Illustration by Sara Siqueiros

Hard Blow or Blow Hard?

Our Opinion/Objects in the media may be smaller than they appear

By Cindy Gomez-Schempp
Editor

People no longer believe everything they read in print is true, do they? Hopefully people have enough sense to realize that just because the newspapers are carrying a story, doesn’t mean it’s really news. As Potter Stewart, associate justice of the US Supreme Court (1958-81)  1915-1985) put it “Newspapers, television networks, and magazines have sometimes been outrageously abusive, untruthful, arrogant, and hypocritical.” And so it goes.

Did you ever read a headline about a dog or a cat getting run over in your local paper? It’s the type of story that makes you realize you are in a small town, with small town news. Every time we read again that House Majority Leader Al Carlson is hoppin’ mad at the NCAA or how he’s going to get a meeting set up any day now, it feels like the “Rover got run over” story. It’s almost surreal to be seeing this nonsense playing out in the news. Because no matter how silent the NCAA has been or how steadfastly it’s held to its rules, Al Carlson and his ilk remain convinced that they will prevail against the NCAA.

Despite the long history of racism inherent in the caricaturization of exploited indigenous peoples, Al Carlson, along with many in our legislative body, as well as our Governor and Lieutenant Governor, shamefully continue to support a law forcing UND to keep the nickname and logo. For a history of the battles and protests of UND’s own Native student body visit http://www.und.edu/org/bridges and click on the home page link. Among the images found on this site is one of a tee-shirt created by an opposing team that depicted an overweight and deformed-bodied Native American with bulging eyes standing behind a bison while holding its tail in the air in one hand and committing animal bestiality on the shocked-faced beast. The image evokes a feeling that makes moot any pretext of “honoring” indigenous people by making them the targets of hatred on a regular basis as sports mascots.

But Carlson and his friends are not content to just insult Native American people. They also want to enshrine the racist and anti-Semitic legacy of Ralph Engelstad and his now infamous “Hitler Birthday” parties in North Dakota’s history forever. You may recall that Engelstad made North Dakota famous not only for his 100 million dollar arena, but for his rather unapologetic anti-Semitic and racist views. This is the same Engelstad who arrogantly attempted to force the logo and nickname to be adopted in perpetuity by ordering thousands of depictions of the logo and nickname literally built into the arena he donated.

Shockingly, the soiled history of Engelstad the man, and his arena are hardly mentioned in the local news or commentary surrounding the fight over the logo and nickname today. Outside of the North Dakota bunker, however, Engelstad’s command that the logo should always be maintained and the arena always privately owned is well known news. People Magazine (http://tiny.cc/ml4y0) and Wikipedia still air North Dakota’s dirty laundry on the net. Even morally non-judgmental “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” casino people backed away from Engelstad as if he’d just taken a huge dump in the middle of the room. But our governing bodies stand with Engelstad in selfishly defending, at all cost, a nickname and logo that should embarrass them and the whole state.

Al Carlson and his cheer leaders made a huge legislative mistake by passing a law requiring UND to keep the “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo. But you wouldn’t know it by listening to Carlson. Maybe the pied piper is really following his own tune, or perhaps he’s trying to save face as he tries to climb the political ladder into the position of Congressman. Who knows?

What we can see is that all the smoke and mirrors from Carlson’s group has been orchestrated to keep people mesmerized by the theatrics of trotting out as many brown faces as possible to say ‘we love the Fighting Sioux,” or with each new proclamation of outrage when the NCAA will not relent in its sanctions, or at the latest request for a meeting with the NCAA with our North Dakota celeb politicos.

It’s gotten to the point where you see these hopeful stories of near triumphs presented in so many ways in print and on TV that you might have started believing that UND will really get to keep their “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo.

It’s awe inspiring, really.

Sometimes when you’re reading or watching the news you can be lulled into a state where you can picture Al, Jack and Drew going to this NCAA meeting and charging in through a wall with William Shatner as the Priceline Negotiator. They’re all wearing black glasses, standing in Karate poses, and when the NCAA people see them with the wind flying through their hair they immediately fold. After that the dream team of Al, Jack and Drew go around the country to support other crazy state laws that are creating racial outrage on a national level. Like, maybe they could go to Arizona and win support for the human rights abuse nightmare that is SB1070. Then they could fly off to South Carolina and help give the confederate flag the prominence and respect it deserves by standing with the KKK, the White Aryans, and reruns of the Duke’s of Hazard, as the last vestiges in Americas where you can still see the confederate flag flown with pride.

When the TV is off, the curtains are opened and the fresh air hits your face, you realize you live in the real world where the NCAA doesn’t have to do anything it doesn’t want to. In fact, in the real world it doesn’t matter if Al Carlson, Jack Dalrymple, and Drew Wrigley have ten meetings with the NCAA and bring along their fairy godmothers. The NCAA is already telling schools to cancel games with UND. Several states already have.

UND’s President Kelley is now finally removing his blinders and calling for Carlson to stop the bleeding. Maybe Kelley has figured out what the rest of the public and media need to see. In the clear light of day, Al Carlson is acting less like the man who filled Congressman Berg’s old position as House Majority Leader in the North Dakota legislature and more like a dejected boyfriend that won’t take no for an answer. He keeps calling the NCAA for a date, but the NCAA just won’t see him.

We in North Dakota should demand the immediate repeal of this law. And Carlson should lead in recognizing that he’s made a huge mistake. If he has any serious ideas about entering Congress, he should not associate himself with the legacy of “Hitler Birthday Party” Engelstad.  And neither should the rest of North Dakota.

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