You recall UD’s post about this Louisiana University’s effort to update its mascot.
It came up with this image —
— which generated a lot of controversy.
Here’s a nicely written letter to the editor about it:
As [a] native of Louisiana and former resident of Thibodaux, I have observed the controversy regarding the newly unveiled Nicholls mascot with great interest.
I must admit that when I viewed the new Colonel Tillou mascot for the first time my own thoughts were of a Bolshevik cavalryman from the Russian Civil War. The politically correct forces claim they began a campaign to replace the old mascot in an effort to improve the university’s image. Unfortunately, the new mascot conjures up an image of a murderous Red Army dragoon slashing his way through a Ukrainian village. This is definitely not an improvement on the university’s image. Instead, it tarnishes the school and everyone associated with it. This whole experience should finally demonstrate the folly of political correctness and its various progeny.
What makes this matter even more distasteful is the knowledge that an out-of-state design firm and focus groups participated in this travesty. In the end, the entire endeavor that created “Colonel Bolshevik” has been a waste of money, time and university resources. The university should bring back the old mascot and issue an apology. Once it does that, it can return to more-fruitful endeavors, such as educating the young adults of Louisiana.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:53PM
"a murderous Red Army dragoon slashing his way through a Ukrainian village"…just keep the image and change the narrative a little bit:
"a heroic Red Army cavalryman killing Nazis"