Friday, November 8, 2013

Coachella Valley High School's ‘Arab’ Mascot


According to CBS: 

Attend a Coachella Valley High School football game, and you may be surprised to see belly dancers performing at halftime shows.
Spectators also will find a snarling, black-bearded mascot wearing a headscarf urging fans to root for the team.

The mascot in this Southern California desert town east of Palm Springs that has existed for nearly a century has now drawn the ire of an anti-discrimination group that deems the caricature offensive and stereotypical.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee recently sent a letter to officials at the Coachella Valley Unified School District asking them to get rid of the mascot, according to the Desert Sun.

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The Arab mascot has been around since the 1920s and was chosen to recognize the area’s reliance on date farming, traditionally a Middle Eastern crop. The nearby community of Mecca also pays homage to the Middle East.

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“There was no intention to demean Arabs or be discriminatory in any way,” said David Hinkle, a 1961 graduate. “I don’t think it’s right to decide now that you can’t do that anymore. It is political correctness run amok, I would say.”

No more Redskins ... No More Arab Mascots... 

Maybe American's needs to grow thicker skin, aren't there more pressing matters in our society than sports team names and mascots?  

I guess to certain people endless war, sky rocketing poverty and the coming economic collapse pale in comparison to schools and sports teams being politically correct.  

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