Walt Disney World currently has stirred controversy regarding a performance by the Port Neches-Groves ISD (PNG) drill team (the Indianettes) performing a routine involving the school fight song and the refrain I-N-D-I-A-N-S Scalp ‘em Indians Scalp ‘em. I grew up in the area, and PNG has a long, proud tradition. They will not yield to cancel culture regarding the school mascot. This is a battle cancel culture will not win. Looking at the history of PNG, and their history with the Cherokee Nation, shows how this is a contrived outrage and yet another example of cancel culture and thought policing.
PNG History
The district’s history can be found here. A brief summary of the history shows they have used the Indian mascot for almost a century. Until recent times this was uncontroversial. In 1979 the Cherokee Nation sent PNG a certificate naming the school district ambassadors of goodwill. PNG is a district steeped in tradition. The school fight song and routine has been the same since 1979. Society and societal views have changed; not the district.
Thought Policing
Disney is exercising selective outrage over the Indianette routine last week. One need look no farther then the Disney portrayal of Tiger Lily from Peter Pan or Pocahontas to see the nature of the selective outrage. (See the trivia section at the bottom.) The selective outrage is cancel culture trying to engage in thought policing. This is something we will experience on an increasing basis as the general election cycle heats up. This tactic is frequently used by the left to try and silence opposition when the merits of their position are weak or unsupported. The pitfall conservatives walk into time and time again is to engage with the liberals on their terms. Rather than engaging on the grounds the liberals want we need to point out the thought policing that occurs.
Most people don’t want to be told what to think. Rather than engaging on the arguments liberals are making we need to be pointing out the thought policing and refusing to engage on the liberals chosen battlefield. This is going to be very important in the upcoming general election cycle. On a national level the liberals already see the dire situation the progressives have created and are trying to back track their positions such as defunding the police.
Locally, this isn’t happening nearly as much. We have clearly defined issues that will decide this election, and the opportunity to offer a message of hope. That’s a bad confluence of events for the democrat candidates since it leaves the with few tools available to argue their position. Judge Hidalgo and Commissioner’s Court aren’t trying to walk back their positions on crime. Instead, they are trying to deflect blame on others. When that doesn’t work they will engage in thought policing since that’s the only tool they will have readily available to try and oppose messaging that their policies are leading to worsening crime.
Consistently pointing out their attempts to thought police and casting their attempts as further arrogance serves to remove this tool from their toolbox. A person’s mind is their own domain, and no one likes being told what to think. Going on the offensive against thought policing when and only when the democrats start to engage in the activity both yields political gain this cycle as well as erodes the underpinnings for cancel culture.
Lorensmith says
The Atlanta Braves nauseating na na nanana na chant should be cancelled. Same for Arrowhead stadium. Sometimes cancel culture is a good thing.
Greg Degeyter says
Loren, two questions. Specifically about PNG in the article here.
1) At what point does a local community’s traditions become their own? Does it make a difference if it’s a small community versus a big city like Houston?
2) With nothing changing on PNG ‘s end how did the activities go from a recognized ambassador of goodwill to cancel culture worthy?
Lorensmith says
1. Traditions become their own just outside Disney’s gate. It makes a difference in enforcement seems to me.
2. Probably wouldn’t have been cancel culture worthy back when the confederate statues were erected.
“While 75 Confederate memorials remain in Florida, 30 removed since 2015, SPLC report shows” https://www.news4jax.com/news/2022/02/01/while-75-confederate-memorials-remain-in-florida-30-removed-since-2015-splc-report-shows/
Greg Degeyter says
Certainly Disney gets to decide what routines should be allowed on their property. No argument there. However, people are calling for PNG to change their mascot and drop their traditions. That’s what seems to be a bridge too far and where the thought policing begins to me.
Lorensmith says
Would be remiss if I didn’t mention the big lie and the right wing’s bloody cancel culture hypocrisy re: the last election. Scalp em!
jslamen says
We’ve re-thought quite a number of offensive practices since 1979. I’ll bet PNG hasn’t touched base with the Cherokee Nation about their support lately. Y’all just double down and walk away mumbling about cancel culture.
Greg Degeyter says
What have you done to inform yourself of the history and traditions at PNG? Are you only willing to “double down and walk away” based on your belief that cancel culture is appropriate?
jslamen says
The only thing about PNG’s history and traditions that interests me at all is their hallowed tradition (so you’ve said) of using pejorative characterizations of Native Americans as bloodthirsty savages. Not a good look in the eyes of most Americans.
