QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Sep 3, 2009 -> 12:26 PM)
Fine...then there is no middle ground like Russ and Tex have been saying. I don't care if the Seminole tribe is "ok" with it. I'm sure there are other tribes that find it disrespectful...so, goodbye. And to any other Native American mascot...goodbye.
I'm not sure how old you are...you may have been at U of I when I was there in the early 90's, but the problem mostly had to do with listening. As in, no one was doing it. Either side. The U of I was spinning it based on the fact that the outfit was traditional Sioux and the dance was passed down (also Sioux, I believe). The opposition was saying, it's disrespectful, end of story and I don't care what you have to say about it. In the end, after a few more years, it won't matter anymore. What's done is done. What's sad is vocal minority won with no discussion other than, "OK, we just need to end this now."
I really do not remember the debate, blow for blow, but it seems like it was a small minority om both sides and the vast majority that just didn't care one way or another. And in this country when we can either angry/offend by doing something or anger/offend by not doing something, we tend to take the don't do it approach.
But I do agree, it was a small minority that actually cared, either way.