University Of Mississippi Contemplating Ditching “Ole Miss” Nickname Due To Racial Connotations
A small group of students and faculty recently voiced their displeasure with the University of Mississippi’s well-known nickname, “Ole Miss.” They feel that the name has a negative connotation.
From IJReview:
UM’s longstanding nickname is beloved by the vast majority of its students and alumni. But a few, especially some university faculty, are uncomfortable with it. Some don’t want it used at all and some simply don’t want it used with the academic context.
The university completed a national study about the name “Ole Miss” during the last year and found the vast majority of respondents don’t attach any meaning to it other than an affectionate name for the university.
In fact, a significant margin likes and prefers the “Ole Miss” name. And a very small percentage of respondents associate the university, either as “Ole Miss” or “University of Mississippi,” with negative race issues.
“Ole Miss” is so engrained into the university that email addresses are [student]@olemiss.edu and not [student]@umiss.edu.
It’s important to note that those who associate the nickname with the school’s checkered history also associate the actual name of the school, the University of Mississippi, the same way.
So what–the university is supposed to just rename itself because of its complicated past?
Look, I’m all for taking steps to change things that are downright racist or cause universal discomfort, but I just don’t get this. The university is taking other steps that make much more sense, like renaming “Confederate Drive” to “Chapel Row.” The school is also opening a Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement. Those are great moves, but losing the nickname “Ole Miss?” Seems unnecessary.
I remember when Mississippi’s biggest problem was finding a new mascot.
Now that was a hot-button issue.
[via IJReview]
Image via Youtube
Pussification of America
10 years ago at 5:48 pmHoly fuck this shit never ends with these damn liberal pussies.
10 years ago at 5:50 pmThose goddamn moon crickets say everything’s racist.
10 years ago at 6:05 pmGoddamn pussies ruining America for actual Americans.
10 years ago at 6:12 pmDon’t mean to sound too socially liberal, but rebels is still a bit overt. And don’t give me the bullshit line that ‘the Civil War wasn’t about slavery.’
10 years ago at 6:22 pmI agree that the name rebels is wrong but not due to racism, it has more to do with the death of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers.
10 years ago at 6:56 pmThe Confederates were Americans too
10 years ago at 1:11 amWell first of all cocksuck it wasn’t about slavery. Second of all they changed from the rebels to the black bears.
10 years ago at 8:30 pmShut the fuck up right now! I’ll be damned if some pussy Prius driving tree higher changes the name from Ole Miss Rebels. There’s nothing racist about rebels.
10 years ago at 10:46 pmOle Miss has more pressing race issues like the kids that hung a noose around the neck of the statue of their first black student, or football recruits de-comitting due to racism? The name “Ole Miss” is the least racially charged the least racially charged thing a black person will hear in Mississippi. If people wanna move forward then we have to start burying the past.
10 years ago at 6:25 pmLiberals suck
10 years ago at 6:25 pmChanging the name of Confederate Drive doesn’t seem to make ‘much more sense’ to me; who the fuck has been hiring these ignorant Yankees at TFM?
Almost every single one of our founding Fathers owned slaves, where’s the outrage directed at historical monuments/streets commemorating George Washington? Where’s the outrage directed at Thomas Jefferson who fathered an illegitimate child with a slave? Abraham Lincoln famously said “there is physical difference between [whites and blacks] which, in my judgment, will probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality, I am in favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position”. Where are the protests directed at Abraham Lincoln?
Which begs the question, why acquiesce and endorse the ignorance and irrationality of misinformed liberals inconsistently and arbitrarily designating certain historical events/figures ‘offensive’? Naw, fuck that shit.
10 years ago at 6:32 pmSpot on. I remember years ago when nearly every TFM article included pretty vulgar anti-black language. Now TFM is being influenced by Yanks and more importantly it has succumbed to political correctness for the sake of its image within the media world. There is nothing wrong with “Confederate” in a street name and acknowledging that it is anything close to racist, is ultimately acknowledging the fear of hurting others’ feelings. Being an original follower, I’m disappointed with the direction of TFM with regards to the spineless neutral undertones in its articles.
10 years ago at 11:08 pmTry less to appease and form your own opinions champ. It’s especially funny since your account says you’re a rushee which means you probably haven’t been an “original follower” of TFM as you put it.
10 years ago at 11:52 pmI made the account way after I started following TFM. You don’t have to have an account to open up a web page and read its contents.
10 years ago at 9:23 amI think everyone is forgetting that slavery existed up North as well before the industrial revolution made it obsolete.
Its the most hypocritical thing in the world when people get offended by the Confederate flag given that every slave brought into America and every Native American killed was done so under the American flag.
10 years ago at 1:10 amI absolutely despise the confederate flag and anything to do with the confederacy. Its as though everyone seems to forget that the confederacy seceded from the United States, which I view as treason. The confederate flag and anything to do with it should be considered treason and treated as such.
10 years ago at 10:57 amYea good luck with that one
10 years ago at 7:06 pmAnything offends people now a days, too many pussies.
10 years ago at 7:13 pm