We Don't Need Another Hero, Apparently.

During a living room discussion with my family today, we broached the subject of ridiculous team/mascot names, like the Fighting Turkeys, the Cranes and the Doves, among others. One thing led to another, and we decided to dive right into the topic of politically correct mascots, which most people can agree has been carried a little too far.

When it comes to naming mascots, schools and professional teams seem to have "reservations" about honoring Native Americans, their brave characteristics and their traditional appearances. Many teams that used to use names like "Braves," "Chiefs," or "Cherokees" as scare tactics, have renamed their mascots something along the lines of "Mighty Mules" or "Corn Huskers." Sure, references to agriculture can be intimidating, but not as intimidating as tribes of people who fought fearlessly for their culture and land. Right? Logic tells me it's racist to erase Native American symbolism.

Then there are bad words like "confederate" (which means, as my father pointed out, "unified"--TERRIBLE!) that have been obliterated from our vocabulary and imagery, as in mascot names, team names and flags. I grew up in Odessa/Midland, where we used to have the "Confederate Airforce Base." It's now the "Commemorative Airforce Base." I'm not one to fly a Confederate flag because I know it's now associated with racism, and I don't want to promote that in any way, but how far are we going to go to make sure sensitive people don't waste a tree, pulling too many tissues from the box?

I'll tell you how far. In 2005, New Mexico State decided their Mascot, Pistol Pete, needed to drop his weapon. According to NMSU, there was a real gunman in the 1800s who shot the men responsible for his father's death. Apparently, you don't name your mascot after someone who avenged his father's death 200 years ago. All the frat daddies who research their school histories would probably just go postal. So now, Pistol Pete (that's still his name) carries a lasso. Watch out, Pete, I'm good with a gun and now you're left holding a short rope.