Scott Braithwaite on the Carpinteria Warriors

Recently I posted Marcia Perez's thoughts on the Carpinteria Warriors and their Plains chief mascot. She was debating the issue via e-mail with Scott Braithwaite, a local pastor and mascot defender.

Here is Braithwaite's response. He's used the familiar technique of quoting Perez and then commenting on her comments.You as a pastor (or one who holds a theology degree) of all people should see the hurt, division and dissent this issue is causing the students of Carpinteria.
I find it completely ironic that you do not see from where the hurt, division and dissent emanate. Carpinterians were doing fine, including the white, black, Hispanic and the vast majority of every Native American family, until your constituency came into town calling everyone who disagrees with you racist. You caused the hurt, division and dissent and then claim that I should respond pastorally to it? Well, I agree. I stood up on behalf of myself and many in Carpinteria against your racist rhetoric and false charges.

It is very damaging to Native children--whether you agree or not--the experts have weighed in on this and have determined it to be so.
Unfortunately for your argument, a great many Native American children throughout Carpinteria's history would disagree with you--ethnic studies masters degree or no. I've already dealt at length with this alleged harming with Dr. Kraatz. Ask him for those notes. I am not satisfied that it is the responsibility of others to make everyone else happy. I would never counsel anyone to seek to have others change to make them happy.

People of color have a little more insight (usually) by virtue of being at the receiving end thus spend far more time thinking about the issues, reading about them and discussing them. If some one Native tells you its racist why can't you take their word for it?
If some one Native states the imagery is racist why do I not take their word for it? Two reasons: they have made no compelling case and other Native Americans simply disagree with you. Should I take your word for it or theirs? Now I believe there can certainly be depictions of racist imagery, but ours does not fall into that category--again, as many Native Americans attest. It has nothing to do with white privilege. It has to do with listening to Native Americans who disagree with you. And the peace you would have us bring to our students (again, ironically) was already there until you all brought your divisive rhetoric. I am in favor of the peace returning as you leave the community to decide for itself what it wants, which it has with an election in November and a Board Meeting on Tuesday.

Indian mascots, Indian chief heads teams calling themselves the "Redskins" is offensive to Native Americans. If we say it is offensive...then it is because only we can define ourselves.
"Is offensive to (some) Native Americans." Some. Is not offensive to others--to the vast majority of those who actually live in the community. Yes, only you can define yourselves. The vast majority of Carpinterian Native Americans have defined themselves perhaps differently than you. This they have the right to do and they might reasonably expect your being tolerant of their decisions. As a man of God I respect the rights of those Native Americans in Carpinteria to define themselves without the oppression of outside forces who seek to overturn their own definition. You have no respect for their self-definition and yet you continually claim that I have the problem. More irony.

Look, if we called a team the Blackskins and had a black man carrying a watermelon and fried chicken while tap dancing we would all agree that is a racist image. Why can't you see the Plains Indian chief head of your childhood westerns chanting and giving whooping war cries is offensive to us?
Let's consider an equal comparison: If we called the team "Redskins," and had the person carrying around a bunch of scalps, then we would be guilty of the stereotyping you describe. But, of course, we do no such thing. Not all of you (Native Americans) are of the same opinion as to the manner in which images are to be used. Again, you want us to ignore the wishes of the vast majority of Carpinteria's Native American population and follow your dictates. This does not seem logical.

What if a team called themselves the "Christians" or the "Popes" and drove around in little Popemobile mascot cars with crosses and made fun of the Rosary, communion and spoke in phony Latin language or tongues to imitate Christian prayers.
Your comparisons again fail. There are no physical representations of a Warrior running around making fun of anything or speaking in strange Indian dialects in order to imitate Native American prayers or recitations. Nobody depicts a Warrior in an unflattering light.

Everything in Indian ceremonies and warrior culture is sacred. It is our church, our connection to the creator, so to speak. We do not imitate it or mock it--ever. Our children do not run around dressing in our native clothing "playing Indian" no one is permitted to touch our feathers before we start our dances. It is all very sacred, solemn and serious. What is the most serious and religious parts of our lives has been taken by your people and put on display for trivial sports enjoyment.
You won't find anyone running around "playing Indian" or attempting to imitate or mock a Native American generally or a Warrior specifically. We do not use real feathers. There is no dancing.

You are no man of God sir, if you cannot understand this. How dare you offend my belief system, my gods, my creator. You have just done to us what is the equivalent of burning a bible to you. Do you understand this?
That is certainly your prerogative to believe. But in speaking with Native Americans in my home town I find that they disagree with you as to what our (and their) use of the imagery represents. While you believe it is akin to burning the Bible, many Native Americans in Carpinteria simply disagree with you.

