Woo Woo Woo

Is anyone else completely floored by this whole FSU situation?

(For those who aren't on the boat - the NCAA has decreed, because they are apparently ridiculously overstaffed and desperate to create work for themselves, that any participating university that employs a mascot and nickname that is associated with Native Americans in any way must cease using those mascots and nicknames immediately - because it's just plain wrong.)

So now, the Florida State Seminoles and their mascot Chief Osceola are being instructed to drop their moniker and mascot or face being barred from the NCAA.

Okay, so I'm not a HUGE fan of NCAA football, but I enjoy a game here and there, and who gives a damn about the mascot anyway?

But the kicker is this - the Seminole tribe has actually issued a statement that THEY'RE offended by the NCAA! The FSU Seminoles bring positive attention to the tribe, the way they see it, and not only that, FSU actually sought the assistance, input, and approval of the tribe on everything from logo design to Chief Osceola's appearance. So, just to make sure we're clear here, the Native American community, which has never had a problem with the whole situation and actually approves of it, is against the NCAA decree that would seem at first glance to have been generated by some sort of complaint from the Native American community (but was not). And for the record, Jeb thinks the whole thing is BS too.

Here's my question - if the governor and even the freaking TRIBE thinks you're going overboard, shouldn't you abandon that whole political correctness thing? Because the NCAA is standing its ground, which to me is a tremendous slap in the face to the tribe. "No, I'm sorry, you're all too stupid to know when you should be offended by something. Overruled."

Lawsuits are to ensue. This should be interesting.

(And for the record, as card-holding Cherokees, both Travis and I have agreed that the NCAA is being freaking dumb.)

What I don't get - how are the Washington Redskins still getting away with it? Because I think the argument that the name of a legitimate tribe (i.e. Seminoles) is offensive doesn't have a leg to stand on...but "redskins" could be taken as offensive by someone sensitive to that sort of thing. (Again, Cherokee - and again, not bothered by it...but if someone was, I'd be less likely to think they were retarded that if the word "Seminole," "Sioux," or "Cherokee" offended them.)

It's like Travis and I were chatting about with our waiter Jay at Carrabba's during our hour-long sitdown chat at the end of our dinner (told you it was a great meal with the best server ever) - political correctness in this country is getting out of hand.

What's next? We have to rename the state of Ohio because it's named for an Indian tribe? But if we're talking college teams, how about the Gamecocks, and the Beavers? Are we going to rename those teams? Because they're legitimate, but still, everyone's in on the joke. How do you not giggle when you see someone wearing a baseball cap that says "COCKS" on it? (Someday I'm going to open a sports bar where all the male staff wear (Game)Cocks hats and all the female staff wear Beavers hats and see how long it takes for some upset mom to sue me - then I'm going after the NCAA claiming that those are just my two favourite teams and I had never made the connection, but they should have, since they apparently have a Watchdog Department.)

This is where I'm so glad I'm not in a position of power at FSU - I would send a professional and politely-worded letter to the NCAA setting out a list of alternative mascots and nicknames the Board of Regents (or whatever) had discussed. And my GOD, if you think Seminole is offensive...I want so badly to publish my list of alternatives, but they're guaranteed to offend everyone on the planet and force all of you into violent loathing of me. Because I'm THAT un-politically correct. I'm so over the whole PC movement that I would like us to start using the most offensive words possible as often as possible in order to just put it all out there, use it all up, and FREAKING GET OVER IT.