A recent story in The Herald emphasized that school names and logos that offend or trivialize Native Americans and other cultures are reprehensible. Another shameful situation is that girls and women are too often relegated to names conceived for boys and men and then have “Lady” added, as in Lady Rams or a name like “Braves” becomes “Bravettes” In fact adding “ette” to signify females can result in such linguistic contortions as an actual girls team called the Bulldogettes. Should we be grateful that our Olympic athletes aren’t introduced as Americans and Americanettes?
Sometimes schools have different names for the boys and girls teams such as Pilots and Co-Pilots (Sorry girl co-pilots, you can never be pilots.), Yeoman and Lady Yeo (Huh?), Black Knights and Damsels (Do the girls play soccer in long dresses?), Warhorses and Warlassies (What?).
When a name should apply to both sexes like “Indians” it somehow only applies to males and not surprisingly, the females are sometimes called “squaws.” Where did that name come from anyway and why is it used for women all over this vast land with many, many diverse Native American cultures and languages? Why is the team logo always a man wearing a headdress only seen in the Midwest? Using Redmen as a team name is finally recognized as wrong and so is assuming “men” also means “women.”
Sadly, sexism, racism and general silliness still exist with tradition providing the thinnest of covers. May the Warlassies soon rest in peace.
Candace Jarrett
Snohomish
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