new mascot should be easy and in today's environment, popular with a lot of people if tastefully done. A WWI costume slightly characatured for the big stage and pay homage to the troops and modernized version of a patriotic WWI song. They should just do it and get it over with.
Illini War Chant
- Thread starter lunker35
- Start date
The new mascot should be easy and in today's environment, popular with a lot of people if tastefully done. A WWI costume slightly characatured for the big stage and pay homage to the troops and modernized version of a patriotic WWI song. They should just do it and get it over with.
While I agree that the elimination is quite silly, the whole WWI theory is undercut by consistent use of Native American imagery. You don't need to make up an excuse for why the elimination is silly besides "it's ridiculous."
A black-faced minstrel is just racist, but a dancing rabbi would be hilarious.
I'm Catholic, and I see Catholic jokes in the popular culture all the time. Should we ban Father Guido Sarducci? No, it's great!
I don't know, maybe I'm missing something. For the Jewish folk on the board, is there something gravely offensive about a dancing rabbi that I'm missing? If so, I apologize, but I'm pretty sure I've seen similar humor in Mel Brooks movies.
The link also says that "Illini" long predates WW1. "Building the stadium for your fighting Illini" doesn't exactly link it to anything having to do with World War I; does "fighting Illini" refer to veterans (is the stadium built *for* veterans, or in honor of them?) or to your athletic teams? I did read the link. It doesn't unambiguously state that the nickname refers to Illinoisans who fought in World War I. If it's "common knowledge," why isn't it clearly stated there?
This article (http://www.explorecu.org/items/show/258?tour=11&index=3) states that the nickname preceded the US entry into the war:
"Well before the April 1917 entrance of the U.S. in World War I, the Daily Illini, included several further references to athletic teams as “fighting Illini” (1/18/1914, 9/23/1914, 10/24/1914, 1/27/1915, and 11/4/1916)."
Depends on the context. Let me give an example:
The Pittsburgh Pirates' organist often plays Hava Nagila, the traditional folk dance song we play at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs, just to rile people up a bit and get them clapping. It's a catchy song and a particularly harmless piece of cultural appropriation. It's done in good humor and solely for fun.
If the Pirates debuted a mascot or fan race set to Hava Nagila that involved chasing after a pile of cash, that would be pretty offensive. If they took the next step and dressed the contestants in black hats and long beards, it would be even worse.
Context, and intent of things to be communicated, matters.
And for the record, Mel Brooks movies are funny, Jewish humor is definitely a thing, and we're already overly inclined to poke fun at our own stereotypes.