Sadly, The Blackhawks Statues Outside Of The United Center Were Defaced And Vandalized With Spray Paint By Assholes

This bothers me a lot. This is someone's property. This is someone's art. This is someone's memorial. I can certainly understand the argument about First Nations iconography being used for profit and I will always listen to the argument with an open mind, but in my heart of hearts I don't believe that applies to the Blackhawks as I have written about before. 

When people call the Blackhawks’ name or logo racist it almost feels like scene from The Office where Michael asks Oscar if he’d prefer to be called something less offensive than “Mexican” as if Mexican by itself were some kind of slur. Native American iconography isn’t a slur either. It’s how the iconography and history is used. If you want to belittle a people as being an unsophisticated savage or smiling red colored cartoon meant to poke fun at a people then that is not okay. What the Black Hawks are doing by memorializing an important man in the history of this region is very different. It can’t be lumped in with the Washington Redskins or Cleveland Indians. I would even argue that it’s not even cultural appropriation the way Florida State uses the Seminole name or how North Dakota used to use the “Fighting Sioux” nickname. Those schools profit off of a name of a culture. The Blackhawks are honoring one man. It’s a fine line, but to me it’s rather clear. The Blackhawks logo is regal just like the man it’s meant to depict.

That is my opinion. I understand there is room to critique it and disagree. If you do disagree though, please tell me your address so I can come spray paint my blog on your house. That's where this falls apart for me. Have discussions. Make coherent arguments. Do it through civil means or perhaps even the court of law. The history of this country has some dark moments, but anyone who studies history knows that zero people can escape the bloody reality that is human history across the globe. I read(listened to) two audiobooks this summer about First Nations; "Empire Of The Summer Moon" and "The Heart Of Everything That Is". The Comanches stole their lands from the Utes and the Navajos and they were ALWAYS warring with each other. Bloody, gruesome, literally tie their captors together with their own disemboweled intestines and then throw them on the fire to burn to death. That happened on the plains. It is not an exaggeration. White settlers also did a TON of awful shit that should also be taught and learned from. Spray painting #LandBack on a statue that is a memorial doesn't make your argument stronger. Especially because whoever did that is also living on stolen land but I highly doubt they deface their own property. Somehow they're absolved of that sin. What did Stan Mikita ever do to deserve this? What did Tony Esposito ever do to deserve this? What did Bobby Hu--uhh---umm...what did Pierre Pilote do to deserve this!? . 

Protesting and arguing for your beliefs is great. Destruction of property isn't. The Blackhawks released the following statement regarding the statue

Over the weekend, the sculpture on Madison Street outside of the United Center was vandalized. It is currently under tarp for protection and will be sent off to be repaired in the near future."