Psychological Harm

A popular defense among schools and professional teams using Indian mascots is that their use does not affectively harm or offend American Indian students because their intended use it to honor their heritage and culture.  Stephanie Fryberg and colleagues of Stanford University conducted a study in 2003 that contradicted that very argument by providing substantial evidence that ethnic minority groups suffer academically when subjected to negative stereotypes, such as the typical use of Indian mascots.  Fryberg et. al. (2003) attributes a portion of the observable poor academic performances to the effects of negative stereotyping perpetuated by the represented majority group.  Other notable findings from Fryberg et. al.’s 2003 study include:

• American Indian’s self-esteem and psychological well-being is negatively affected by the existence of Indian Mascots.
• American Indian’s who support the use of Indian mascots actually displayed a greater negative psychological effect when shown images of Indian mascots. 
• Caucasian students actually experienced a boost in self-esteem after viewing Indian mascot images. 

 Oyserman (2004) conducted a similar study that found that a number of Indian students simply ignore stereotypical representations and choose to further immerse themselves in their nature culture.  Oyserman (2004) also found that other Indian students responded to the mascots by rejecting what they saw as part of the dominant culture, academics, sports, and the existence of extra-curricular activities.  The observable avoidance of the mascot issue by American Indian students in public education helps to explain how the existence of negative stereotypes affects and harms the academic experience of American Indian students by creating a hostile and oftentimes unwelcoming environment in which they are immediately made to feel the minority. The detrimental psychological effects of Indian Mascots are clear and there is no question as to their unethical nature.

Related Materials:

American Indian Mascots Harm Students- University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Study

American Psychological Association Announcment - APA Press Release

National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media - http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm/

The Harm of Native American Stereotyping - http://www.bluecorncomics.com/stharm.htm

© 2007 Michael Ojibway. All Rights Reserved.
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