![]() ![]() The Redskins and Indians were forbidden because the use of Native Americans as mascots was supposedly degrading and dehumanizing. That’s great, but it’s hard not to notice that the entire mascot brouhaha, from beginning to end, is not only stupid it’s incoherent. In line with the Task Force recommendations, the WWU Board of Trustees ordered university officials “to conduct a more thorough assessment of the Viking name in the broader context of the University mascot.” Task Force members who did not recommend renaming in this report proposed the building name be evaluated alongside the mascot by a separate committee.” ![]() ![]() The effort was spawned in part from requests asking the public university to remove the names of four buildings on campus due to racism concerns,” one of which is the Viking Union.Ī “strong majority” of WWU’s Legacy Review Task Force recommended that the Viking Union be renamed: “The Task Force was concerned about the harm caused by asking all members of the Western community to identify with a figure that is potentially exclusive on the basis of both ethnicity and gender.” Not only is the Viking a white male, that is, a member of not one but two taboo groups, but he is an imperialist: “Furthermore, the Task Force found names idolizing conquest as out of line with the university’s contemporary values around honoring local Indigenous communities. The College Fix reported Thursday that “Western Washington University may scrap its Viking mascot and is currently conducting an investigation to help make a final decision on the issue. ![]()
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