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.