My grandmother owned a cafe in Port Neches and I spent several summers there in the mid ‘60s. Black people had to eat in the kitchen and patrons warned me not to hang around with any Cajun kids at the community pool lest my grandmother’s cafe be boycotted. (Kinda like being cancelled…) Sounds like the place has carried on its proud white traditions in spite of the rest of the world getting a little more civilized.
Greg Degeyter says
So you don’t know the history of the mascot, why it was chosen, etc.
Got it.
PeterD says
Greg, for context, it should be noted that the tribe leader in question chimed in about the matter, as outlined in the Beaumont Enterprise:
“Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. released a statement Friday that said PNGISD “continues to use offensive and stereotypical depictions” of the Cherokee tribe.
“For the past couple of years, we have written to the Port (Neches-Groves) superintendent and school board asking them to cease using this offensive imagery, chanting, symbolism and other practices in their school traditions as this does nothing as this does nothing but dishonor us and all Native American tribes who are making great strides in this country,” he said in the statement. “School leaders need education on cultural appropriateness, should apologize for continuing to ignore our requests to stop and need to make swift changes to correct these offensive displays across their school district.” ”
It’s a public school that receives public funding so now that the matter has received international attention, I don’t see it ending well for the school district. The school’s website outlines the history of the school and others talk about the drill team but bemoaning cancel culture over something like this isn’t going to get the team invited back to Disney or anyplace else of significance, social media platforms for the school sure look a lot different post-Disney, even before they were taken down.
Bill Daniels says
The Cherokees owned slaves, so it is THEY who deserve to be cancelled. Are they offended by a bunch of high school kids? Great! They should feel shame for what their ancestors did, and should consider the PNG kids shouting “scalp em’ as penance for their sins.
I suggest the Cherokee Nation pay reparations to PNG High School for what they’ve done. They not only owned slaves, they’re harassing kids. I’m guessing they have a high level of pedophilia in their tribe, going after kids. I also suggest that they lose their tax free reservation status. They’re literally STILL profiting from slavery.
Greg Degeyter says
The Cherokee Nation has changed their position. That’s undeniable. It also brings me back to the original question of when does a local tradition belong to the community?
The Indian mascot was specifically chosen to honor the Native American history of Port Neches. Then called Grigsby’s Bluff the Native American population of Jefferson County was located in Grigsby’s Bluff, and persisted until the early 1800s.
The selection of the mascot is directly tied to the location’s history and was for the purpose of honoring that history. There’s a point in which that local history and intent becomes controlling, and opposition is simply thought policing by those who disagree.
Not on point at all, but interesting tangent. No one is sure why and when in the early 1800s the Native American population in Jefferson County ended. Only that it was noted present in the early 1800s, and not in 1830.
It’s noteworthy that the population was small and abruptly vanished. A significant hurricane impacted Galveston in 1818. This hurricane is recorded to have brought ships “five miles” or “six leagues” inland. The storm was undoubtedly especially severe as Bonapartists had taken refuge on the island and built earthen work fortification around 400 yards inland essentially creating a small sea wall. Despite this, the island was inundated with around 1,000 killed.
No one knows if this storm drove the Native American population away from Jefferson County, but the storm did cause significant loss of life to the Native American population southwest of the island.
This storm also destroyed Jean Lafitte’s fleet, with some of the wreckage later dug up and used in the construction of the Texas City jetty fifty years later.
jslamen says
Your support of PNG’s history is disingenuous, at best.
How exactly does “Scalp ’em” “honor the Native American history of Port Neches”?
What was your motivation for writing this piece? To assert that because something has a historical precedent it should be immune from criticism or correction?
Greg Degeyter says
“Your support of PNG’s history is disingenuous, at best”
Quite the contrary. I wouldn’t have chosen to wade into the controversy if I was being disingenuous.
DanMan says
I went to work for a guy that submitted enough paperwork to qualify as a native American Indian and get his company confirmed as a HUB (historically undersomething business). Yay! I work for a certified beigefoot.
Once governmentally certified he insisted I put his new HUB seal on the letterhead of his company. I brought my own clients and expertise to his firm. “No way Tonto, my clients don’t cotton to this crap”.
It never came up again.