Bertrand's ACE Debate

Mr. Cooper, a full-blooded American Indian, said his daughter became so offended, her eyes filled with tears and she asked if they could leave.

“I taught my children to respect warriors because they are veterans of battle,” Mr. Cooper said. “That girl doesn't understand that every feather in that headdress would have been earned in battle. She wouldn't know that each one represents a life that was taken. (The cheerleader) was making a mockery of us.”

Obviously by this story you can tell that Native Americans are offended and think it's very inappropriate to have a racial slur represent them as a whole community. The people who think it's okay aren't able to see that it's is enraging a huge portion of the Native American community. Whether the roots of the word have to do with the color of Native Americans’ skin or the macabre peddling of human scalps is irrelevant. Either way it’s racist.

"Non-Natives may never quite understand how deep the term "redskins" cuts into ancient wounds that have never quite healed, and maybe it's not reasonable to expect them to. But every time Dan Snyder refuses to change his NFL team's name, even with tribes paying for powerful ads in opposition like the one that recently aired during the NBA Finals, it plunges a twisted blade into Native American's heart's everywhere."

"A 'Redskin' Is the Scalped Head of a Native American, Sold, Like a Pelt, for Cash." Esquire. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

"Washington Redskins Name Needs to Be Changed - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

I think that cultural mascots should not be allowed because, they're demeaning to their culture, making a mockery of Native Americans. Another reason why they shouldn't be allowed is because according to the Oxford dictionary the term "redskin" is defined as offensive, disparaging, insulting, and taboo. Obviously offending the Native American community.