Here is a subject that probably cause a huge debate on the Forum. Plus it's also another thing that I don't like about New York State's education system.

The Board of Education for New York state has asked us to change our school mascot, which is an indian. I live in the Finger Lakes region and the Iroquios (I'm not exactly sure on how it is spelt and I don't have my history book near me) are a famous group of indians that lived where I live now. But there are people who believe that we are giving the wrong impression about Indians. Here is my opinion.

If we want to be so politically correct, we should call them Native Americans. What the weird thing is that I talked to Native Americans when I was at the Four Corners (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico), they called themselves Indians. But that's only one group that I have talked to so I guess that's really not evidence.

But as I see it, what we are doing is saying that they were fierce fighters, someone that one should not mess with. We are showing that they were a super power. If we would have fought them with the same weapons that they used, they would have won and we wouldn't be were we are today. But since we had more advanced technology than them, we won. But I see it more as a respect than a dis-respect. If it's anyone who is giving the image that Indians are these weird people who were different and dangerous in a really bad way, it's the lower level school teachers (no offense to them, they are great! It's just the material). I would love to know other people's opinions on this topic.

The ironic thing is the people who started complaining about it are people who are white and have no Native American background in them. I could understand if it was Native Americans who started an arguement, but it's from white people.