Chief Illiniwek must stay

When I was at Illinois back in the early 60's, the highpoint of most football games at Illinois was watching Chief Illiniwek do his ceremonial dance at halftime. I still remember getting goose bumps watching the Chief work his way into a dancing crescendo that brought a roar of approval from the crowd. Why would anyone think that this type of response to a ceremony would be degrading to Indians? I had the upmost respect for Chief Illiniwek and the ceremony he performed. For a dance ritual to elicit such emotions in a white guy like me, begs the question as to why white people don't have similar ceremonies. But us white folks are too cultured and too sophisicated for primitive rituals. We need to get our highs from watching reality TV.

Last week a group of students from Illinois went to Springfield and demonstrated for the removal of Chief Illiniwek before our esteemed leader of the Illinois State Senate, Emil Jones. Jones, who is black, said in so many words that supporters of Chief Illiniwek are a bunch of segregationists. He suggested that if the University of Illinois doesn't drop the Chief, that the state should consider cutting funds for the University. Are we talking blackmail here?

What really rankles me are these do-gooder students who join forces with the out-of-touch pie-in-the-sky university professors in an effort to remove the Chief. Why do these kids have time to demonstrate? Aren't they supposed to be studying? I will bet you a dollar to a nickel that most of these student demonstrators are bored rich kids who are looking for meaning in their lives. Most of them probably have no concept of what the real problem is with our Indian population. The problem is that we stole their culture and quarantined them like lepers instead of trying to inculcate them into a new way of life. Instead of trying to educate them, we give them licenses to build casinos. Now isn't that the American way? With this type of program, the poor Indian population is struggling to find an identity and purpose in the same way as these students who demonstrate against the Chief.

Being of German origin, I don't believe that I would object to a caricature of a German for a mascot. However, who would want to use a German for a mascot? Having a jack-booted kraut doing a goose step during halftime would probably elicit more laughs than pride. Who would want to honor a culture that practiced genocide?

It really strikes me how liberal and free minded some students are in college. For most it is the first time they are away from home and they have a new found freedom to do and say as they wish, which is good. However, for some this freedom becomes a license to protest against every imagineable injustice whether true or not. I had a friend in college back in the 60's who was an ardent admirer of JFK and was as about as liberal as anyone I knew. However, when this person got out of college and became a member of the business world, conservatism became the norm. Free enterprise and capitalism replaced free speech and liberalism when it came time to make money. The richer this person became, the less liberal he became.

There is a new book out that sort of confirms my above thesis. It is called "Hard America: Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future." The author explains that our youth is coddled during its school years and given the benefit of the doubt. Competition is minimized and self-esteemed is promoted. However, once a person gets involved in the real world of Hard America, he is subjected to the forces of capitalism. People are fired if they don't perform. Espousing causes and quoting slogans will not get you anywhere. In other words, young people grow up real fast when faced with the reality of making a living and supporting a family.