DIFFICULT CONVERSATION / LONG THREAD ALERT! This is going to make some of you feel awkward and make some of you feel angry (for different reasons) but it's important so please stick with it even if you are not a rugby or sports fan - it's much more important than that...

I love rugby, I love my rugby team Exeter Chiefs but I don’t love their use of Native American imagery and it’s time to change it.

HOLD UP we’re not talking about the name! They can still be Chiefs but we need to review the logo, mascot and other Native American branding

Aspects of this have started feeling a bit uncomfortable for a few years, but with the increasing spotlight on race issues and equality it's the right time to have a full discussion on why it’s not appropriate to use the identity of an oppressed group for unrelated commercial use

Yes I know it's intended with respect but intentions do not undo outcomes and it's clear it's not actually a mark of respect to caricature the identity of a group of people as mascots for sport, especially when those people have been marginalised and mistreated for generations

Native American groups and individuals have repeatedly made it clear throughout the debate on similar issues in the US that they do not feel “honoured”

(there's loads to reference here but this is a quick objective summary -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_mascot_controversy )

Are the Native Americans really fussed about a rugby team in Devon thousands of miles away?

Do we only not do offensive things when the group we are offending are watching? We don’t need a black person in the room to know that black face is offensive.

Native American groups made it clear using their image as mascots is inappropriate during the debate on similar issues in the US over the years. Do we ignore this just because we’ve not been top of their agenda?

If you want to talk Chiefs specifically...
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/exeter-chiefs-should-work-real-1139539

Isn’t it just a bit of fun?
It stops being so fun when you think about it & the offence it generates. Things are moving on! We're allowed to change our views when presented with new information on how our actions might be perceived by others. We can have fun with a new identity.

Isn’t this just a load of liberal lefty snowflake sensationalism, where will it end etc?

I’m sure some are thinking that and feeling defensive that it's another thing that you just can’t say anymore and you’re fed up of being told what is offensive by someone else...

...But I would say most of us are not fully aware or don’t want to acknowledge the many difficult layers there are to discrimination beyond “traditional” overt racism. We can feel that we are not racist in that sense, but are all of our actions truly anti-racist?

We might not see that there is an obvious problem or be personally offended or even understand where the offence lies, but that doesn’t make it OK. Most of us are lucky to have been born with the privilege of not having to experience how deep these issues go for many others...

When we are made aware of issues, areas where we can treat others better and easy changes we can make which might contribute to improvement, it seems right that we do something to help towards that. That's where I'm coming from with this....

To be clear, none of this is a personal criticism of anyone and it's not meant to be preachy. I just want to flag the campaign to as many people as possible and get us all to think differently and see things from another angle.

The world is changing and it feels the right time to encourage Exeter Chiefs to change with it, to take the opportunity to own these changes on our terms rather than be shamed and forced into U-turning in the next few years.

So please please SIGN and SHARE this petition, follow @ExChiefs4Change and if you're feeling unconvinced that it's something that needs looking at then let's chat why!

There's lots more on it out there including from Native Americans on that Twitter acc https://www.change.org/p/exeter-chiefs-asking-exeter-chiefs-rugby-club-to-drop-its-racist-use-of-native-american-imagery-and-branding