Man in Redface meets real Native American

On Friday afternoon, there was a surreal moment outside of Progressive Field when a Cleveland Indians fan wearing redface and a head dress came face to face with a Native American prior to the team’s game with the Minnesota Twins.

The Native American was Robert Roche, an Apache who was outside of the stadium protesting the game.

It was a moment that got social media buzzing about the blatant disrespect and insensitive nature of the fans who decide to paint their faces in such a manner without considering how they could be perceived.

A majority of people who saw the photo instantly recognized what was wrong with the picture, while others were defending the fan for simply showing his support of the team. There is nothing wrong with supporting your team and being a fan, but you can be a “true fan” without doing something that is racist in nature.

Redface was used in American Indian caricatures and propaganda to generate stereotypes in the past, which is something that everyone should understand before busting out the pain and covering their faces.

Despite the unfortunate history, people continue to defend the use of redface and it needs to stop.

Below are just a few examples of how ridiculous the arguments appear when you defend the decision to put on your paint:

This photo will re-0pen the debate about whether or not the Indians franchise should refrain from using the Chief Wahoo logo moving forward.