Chief Wahoo, the logo of the Cleveland baseball team, is a transparently racist, ugly, vicious and vile caricature of Native Americans.
It is so staggeringly and transparently racist and awful that it is is being challenged in the Ontario courts as discriminatory. While an attempt to get an injunction failed, the case is still proceeding.
I would add that the Cleveland logo is obviously hateful. It is incomprehensible that this would be the logo of a sport's team in the modern era, especially given North America's history of genocide towards native and indigenous peoples.
Various native groups and activists, as well as commentators generally, have noted just how appalling it is.
They have made logos with Jews, African-Americans, Asians and others that show just how bigoted the logo is.
If it portrayed any group other that Native People, it would not be acceptable to anyone.
And yet countless Cleveland fans wear it.
And all of the Cleveland players -- including those from communities that have suffered terribly due to exactly the kind of racism portrayed in this sick logo -- wear it.
Which begs the question, why?
Are you really proud to wear on your hats and shoulders and chests a racist patch? Would you wear it if it caricatured people deemed to be from your own background?
Do you really think it is ok, because you absolutely enable and encourage the racism by wearing this.
Period.
So let's ask the millionaires who were the Cleveland starting lineup tonight, given that racism is a day-to-day reality for native people, indigenous people, people-of-colour, brown and black people, Asian people, Jews...let us ask them in consideration of the fact that sport's people across North America are answering the call made by players like Colin Kaepernick to oppose racist injustice by showing actual courage...
DH Carlos Santana...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
2B Jason Kipnis...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
SS Francisco Lindor...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
1B Mike Napoli...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
3B Jose Ramirez...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
RF Lonnie Chisenhall...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
LF Coco Crisp....do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
CF Tyler Naquin...do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
C Roberto Perez ... do you feel good wearing a racist caricature on your hat and uniform?
None of you have to do this. You have chosen to without protest.
The Cleveland logo is an overt symbol of white American racist colonialist oppression. That countless clueless white idiots wear it and apologize for it is unsurprising.
It is as clear as it gets. As sick as it gets.
No one who sports or wears this logo -- fan or player -- without protest can ever claim to actually seriously care at all about racism in North America.
You are literally wearing racism on your sleeve.
See also: The beer can toss was bad. The racism at the Blue Jays game was much worse
See also: It was not the American military that fought for democracy and justice. The people -- and people like Kaepernick -- did that.
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