Should USC be forced to rename their horse mascot?
Asked by
josie (
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)
August 21st, 2017
For the last 60 years, the USC Trojan guy has ridden a white Arabian horse around the stadium. You’ve seen him on TV. Since the beginning, the horse has been named Traveler.
Saphia Jackson, co-director of the USC Black Student Assembly says that the horse is an example of white supremacist racism, since Robert E. Lee’s horse was named Traveller.
Leave aside that California was admitted as a free state.
Also, leave aside that Lee’s horse’s name was spelled differently (Traveller Lee had 2 L’s)
Should this horse be renamed in response to the complaint?
As an aside, if they do rename it, isn’t a racist horse by any other name still a racist? Will they have to simply get rid of it?
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17 Answers
Did anyone from around the time that Traveler was alive ever filed a complaint against him/her for being discriminating against a certain color?
Didn’t think so.
Probably a rare sample of a non-racist horse.
Double ‘L’ (my bad).
Traveler VII is okay too, in my book.
It really depends on the origin of the mascot’s name. Robt. E. Lee has never been held in any esteem in California, not even in the fifties.
The horse was already named Traveler by its own owner, who rode it in the Rose Parade. There isn’t a connection to the Confederacy.
I agree with @zenvelo
The horses name might be reflective of him being a white/grey horse like the original Traveler or maybe completely unrelated and certainly not a glorification of the Confederacy.
Stupid. We have an Appaloosa horse here named “Cayuse”, is that racist against the native Cayuse people? This far left bullshit is out of control.
@Coloma far left bullshit Now now, this is not “far left”, this is more an indicator of how education in the United States has deteriorated in the last forty years.
@zenvelo I get it, just stating I don’t do extremist anything.
Student groups like that are basically just offense factories, grasping at straws for things to be offended by and “care” about. Just more issue-of-the-day BS.
Quote from the widow of the original Travelers owner ( not spelled with an extra “l” as Lees horse ) about the current situation at USC.
” The problem is this. 3 weeks ago it was fine, a non-issue. Now we all have to be in hysteria. It’s a political issue, the flavor of the day and the horse is not political nor am I.”
Agree.
What’s next? If your first name is Robert or your last name is Lee, will the political justice mob be coming for you? LOL
@DominicY Yup.
Actualy just read that Traveller, Lees horse, was originally named “Jeff Davis” at birth. Oh nooo, look out all you Jeff Davises, if this gets out your in trouble. LOL
@Coloma Well, well, second day in a row that your making that mistake….. ;-)
@rebbel Haha, I know, sad isn’t it? Blame it on 2 months of my brain being baked in the CA, sun. LOL
Meanwhile, at the other USC…
@funkdaddy I was taken aback when a lovely young woman walked down the street in my town wearing a t shirt with that design.
It’s ridiculous. When I saw it was an Arabian Horse I first thought someone is probably upset that it’s “Arab.”
Maybe if it was a horse mascot for Ole Miss, which has controversy after controversy regarding racism, the confederate symbols, etc., the name would be questioned, but USC. No.
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