The University Formerly Known as “O** M*ss?”
As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, there was a report issued by the University of Mississippi last Friday detailing steps they plan to take to distance themselves from their Confederate past and plantation-era symbols such as Confederate Drive being renamed Chapel Lane. I’m sure you also know that this is not a completely new process, but that the university has, since the 1990s, implemented several changes beginning with the banning of sticks from sporting events to discourage the waving of the Confederate battle flag and including the retiring of Colonel Reb as the on-field mascot in favor of “Rebel the Black Bear.”
The issue that seems to have caught the most attention is proposed limitation of the use of the nickname “Ole Miss.” It should have been fairly easy to predict how most umiss fans responded to this report.
Why would a school begin to phase out the use of a beloved nickname that they have used since 1896? Because some people, including some umiss professors, view the use of the phrase “Ole Miss” as racist. To understand that, one has to look at the origin of the phrase. The school took it from a university yearbook contest in the late 1800s, but the phrase “Ole Miss” originally was a name that slaves used to refer to a plantation owner’s wife. An institution, then, that sought the glorify the notion of the “genteel” old Southern money aristocracy of plantation times decided it was a good idea to refer to their alma mater (Latin for “our mother”) as “Ole Miss” as the plantation owner’s wife was the “mother” of the plantation (and have a caricature of a plantation owner as a mascot and call themselves the “Rebels”).
It seems, though, that times are changing. There are now those who think it’s horrendous that in this century there are some who would have young black student athletes refer to their alma mater as “ole miss” like a slave referring to the “mother” of the plantation a hundred and fifty years ago. Whether it is or is not racist, I suppose, is open to debate. What seems to be a foregone conclusion, however, is that it is now going away. One by one umiss’ Confederate traditions are dying off. The Confederate battle flag, “From Dixie with Love” (and the accompanying chant of “The South will rise again”), and Colonel Reb are gone. “Ole Miss” is now beginning to be phased out, and we can almost be assured that the title “Rebels” for the athletic teams will eventually follow.
Some time in the not so distant future our Bulldogs may be competing in the Egg Bowl against a team of Black Bears wearing this:
I don’t know if I can actually claim any credit here or not, but I came up with the idea and began referring to the University of Mississippi as “umiss” years ago. I did so partly to avoid using that nickname that I do personally find distasteful and partly just to annoy umiss fans. While they may not have taken the idea directly from any of my writings or images, it does now, indeed, seem that they actually intend to go with “umiss.” I just read an article yesterday evening that indicated that the internet domain name olemiss.edu will be changed to umiss.edu. I always did consider myself a forward thinker.
How, though, are WE, as Mississippi State fans, to feel about this turn of events?
Well, first of all, if you genuinely enjoy annoying rabble fans, this loss of traditions certainly makes for easy ammunition. Seems like a cheap shot, though, because ultimately it’s rather sad. As misled and offensive as some might find them, these are their traditions. Think of how we’d feel if someone tried to take our cowbells away. (Yes, I know they did try and failed, but that’s not the point.)
The culture of a group of people is often heavily defined by their heritage, their traditions, and their symbols. When these symbols and traditions are slowly eroded away as we’ve seen happen to umiss over the past few decades, it’s really no wonder they’re having such an identity crisis. They’re stuck between a Colonel that’s been ripped away, a Black Bear that’s been thrust upon them, and a Land Shark (whatever that is) that they rally around.
I personally find it depressing because I realize the bewilderment, confusion, and sense of betrayal that these umiss faithful must be experiencing. Also, it’s just a heck of a lot more fun whuppin’ the Ole Miss Rebels than the Mississippi Black Bears.