Is This Logo Racist?

[Mark_Henderson]

With the way some people protested about the tomahawk chop in the 90s, I was always surprised that Chief Wahoo wasn't brought up more. It's not a big deal to me, but given history, if I was a native American, I think this caricature might piss me off. To me, it's not too different than the cartoon pictures of black people that you would have seen around 1900.


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/luistiant/wahoo.gif

[Baron Samedi]

Is this picture wacist against whities?

[oldskool138]

If Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't have a problem with it, than neither do I. (He doesn't have a problem with it, BTW).

[fightingdoxies]

Personally I want to see the Sox knock that Sh%!y little grin off his face!!

[Mark_Henderson]

Is this picture wacist against whities?


Like I said, this issue isn't a big deal to me and I think this board could use more discussion threads, but I think Elmer Fudd is a pretty bad analogy.

Are there any sports teams called "The Crackers" with caricatured cartoon logos representing a race of people? There's a long history of this in America and I think if there was a team called "The Coons" or something with a similar cartoon, the nature of it would be obvious to you.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/luistiant/minstrels.jpg

[Baron Samedi]

Honestly, I don't think you would hear a lot of outcry from white people if you named a team "crackers", "hymies", "gringos", or "whiteys"....most people I know don't get offended so easily, can laugh at themselves, and have more important stuff to worry about.

Political figures are lampooned all the time. Why is Red Man tobacco OK, but Chief Wahoo is not?

Does that mean we have to ban Speedy Gonzalez from cartoons? How about Pepe LePew?

Come to think of it, we need to eliminate the Leprechaun from the Boston Celtics logo...talk about a stereotype.

Why are the bad guys in cartoons always portrayed as Italian? Now THAT's offensive!

If intent to offend is clear in a symbol or a name, that is one thing. Negligent insults can be taken into account. But in a charicature, cartoon, or comedy, where no insult is directly implied, then people who are "offended" by this stuff to to grow up. These are people who are just looking for an wxcuse to get on their soap box and declare that they are "rightiously offended"...and too often we listen instead of just ignoring them.

[3 Point Stan]

The image is not so much racist as it is out-dated. I love the Chief Wahoo logo cap as much as the old Expos cap but the truth is, the time has probably come to say farewell to the Chief. Just because he does not offend me personally does not mean his likeness is not offensive.

[Chad Jackson]

The only people who could answer your question are indians.

I am no indian.

But I think that the logos are good in a way.

Think of it this way...the only 2 times in my life I even think about indians are when I go to the Casinos or team symbols

[Claremonster]

As an indian, I don't think it is racist necesarily - but it DOES use stereotypes to represent "indians" - and believe me, I've never once met an indian that looks like that.

I think, personally, that it's probably time for Chief Wahoo to go away, and be replaced by something a little more dignified and respectful.

But, that's just me.

[groganfan]

no, this one is. what is it a swastika??
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Stu/mkaell/images/yankees.jpg

[Mark_Henderson]

no, this one is. what is it a swastika??



Nah. If you look in a logo thesaurus, I think you get this...


http://obamarama.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/dollar-sign.jpg