I think you confuse semantics with imagery. You can use the word "warriors," you can be warriors, define the attributes of a warrior and keep the warrior spirit alive. However, you cannot use a stereotypical Native American image to perpetuate your trivial desires.
Frankly, if the Native Americans of Carpinteria chose to change the Warrior to any other kind of Warrior or no Warrior at all, I would be fine with that. But they are very pleased to maintain the current Warrior imagery so who am I to tell them that that is wrong? If this truly were, as many of your constituents wrongly believe, a white versus Native American issue, I would be on the side of the Native American. But it is not. Again, the vast majority of Native Americans in Carpinteria disagree with you.

Can you grow up and let our image go? Are you a big enough man of God to say "Enough!! It is only a sporting mascot, let's select something else that does not offend people or make fun of their spiritual connection with their creator (God)."
I believe that by sending out emails (to our friends and compatriots) and in turn receiving emails back from opponents like yourself, that the entire Carpinteria community is being responded to through your emails. I don't mistakenly believe you are only speaking to me. So when you ask if I can "grow up," I recognize that you are asking that of the entire community, including the many proud Native American families who disagree with you. Should they, too, "grow up," as you say? Nobody is making fun of anyone's spiritual connection to God. In fact, I'm convinced by much of what you've said in your email that you are probably not fully aware of the manner in which the imagery is used. You seem to believe there are physical representations of Warriors running about in mocking fashion. This is not the case.

I am not of your Christian religion. I am a practicing Native American with ceremonial regalia, children that Pomo dance on our sacred days and families that gather for spiritual cleansing, sweats and sage burnings.
I think it is terrific that you inculcate in your young the spiritual traditions that you hold dear. But I continue to point out that there are many Native Americans who simply do not see any of that undone by the Warrior imagery. (And there in that paragraph is another example of the fact that you have no idea what the Warrior is and does in Carpinteria. Nobody mocks or makes fun of it with any sort of pronouncements or made up languages or gestures. We don't do a chopping motion or dance about or any such thing.)

I really believe changing the image is worth the peace and healing your community needs to have. Let your anger go. Let your ignorance go. Let your racism go. You know nothing about our native culture and languages so please do not speak for our "warrior spirit.' Speak of things you do know and be honest about things you have no clue about.
There is, of course, another way for the community to have peace and healing and it has the same ingredients as it always had before your group came to town: not having your group in town. It continues to be ironic that you bring divisiveness and chaos to Carpinteria and then charge us with the responsibility to get rid of that chaos. It's like hitting us in the face with our own hand and saying "Why are you hitting yourself?" The only anger I have sensed is from you and yours. That has been my experience with this so far. And I can only imagine that you mean to imply that the ignorance you speak of is shared by all of those in our community who find the imagery to be wonderful--including the Native Americans with whom you disagree?

For shame on Carpinteria for threatening that Chumash child. Is this okay in anyone's eyes? Is that what your Christian side has come to? Death threats to an Indian child because he said the phony pretend Indian images offended him?
If there were threats, which I don't know about because I never experienced anything like that nor saw it occur, then that would be shameful and we clearly condemn such actions. I have to imagine that you would not be so quick to attribute to an entire group the actions of one or a few. Would you want us to attribute to your side all the negative attributes owing to those in your community who said similarly horrid things to Native Americans like the elderly Evangeline Diaz and others after the first Board meeting in Carp? Can you own up to those failures as well?

Your insistence on maintaining the charade that your community is the only community that has a valid opinion on this matter while ignoring those many Native Americans who disagree with you is, itself, intellectually dishonest. You have yet to acknowledge them or suggest that they have any right to their own opinions. I continue to call you on it. I hope you will let your love of your Creator guide you to peace and unity, or at the very least allow the peace and unity that Carpinteria's long-standing racial harmony enjoyed before your angry, race-bating rhetoric showed up.

What would your Jesus do? Good luck in finding a soul Mr. Braitwaite, because you are obviously willing to sell ours.
My soul is doing just fine. My Jesus may very well stand up on behalf of those within the Carpinteria community that you have been attacking, including the many Native Americans and blacks and Hispanics and whites with unfounded charges of racism, and challenge you to stop it. And I feel very good about that and my conscience is clear.

Regards,

Scott BraithwaiteComment:  I give Braithwaite credit for his calm, rational reply. Unlike most mascot defenders, he actually engaged with Perez's arguments and rebutted some of them.

As you can see, he offers two basic counterarguments: 1) Many Natives disagree with the few anti-mascot advocates. 2) The Carpinteria Warriors don't behave like other sports teams with Indian mascots.

Stay tuned for part 3 of this series.

Below:  Carpinteria's stereotypical chief mascot.