Many races are unfairly victimized, but Native American cultures are more misunderstood and degraded than any other race. Middle and high school mascots sometimes depict images of Native Americans and have names loosely based on Native American origin, but these are often not based on actual Native American history, so instead of honoring the Native Americans, they are ridiculed. According to the article Warriors Survive Attack, by Cathy Murillo (2009), some "members of the Carpentaria community have defended Native American mascot icons as honoring the Chumash tradition and the spirit of Native American warriors in U.S. history and others claimed the images were racist stereotypes.” (Murillo, 2009). If people do not try to understand and respect Native American culture, then Native American stereotypes will become irreparable, discrimination will remain unresolved, and ethnocentrism will go unchallenged. According to Richard T. Schaefer, (2012) the author of Sociology: Thirteenth Edition, stereotypes are "false images or unreliable generalizations about all members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group" (Schaefer, 2012). Some stereotypes I've heard are: this Indian is another proper name for Native Americans, and Native Americans are all the same, love nature, and smoke a peace pipe. Of course I know this is untrue, but books and movies often don't focus on real Native American tribes, so people remain naive about past and present Native American cultural facts. For example, the article North Dakota Lawmakers Vote to Keep "Fighting Sioux" (2011) states that "at Florida State University, a mascot dressed in an Indian headdress rides a horse during football games and fans wave their... middle of paper ......a name they use to represent their school or sports team. As Orvetti (2011) states, “the team is not racist, the players are not racist, the fans are not racist. So why not a change” (Orvetti, 2011)? Bibliography Murillo, C. (2009). The warriors survive the attack. Retrieved March 17, 2012 from http://www.independent.com/news/2009/mar/18/warriors-survive-attack/(2011). North Dakota lawmakers vote to continue “fighting the Sioux.” Retrieved March 17, 2012 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-northdakota-sioux-idUSTRE72B0QD20110312Orvetti, P. (2011). Do the Redskins need a new name? Retrieved March 17, 2012, from http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/Do-the-Redskins-Need-a-New-Name-115254879.html Schaefer, RT (2012). Racial and ethnic inequality. Sociology: a brief introduction (13th ed., pp.236-262). New York: McGraw-Hill.