ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose is on a crusade to eliminate the term “Mount Rushmore” because he finds the very idea of it offensive.
In a video, Rose said that using the South Dakota landmark, which honors Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, “to define greatness should be retired immediately.”
Rose began by asking, “Why do you think Washington changed their name from Redskins?”
I’d say it was because the owners of the team caved to woke pressure. But I digress.
“I do a show and didn’t say that word for eight years,” Rose said. “Why? Because it’s offensive. What about the Cleveland Indians? Same thing. Why did they change the name? Because it’s offensive.”
He continued, “I want to continue to challenge myself and to challenge you to do something. Can we retire using ‘Mount Rushmore’?
“That should be offensive to all of us, especially Native Americans, indigenous people who were the first people here before Christopher Columbus. That land was stolen from them when it was discovered that it contained gold.
“And 25 years later, to add insult to injury, four American presidents were put on what we call Mount Rushmore on the top of the dead bodies that [are] buried right underneath.”
“Let’s stop using the term ‘Mount Rushmore’ when we’re talking about our favorite rappers, talking about our favorite movies, talking about our favorite players.
“I know you’re gonna see this video and I know you’re gonna take action,” Rose told his Twitter followers before mercifully concluding.
Here’s why using Mount Rushmore to define greatness should be retired immediately. pic.twitter.com/mtYYTtKFSa
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) August 3, 2022
Responses to Rose’s call to action were mixed. Some applauded his efforts.
Jalen always has been and always will be a real one. I’m with you my dude. And thanks for taking the lead on that.
— Captain Jack Sbarro (@Bobby_Bonsai) August 4, 2022
Others, not so much.
I absolutely love it when @ESPN sports commentators lecture me on American history and values. Worked out great for @jemelehill.
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) August 6, 2022
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, wasn’t so happy with Rose’s request and had a message for the ESPN star.
“The four men on Mount Rushmore were amazing, flawed American leaders who helped make America what it is today — the greatest country the world has ever known,” Noem tweeted.
“To the woke leftists obsessed with attacking these leaders, I’ve got news for you: not on my watch.”
The four men on Mount Rushmore were amazing, flawed American leaders who helped make America what it is today — the greatest country the world has ever known.
To the woke leftists obsessed with attacking these leaders, I’ve got news for you: not on my watch. https://t.co/gSQfNlLlzb
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) August 6, 2022
Rose is about two years too late. Where was he in the summer of 2020 when it was cool to tear down statues and cancel American traditions?
As Noem said, the four men memorialized on Mount Rushmore helped build America. Yes, they were flawed. We are all flawed. And America is not perfect, but it happens to be the greatest country in the world.
There’s nowhere else on this planet Rose would have received the opportunities he’s had in his life. But I think he already knows that.
