Your interest in the football game would decrease if we were the Illinois Eagles?
And remember, those who wanted War Chant to be "retired" want it all. There is no compromise, only constant pressure. This was received by Kaufman as a "small step." You know, as in before another step. The brass ring is Fighting Illini, and they will not rest until they get it. Giving them War Chant will not bring us peace in our time.
100% correct.
That letter was an absolute joke. If Whitman was confident in the decision, and believed all that unity crap, this would've been a perfect letter to accompany the announcement. Instead its 3 days later after hearing all the backlash.
100% correct.
That letter was an absolute joke. If Whitman was confident in the decision, and believed all that unity crap, this would've been a perfect letter to accompany the announcement. Instead its 3 days later after hearing all the backlash.
He probably thought our fans were mature adults that wouldn't throw a tantrum over a song. Jokes on him, huh?
He probably thought our fans were mature adults that wouldn't throw a tantrum over a song. Jokes on him, huh?
I love almost everything you post. What I wrote is hardly a tantrum. In all honesty, I don't even like the war chant at football games, but I know politically correct BS when I see it.
That wasn't directed explicitly at your post - I think you'd definitely agree people are losing their minds over this, no?
Trying to read other people's minds, I'm guessing people are worried about this slippery slope, and where it all ends..... 3 in 1, Oskee Wow Wow, Fighting Illini....
Let's look at it in reverse.
We got rid of the Chief, and in doing so, made either an implicit or explicit case to the NCAA that "Chief Illiniwek" and "Fighting Illini" are separable entities. As has been pointed out in this thread, "Fighting Illini" predates the Chief, is not a term referring to an actual Native American tribe, and was created as shorthand/trendy phrase for student soldiers. In short, the Chief and his surrounding trappings (logos, etc.) were the things that brought the Native American connotation to the school's teams, and without him we revert to the origin of the term, which is essentially just a demonym (along the lines of "Hoosier" or "Sooner").
Wouldn't keeping around the most overtly Native American thing we had undermine this case?
To be frank, I don't share the worry about the activists that others have expressed. With minor exceptions (getting the logo removed from, say, toilet paper), they did not achieve their aims in all their years of protesting the Chief. The NCAA made that happen.
Now, I don't trust the NCAA to get even the simplest thing correct, but we also don't need to be handing them ammunition to fire in the wrong direction, which is what the War Chant is.
Wow. Glad we have him.
I'm happy he wrote the letter and I agree with it.
It makes me sad people are losing their minds over some drums. I understand the slippery slope argument, but my experience at U of I was a heck of a lot more than what the band plays or a guy in a costume. It's cheesy, but my love for my school comes from the classes I took, classmates I met, and alums I continue to meet. I took a big risk coming to U of I. I was from the east coast and had never been to the Midwest till I stepped foot on campus, but everybody immediately made me feel at home and the school just felt right.
Trust me, I also care deeply about Fighting Illini sports. Our winning or losing can make or break my day and often my week. Ultimately though, my love for my school will always be defined by my experience as a whole and our athletic program, and what song is played on 3rd down, are only a small part of that.
He probably thought our fans were mature adults that wouldn't throw a tantrum over a song. Jokes on him, huh?
Now, I don't trust the NCAA to get even the simplest thing correct, but we also don't need to be handing them ammunition to fire in the wrong direction, which is what the War Chant is.
Like others, I found Whitman's letter unimpressive.
I don't like the way they handled this, either. The discussion to drop war chant has probably been around for awhile. There should have been a simultaneous discussion to develop a replacement. If War Chant was too slow in this day of hurry up offenses, then create music that develops fast enough to get the crowd chanting and fired up and roll it out there IN PLACE OF War Chant. Certainly there are members of the music department capable of doing this.
Ok, that's all I've got. For the record, I'm not overly upset by dropping War Chant. I just don't like the imbecilic way "they" did it. it isn't a dagger in my heart.
Let's look at it in reverse.
We got rid of the Chief, and in doing so, made either an implicit or explicit case to the NCAA that "Chief Illiniwek" and "Fighting Illini" are separable entities. As has been pointed out in this thread, "Fighting Illini" predates the Chief, is not a term referring to an actual Native American tribe, and was created as shorthand/trendy phrase for student soldiers. In short, the Chief and his surrounding trappings (logos, etc.) were the things that brought the Native American connotation to the school's teams, and without him we revert to the origin of the term, which is essentially just a demonym (along the lines of "Hoosier" or "Sooner").
Wouldn't keeping around the most overtly Native American thing we had undermine this case?
To be frank, I don't share the worry about the activists that others have expressed. With minor exceptions (getting the logo removed from, say, toilet paper), they did not achieve their aims in all their years of protesting the Chief. The NCAA made that happen.
Now, I don't trust the NCAA to get even the simplest thing correct, but we also don't need to be handing them ammunition to fire in the wrong direction, which is what the War Chant is.
Maybe we should switch to the tomahawk chop, as that seems to be politically correct.
In all seriousness, I would love to see the NCAA's reactin if other schools started adopting the chop. How could they ( other than being the NCAA and doing what they want) came down on anyone while ignoring FSU?
The war chant is nothing more than a drum beat with some horns and clapping. Sure it sounds like it could come from Pocahontas, but there's nothing offensive about it unless you have something against music.