American Indian Names: Really a Problem? This article once again describes the Iowa state policy against playing any college team that has an American Indian as its mascot. I say once again because I have noted this policy before.



But again, I must point out the hypocritical nature of this policy. From my earlier post:

But what is ironic is that the University of Iowa is nicknamed the 'Hawkeyes.' I wondered what that referenced, so I looked it up. From Portal Iowa: "The 'Hawkeye State' was first suggested by James G. Edwards as a tribute to Indian leader Chief Black Hawk." So, Iowa, the leaders in the anti-Native American name movement, have a Native American nickname. [H]ow can Iowa possibly get away with such moral grandstanding? And how has no one in Iowa picked up on this?

These questions remain. Is there anyone in Iowa who can help me answer this?



There is also the question of whether or not American Indian nicknames truly present a problem. According to this survey by the Annenburg Public Policy Center (hat tip: Gregg Easterbrook), only 9 percent of American Indians in this country oppose the practice, as opposed to 90 percent that do not find it offensive. That is quite a discrepancy.



I agree that there should not be a tyranny of the majority in this country. That is why decisions like Brown v. Board and Loving v. Virginia were important; the courts stood up and said, "It does not matter what the majority says, this policy violates the constitution and norms of human decency." But it is important to note that the Supreme Court did not take this action when the split was 90/9. By the time the Court ruled, its decision went against the majority, but public opinion was split much more evenly.



Adopting a rule based on such minimal opposition threatens creating a tyranny of the minority, where a small segment of the population dictates policy for the remainder of the country. There is another word for this: elitism. Anytime a small group tries to dictate policy on the basis that "it knows better," democracy is being subverted. The American Indian peoples suffered a great injustice at the hands of white settlers hundreds of years ago. But the majority of the group now seems to be saying: we have more important issues to address than the name of a sports team. Policymakers in Iowa would be advised to heed this lesson and lift its hypocritical restriction.

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