MASCOT MENTALITY CHECK : Part ONE
UPDATE: CONTROVERSY OVER SOUTHWESTERN HIGH's MASCOT!!!
So, once again, Goliathandwimmens is 'ahead of the curve in pointing out the dastardly horrors of Southern Indiana High School Mascots! In this case it is the Southwestern REBELS ...a name OBVIOUSLY related to good old Johnny Reb.
But, to make matters worse what we got here is an official on the TV claiming that it was named for JAMES DEAN...a la "Rebel Without a Cause" Really? Is that TRUTHFUL? We don't think so. Not for a dad blasted minute. And, besides being a supporter of a racist symbol (see...for a while we were thinking it wasn't necessarily racist to have Rebel as your mascot...but since you are so obviously willing to run from it and lie about it ...we here at GAW conclude it IS RACIST) your lying about it sets a WRETCHED example for the kids in your School Mr. School official.
But WHOOPS! Here is a photo with the LOGO from Southwestern Alumni page with a ...what's that? A general on a horse? What scene of REBEL without a Cause was that?
Oh...yeah...Here is another image that once graced the alumni page but has apparently been scoured or 'erased'
Here at Goliathandwimmens we think this less offensive than Jeffersonville's mascot of SATAN!!! but perhaps you all done been infected since y'all is LIARS about the Mascot!
********************************
Let's take a look at our local mascots and see what they tell us about our communities. First, we will look at CLARKSVILLE. As we all know, Clarksville is pretty much a pscychotic schizophrenic town. Part of the town is a long, commercial strip mall with an Olive Garden, a Target and the obligatory Walmart. The other part of "Old Clarksville" is the drug infested impoverished and culturally blank residential areas of town. The combination of these two conflicted 'self images' is part of why Clarksville is ranked as one of the most CRIME RIDDEN communities in the nation.
But consider further, in the 'olden' days...Clarksville was a famously racist community. Even up until the 1970s there were no blacks foolish enough to reside in Clarksville. Little wonder then that Clarksville, which maintained itself as a separate school system from "Greater Clark" chose what looks suspiciously like a Confederate "General" as it's high school mascot. Old Nathan Bedford Forrest (famous calvary general and one of the founders of the KKK)
looks ready to wade into the fray and kill some Yankees on behalf of the old South ! Check it out!
The "General" is wielding a blade (a preferred weapon among Clarksville Meth tweakers) and wears his hat in a louche daring manner and all aboard his mighty steed! This is a 'self image' that leads the average Clarksvillian to, on the one hand identify with dark cultural undertones and, at the same time inculpates a sense of inferiority as the poor Clarksvillian rarely ...very rarely achieves the actual status and societal acclaim of having a rank of General. Can you say "inferiority complex?"
**********************************
But Consider PROVIDENCE HIGH. Providence is located IN Clarksville but draws a student body from allover the region. Steeped in Catholic and Middle Class values and inculpating self reliance, Providence wisely chose for its mascot the "PIONEER". There's also the adventure of the pioneer,
bravery and resourcefulness.
Of course, this same "pioneer" self image also fosters just a smidge too much of self satisfaction and dare we say, arrogance? of the typical Providence grad.
And, of course, the development of excuse making for failure as Providence teams usually suck so they have to tell themselves its because they are mostly limited in demographic.
****************************************
HENRYVILLE, well, what can one say? All the other communities know Henryville as a town full of nuts, eccentrics and conspiracy theorists. Possible cult activity. So little wonder Hanktown chose as it's mascot the...... Hornet?
Who on earth LIKES a hornet? Nasty, buzzing stinging little nuisance INSECTS. OMG!
A team of psychologists and psychiatrists were so baffled as to this choice of a 'self image' reflection that they could not fully express the damage to the inner child of every student who passes through the Henryville Hornet schools. You CAN say that it would imbed a sense of self as a buzzing complaining, whirring and whizzing person who is an annoyance at picnics and tends to hang around trash cans with empty soda bottles and cans.
We are very surprised there isn't a thriving mental health clinic operating in downtown
Henryville.
***************************************************
Across the County, we find the BORDEN BRAVES. This mascot at first appears to be a worthy one. The word "BRAVES" has noble connotations and suggests courage, honor, leadership and fierceness. But, let us confess it DOES seem to be an odd choice for a community not known to have any NATIVE AMERICANS in it's population. The politcally 'woke' might even go so far as to say that the mascot is a bit Racist? OMG!!!
There is also the matter of childhood imagination to consider. When we are children, we often (or at least used to before the advent of the XBOX) play spirited games such as "Cowboys and Indians" and in this game....there is little question who the 'good guys' are. Yet EVERY child in Borden is forced by declaritive fiat to be an "Indian". Tsk tsk.
That CANNOT be good for the ego of the developing juvenile. ***************************************************
Swinging a bit South and east we find the SILVER CREEK DRAGONS. Does anyone find it odd that this School was apparently so ashamed of itself that it did not even name it's high school after the Town that it represented? But, then again the "Sellersburg-Speed Dragons" doesn't really roll of the tongue does it? But it's not as if the actual natural stream has ANY part in the life and culture of these little bedroom communities. The creek doesn't even pass through the town...it's more or less 'out there' a mile or so East of where anybody actually lives. So it's not hard to understand how a mythical community would choose a fantasy monster to represent it. Up until the recent success of the television show, Game of Thrones , no one even thought about Dragons except (perhaps embarassingly) the Chinese.....of whom there are NONE in Sellersburg Speed.
Yet, graduates of Silver Creek will continue to refer to themselves as a "Dragon" into
late adulthood.
(The Author's coffee cup from his 40th class reunion)How very bizarre!
***************************************************************
In Jeffersonville, however, is perhaps where the Mascot/self image phenomena is most apparent.
Jeffersonville, as we all know now, was a town founded on petty crime, gambling and being a den of iniquity with an economy based on Kentuckians wanting to cross to "Little Las Vegas" to patronize the gambling dens and 'marriage parlours' and 'cafes' of Jeffersonville back around the time the High School was founded and the name "Red Devil" adopted.
Imagine the warped minds of children told to identify with Satan! The prince of LIES and the malefactor and evil doer SUPREME! 'Yes Honey....you are a DEVIL! So act like one!" is apparently what countless mothers had to tell their budding children as they went off to be 'educated'.
And just LOOK at the Mascot! It is truly an evil, angry, viscious image. Snarling at the world
and ready to render all manner of wickedness upon mankind. Thus Jeffersonville's ID is unleashed!
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2
New Albany, New Washington and Charlestown.
Comments
Looks as if you’ve wallered around with a few of these folks to gather that much comparative data. I'm waiting with baited breath for the eastern part of good ole Clark County. Chuck town and New Wash are most certainly not for the faint of heart. Pirates and Mustangs for gods sake!