Then let them pick a mascot that symbolizes the good that came from the state. The plantation system is not one of them.
A lot of mascots represent aspects of a state's past or present:
-FL Gators, one of the few places where aligators found
-tu horns, hate them but symbolic of the first major industry in the state
-ou sooners, only a little messed up, the people who cheated the land rush
-KU jayhawks- the people who did not want slavery in kansas
-Neb Cornhuskers- enough said
-Oregon State Beavers- the state's animal
-tcu horned frogs- goofy, but also the state something
-tUT volunteers- furnished more soldiers for the north and south than any other state, at least they had balls
-F$U- offends somenative americans but pays respect to one of the tribes
-Miami Hurricanes- makes sense for south florida
-UNC Tarheels- not sure, something to do with the state
-WV Mountaineers- makes sense being in apalachia
-Purdue Boilermakers- Im guessing has to do with engineering roots
-Illinoi Illini- obvious one
-Minnesota, guessing the state has a lot of gophers
-tO$U Buckeye is the state tree
-Wisconsin, dunno maybe a lot of badgers in the state
-Deleware Blue Hens- Deleware soldiers in the revolution supposedly liked bird fights
-Notre Dame- lots of Irish originally attended
Probably a heck of a lot more i failed to mention. The point is that all those mascots point to something either positive or neutral about the state'e either present (when mascot selected) or past.
Colonel Reb, a member of the Planter class of the south, also celebrates a part of Mississippi's past. However, most of us would agree that particular aspect of Mississippi's past was brutally ugly.
And while we are at it, Mississippi held onto their backwardness longer than anywhere else. Their stupid song about the south rising again is just another example.
Nobody is saying forget the past. We should learn from history. But we should not glorify the ugly parts of it. Many probably just see col reb as a piece of history. But there is no denying that when he was adopted as a mascot, along with the song about the south rising, and the flag...it was Ole Miss's way of saying "We have refused to change and up yours if you dont like it!"
And lets compare Native American mascots to Col Reb. I take no position on Native American mascots. But, they all portray the native american groups in a positive light: as strong and courageous warriors. They do not insult other groups.
Col Reb is insulting to African Americans because of what he in effect says: "the few wealthy whites still run this state the way they did 100 years ago and you will not be treated equally!"
That is the way a lot of African American see it, and I dont blame them 1 bit. I dont vote democrat, I dont like obamacare, I dont like the federal government (besides the military), and I sure as hell cant stand the messages of people like jesse jackson and al sharpton.
But colonel reb goes too far. It's an ugly symbol of at least an ugly aspect of the past.
