Thursday, February 22, 2007

How about a drunken Irishman, me not care...

Giving into pressure from the NCAA, the University of Illinois retired Chief Illiniwek last night. The school's official mascot will no longer be the school's official mascot at sporting events and other activities.

In related news, the State of Indiana will henceforth be known as Bob,
Indianola, Iowa will be know as Bob, Iowa,
and paratroopers will yell Bob when they jump out of planes.

If Bob does not object, these changes will take effect immediately.

7 comments:

sleepyrn said...

Don't get me started on PCness. It is getting absurd. Dozens of pro teams, hundreds of college teams, and thousands of high schools will soon be forced to change their names.

After all THE MOST appropriate name in sports has already been changed - the Washington Bullets!!!!

Jim said...

lol

I think there are some stereotypes that are hurtful and also harmful to society, but there also needs to be some perspective. Making a big deal about some twenty year old dancing around like a jackass at a basketball game just diverts attention from more serious social and economic issues. The more taboos that a group creates, the more it sets itself up for ridicule and discrimination (if only because the jokes are easier). Note how blacks gave racists the n-word to use as a weapon but gays neutralized the once demeaning terms gay, fag, and queen by treating them as self-consciously empowering or self-mocking.

sleepyrn said...

I understand the difference completely. But there is nothing wrong or offensive with "the fighting Illini" or their mascot, just as there is nothing wrong with the Seminoles, the Chiefs, the Braves...
By coloring those names with the same brush as, say, the Redskins - which NEEDS to be changed then the "cause" takes on an absurd nature and becomes comedy instead of a true attempt to fix something offensive.

As far as team names go - we here in SC are perfectly content with out Cocks!

Metal Mark said...

So someone who gives something away and then wants it back is now a Bob giver?

That's sort of two indian releated topics in a row. Is this a theme week?

Jim said...

MM -- LOL, and we would have Bob Summer --

the "Indian" reference in the last post (arrows in the wall) was kind of an inside joke -- the person with whom I had the most trouble at work was Indian (the turban type)

sleepyrn said...

OOOOH NOOOOO!

My second comment was supposed to have the word "our" "our Cocks" "we are perfectly content with OUR Cocks".

Definitely not "with out"

SSHHHHEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!! hope I cleared that up.

Jim said...

sleep -- thanks for clearing that up, I was some confused :)