Bonding over a Mascot Response

Prior to beginning his research, Lapointe may have asked himself, how do the people of Florida State feel, specifically those of Seminole background, in response to the NCAA’s declaration of an unfit, offensive mascot? Once he conducted his research and found answers to his questions, he was able to then put together a piece that informed the audience with an answer. Lapointe’s purpose was to explain that many people with Seminole and other Native American backgrounds were not offended or upset about the University’s Seminole imagery. In fact, when doing research about it, Lapointe quoted one man, Osceola, who said “If I had a child and named it after you, would you consider it an honor?” The author’s goal was to show that the people were proud rather than offended. They even sped up the process for creating a class that looked at the history of the Seminoles and Southeastern tribes.  Lapointe is able to use his research to back up his points and clearly show his results. He interviews students about their feelings regarding the situation, as well as people of Seminole descent and their opinions. Having these personal interviews establishes Lapointe’s ethos and allows him to provide the audience with a first hand look at the situation. In addition, Lapointe also researches some history of the people, the struggles they overcame, and the success (specifically with casinos), that they are seeing today. This helps promote the Seminole imagery as a positive thing that embraces the culture of the people. The NCAA flagged several other schools for similar issues, yet Lapointe provides statistics and examples of universities, similar to Florida State, who are fighting back and promoting the honor that this imagery entails. While he does mention that people can get out of hand and do offensive activities, Lapointe is still able to establish the mascot as a positive thing that the school and community embrace and cherish as a sign of culture and continuity.