Symbolically Speaking

Our discussion about The Heart of A Chief revolved around the use of names as ways to identify, stereotype, and control people. I realized not too long ago that the school district in which I am employed, Okemos, uses the Chief as it's mascot and logo. The Native American head with a feathered headdress is all over the apparel from the school district. I was wondering, how is it that some schools have gotten away with using such stereotypical images as their mascots while other schools have been so persecuted? Does anyone know if Okemos has encountered any suits or issues over the use of the Native American Chief as it's mascot? Should this be taken up with the school district? Why hasn't it before? It really made me realize how subconsciously these stereotypes reside in me. I had not noticed until well after the discussion that the mascot was a Native American chief - it had not bothered me, it was of no consequence at all. Do I consider myself biased? No. Have I internalized these stereotypes which have invaded the media unconsciously? Most likely, yes. How can we go about combating these stereotypes, aside from learning about them in this class and taking what we know about diversity into the classroom? So many questions from such a seemingly simple symbol.

Insider Vs. Outsider

The debate about insider vs. outsider in our readings today presented many different, compelling views about multicultural literature. One that I found particularly important was the definition of multicultural literature presented in Cai. "Instead of embracing the literature of any culture, a definition of multicultural literature should there-fore draw a demarcation line between the literature of the dominant mainstream culture and that of marginalized cultures" (83). I think this is a valid point in that in order to challenge what has been "the canon" (Shannon), it first needs to be recognized that other groups have been marginalized because of this powerful group. The goal of multicultural literature is ultimately to reform. The social order should be reordered so that each group has more power and more voice, which results in the majority losing long-held privileges. This may not be comfortable for many people to talk about, and it may also be difficult to relate to for certain people. While this debate is not an easy nor a clear debate, it is necessary to address.

Let's Get It Started

Hi everyone! Here's my first post. I'm not quite sure what this is all about yet, but I am open to comments, criticism, and change. So please feel free to insert your own comments :) I guess I'll start by asking if anyone has any recommendations for diverse literature other than what we are going to be studying in this course. Suggestions, please! That's all for now :)
kate out.