Introduction
I agree with the assertion that the athletic team’s name requires a change because it is highly offensive towards Native American minorities. Although the majority of people do not intend to use the name to offend someone, it is still inappropriate, because if Redskins was changed to White or Black people, no one would support it.
Essential Objectives
Ferdman’s inclusion model or a multilevel analytic framework consists of five main layers, which are societal, organizational, leadership, group, interpersonal, and individual (Northouse, 2017). The influence of inclusive practices moved from mostly up, whereas the social backlash slid down. The primary reason is that the issue began with a Native American person demanding the change of the name, but the problem was escalated to a national or societal degree. However, the general acceptance of the new name gradually transitioned from top to the bottom of the model.
The biggest barrier experienced by the community and school board was the issue of ethnocentrism. The local town was reported to be 95% white, which meant that Native American minorities are vastly outnumbered (Northouse, 2017). The following sequences of events after name changing were mainly focused on claiming that there was nothing offensive and the majority of people were proud. However, it would be highly disrespectful if numerous Native Americans called an athletic team as a racial slur against white people, thus, it is a clear example of ethnocentrism.
The Native American residents in the town of Springfield would be placed in the Exclusion section because they were not considered as unique, and they certainly felt low belongingness. However, Native American students at Springfield High School would be put in the Differentiation section because the entire population was proud of them as players or participants (Northouse, 2017). These teenagers were appreciated for their uniqueness, but they were not included in the main group.
The school board was showing inclusive practices towards Native Americans by allowing them to feel safe, involved, and respected (Northouse, 2017). However, there was no authentic appreciation because it is difficult to identify one’s intention. In addition, the members might have been pressured by the population’s outrage.
The primary role of privilege can be manifested in the sheer size of this particular community. White people made up more than 90% of the overall population, which gave them an opportunity to outnumber their opponents (Northouse, 2017).
Diversity is a source of multidimensional communication and plurality of ideas. Significant improvements were made in this regard, but the given concept needs to be continuously emphasized to preserve its value. Diversity should be regularly reminded of by accentuating its benefits, because people are inclined to dismiss it.
It is essential to understand that all of the six dimensions of diversity are equally essential. I find it easy to embrace sexual orientation because it is simply one’s choice of partner. However, I find it challenging to comprehend age diversity because each generation possesses a drastically different set of values, which can sometimes be highly inappropriate, or even racist.
During a group gathering, I want to have a moderate level of attention to feel respected. For example, when I was in a coffee shop with study mates, I felt included, because we shared the same goal of getting good academic results. However, when I was at school, I felt excluded during sports activities because I was not initially good at playing various games. Therefore, the main reason for being excluded or included is proficiency in a certain event or goal that is shared by a specific group.
Conclusion
Privilege is a notion that is hard to notice due to the fact that I personally never felt it. I might have been privileged due to my gender or race, but I have not paid attention. It is easier to spot regarding other people because my white colleagues and friends seem to be constantly privileged. Thus, I think a person cannot feel its presence unless he or she observes it in others like him or her.
Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction for leadership: Concepts and practice (4th ed.). New York, NY: SAGE Publications.