Moving forward
Colonel Reb is dead. His image, name and legacy will always live in our memories and on our memorabilia, but his human form will never again grace us at an Ole Miss sporting event.
We have had seven years to mourn; it is time to move on.
There are still some here (and many that once were) that believe that if you don’t like Colonel Reb, confederate flags and “Dixie,” you can just get out of Mississippi. Are those the people we want to follow?
It doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere.
While it is important to understand history and traditions, we must not get caught by the trap of reflection. Spending your life reflecting on the past only leads to focusing on the negative and wallowing in the self-pity of regret.
Just crack open a history book: you’ll find war, the most vile of actions committed by people in mass, fills almost every page. Spend a Sunday in a religious service - you’ll probably be condemned for past sins at least a handful of times.
Life is a one-way road; you can only go forward. Trying to drive backwards or turn around will certainly not take you anywhere; and always looking at the road behind will make you miss what lies ahead.
That is exactly what the Colonel Reb Conservatives are trying to do.
The road only goes one way, folks - toward a new mascot and image for our school. The future is coming, and whether you’re willing to take part or not is of no consequence.
So the question is where do we go now? To me, this is a simple question.
First of all, I shall commend the mascot selection committee.
They finally stood up and did something about our mascot problem. Sure, thousands have done their share of complaining and wearing “Colonel Reb is My Mascot” stickers. This committee, though, decided to take action to take care of the situation and do so with the entire Ole Miss community’s input.
Secondly, I don’t believe those that have complained about the choices given for mascot ideas really understand the process. These are not final decisions. The vote is a tool the committee designed to hear what the Ole Miss students, faculty and alumni want. What mascot do you want to represent us all: the words “Hotty Toddy” dually personified, an animal, a muppet, a musician, an old racist white man?
The committee and the recent vote are used to gather, compile and distribute opinions and voices and have done something important: taken the first step towards our allimportant mascot future and done so democratically - the good ol’ American way.
So what do I think? First, I think animal mascots are more played out than Lady Gaga’s last album - 10 of the other 11 SEC schools have an animal mascot. Second, muppetcharacter mascots that represent no living creature on earth are lame, confusing and overplayed as well - Indiana Pacers, Phillies, Pistons and many others.
That leaves us with one real choice. A choice that represents something that was born in Mississippi and lives throughout the world today. One that gave birth to something that every person on the planet has likely witnessed and nearly all enjoy some form of it. One that represents our heritage and tradition and being a Rebel - past, present and future.
Close your eyes and picture Mississippi. The images will be different for everyone, but the sound is always the same.
It’s that sweet, soul-moving sound we call The Blues.
The Blues Musician is exactly the image that represents our state, our university and our name. But the choice is up
to you, Ole Miss.
