The Super Bowl victory by the New Orleans Saints has been infused with symbolism, a sign that the city has finally recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and is charting a new course to regain its position as a major center of the American South. Unfortunately, the team's adoption of the "Who Dat" chant, suggests that the city remains mired in the racist environment of the early 20th Century. Said to have originated at LSU in the early eighties and to have inspired the "Who Dey" chant of the Cincinnati Bengals in the late eighties, the phrase hearkens back to the era of Buckwheat and Huckleberry Finn. It is, indeed, a not-so-subtle proclamation that African-Americans are, by nature, an ignorant subclass of human society.
Many would disagree, accepting the phrase as a harmless chant that has unified the fans and citizens of New Orleans, regardless of their race. But the in-your-face racism of yesteryear has given way to a more insidious form in modern society; though hidden beneath a veneer of tolerance and opportunity, it is just as destructive and demoralizing. Chants like "Who Dat" and "Who Dey" are a sign that an undercurrent of racism still runs through this country.
