Binghamton students against moccasins

A Facebook group insults traditional Indian culture:

BUSAM (Binghamton University Students Against Moccasins)Traditional Native American clothing varied widely from tribe to tribe, but one nearly universal element was the moccasin, a sturdy slipper-shaped type of shoe sewn from tanned leather. The word "moccasin" comes from an Algonquian word meaning 'moron.' The Algonquins referred to this shoe as the moron shoe because it was worn by the stupidest and most unfashionable members of their tribe. The tribes would avoid these shoes at all costs, but unfortunately during the shoe shepparding ceremony some unlucky individuals would be forced to inherit the cursed moccasins. This annual ceremony was marked by the inheritors dance durring which the inheritor of the cursed shoe would wear them and proceed to dance until they tripped, because of the shoe's stupid design.

This would mark the passing on of the moccasin as the inheritor falls on account of the stupidity and unfashionableness of the shoe.

Those who fell victim to the inheritors dance were dubbed Gimps, and ostracized from society.

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The inheritors dance took place in Fine Arts Lobby yesterday on the 8th of November.

A new Gimp has been dubbed.A comment posted in response:Paulette F Steeves (Binghamton, NY) wrote
at 8:09pm yesterday

Wow talk about stupidity, the only moron I see here is the creator of this page. I will take the screen shots and member list to the deans office tomorrow. And you can explain why you think it is ok to post such offensive statement about American Indians.Comment:  This posting appears to describe the theme or rationale for an annual school dance. Needless to say, it's stupid.

It's also stereotypical because it implies Indians were foolish: inventing and using a shoe that wasn't practical. It's a subset of the common claim that Indians were primitive and ignorant.

The group also posted a link to a genuine informational page about moccasins--as if that absolves them of blame. Needless to say, it doesn't.

But it's nice of them to prove how phony their dance theme is. Here's the actual situation regarding moccasins today:Native American moccasin design has stood the test of time; not only are moccasins still being made and worn in many Indian tribes today, but they have also passed into the American mainstream, and both hard-soled moccasin shoes and soft-soled moccasin slippers are mass-produced by hundreds of non-native shoe stores now.For more on the subject, see Uncivilized Indians.