Save Scrotie the scrotum (4real)

Submitted by banasee t3_xvpbln in providence

Long story short. Rhode Island school of Design's mascot have been generally recognized by student and staff as scotie the scrotum for the past two decades, since they never assigned an "offical" mascot. RISD have often been ranked as top fine art programs in the nation, but not everyone is into institutional elitism and many of us just wanna be a dick. The school is getting rid of Scrotie in their own ways, and we don't want the higher ups of the school to represent the students in their way to attract big investments and social elites (as if that helps the development of Providence and RI's housing crisis and the already obvious wealth inequality amongst RISD students).

Over the years RISD's very small sports scenes usually follow the spirit of Scotie, such a risd balls, pricks, and nads (basketball, fencing, and hockey teams). There's also CLIMBMAX and roadkill, etc. You get it.

Cum to Scrotie's rescue:

Petition to keep Scrotie

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Comments

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Teccnomancer t1_ir2uuhc wrote

Cum to Scrotie’s rescue 💀💀💀

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davefischer t1_ir3ccgc wrote

The guy that designed the first Scrotie costume is the most chill, wholesome person to ever graduate RISD. He does children's puppet shows now. Very funny.

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darekta t1_ir2jkwk wrote

This is hilarious. Keep Scotie alive!

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twothangs t1_ir2kqxv wrote

I think that mascot is awesome but it's also ok to just move on. Not everything has to stay the same forever especially if the current people working and going to school there aren't into it. You'll always have your sweaty memories.

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banasee OP t1_ir2lmbf wrote

It's not much about getting something new. The most important part is that nobody was asked about getting a new mascot, and the current students and alumni are not happy about it. Students interests and representation are usually neglected even though we're their cash cows. My school is just ashamed and unsupported of their students, unless they became the ceo of airbnb or is working at Google. Subtle shitshow I tell you.

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Low-Medical t1_ir3hrau wrote

Fun second-hand story about the airbnb guy, from someone I know who was in classes with him as an illustration major at RISD. Apparently he was really into body building, and was basically the only student at RISD who used the school’s weight gym. He would bring his protein shaker thing to every class, and regardless of the assignment, would turn in photorealistic drawings of bodybuilder dudes, to the professors’ confusion. Don’t know if it’s true, but I hope it is.

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banasee OP t1_ir3jspx wrote

THAT'S AMAZING HAHA. I was in illustration too when i was in school but it's years after he graduated so i never get to hear stuff like this.

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jahvape000 t1_itc9ef2 wrote

Now I envision duff man as the owner of airbnb...

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Previous_Floor t1_ir2y5bu wrote

>the current students and alumni are not happy about it.

Are you speaking for all of them?

Personally, I'm with RISD on this. It's not creative and it's vulgar.

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banasee OP t1_ir2zemy wrote

Of course I can't speak for everybody. It's the same as how ID majors and wealthy international students who have no regards to the nearby communities are fully representative of the school. You can nitpick however you want, but different student bodies have their own opinions and pro-Scrotie fellas are more vocal right now.

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talentedtrash88 t1_ir33wzm wrote

I read the email announcement and thought it was straight satire at first

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onehappyisland17 t1_ir37go8 wrote

Support Scrotie and help him stick it out longer!!

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BingBong022 t1_ir32yhi wrote

Yea having a dick for a mascot is going to solve wealth inequality!

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banasee OP t1_ir33rm7 wrote

The point is school doesn't listen or acknowledge student opinions very well. If they can't even let us keep the dick and balls do you think they ever listened to us about bigger issues? Lol

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aubergineeggplant t1_ir4zfn2 wrote

So I 100% support student voice being central to every aspect of running a school, and as a art school undergrad who went somewhere else, I absolutely agree with the institutional disconnection you articulate below. It matches my observations of RISD’s structure, general pedagogy and the work that results.

That being said, is this really the hill y’all want to die on? I think the dick/ball mascots are stupid. I know see this as symbolic, but there are way more worthy campaigns.

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werewolfmanjack t1_ir50xwu wrote

can you give some examples of these observations? and from what vantage point did you have them?

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aubergineeggplant t1_ir53g92 wrote

I’m a born and raised working class Rhode Islander who left the state to attend an very ideologically progressive art school and then came back. As like a young artist in Providence I inevitably hung out with recent RISD grads/ grad students and eventually facility. I also worked there off and on for a few years.

Art school in general is weird and needlessly intense and insular so there’s that, but pedagogically RISD’s program always seemed to be overly rigid and archaic. The lack of opportunity for true interdisciplinary learning and experimentation and the instructional focus on technique over the conceptual and critical aspects of art were pretty glaring for me, resulting in some pretty derivative, shallow “fine art” work at both the undergrad/graduate level.

I graduated art school in the mid 00s, and haven’t worked there/ observed student work since like 2012 so this may be somewhat of an outdated perspective l.

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banasee OP t1_ir66n10 wrote

Thank you for the very thoughtful reflection. Honestly these days it feels like the opposite issue. It's affecting my department at the very least. During all four years a lot of the professors are conceptually vocal about whatever the hell they like, without regards to the different interests of the students. We end up graduating and feeling like we have poor techniques and just wanna draw. The professors who taught techniques were very lacking as well. I think some of the professors during the 2000s that still stayed at school had fallen on hard times. There are times where they just give up teaching. Sometimes older instructors are too or tired sick to teach attentively. There was even a professor who came into the class high.

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aubergineeggplant t1_ir6bj04 wrote

That sucks. I adjunct at another local college and my syllabi are living documents that evolve based on student need and interest. I love teaching at the higher ed level, and I’m sorry you had that experience with your professors, esp because I can only imagine the debt a lot of your classmates have taken on to get that degree.

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banasee OP t1_ir6ci12 wrote

If I start teaching I would like to do what you've been doing and make syllabus based on student needs

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jahvape000 t1_itc9rxk wrote

You guys do have it rough. No money means no teach...well. The students and the teachers are getting milked. Not sustainable.

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werewolfmanjack t1_ir5gokb wrote

Thanks for the thoughtful response. That said I strongly disagree with your assessment and generalizations. I can guarantee the work done at your college was no less shallow or derivative, no more mindful or critically sophisticated. It’s art school…. only ~1/10 kids’ art has more aesthetic value than when it was blank paper in the store anyhow.

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aubergineeggplant t1_ir64bbo wrote

Oh our work was absolutely shallow. I mean, I quit art for a whole decade and mostly just do drawings of animals now so I’m not really in a position to say shit. So you’re right. It’s not really about student work. I’ve thought about it a bit and I think that my real issue is the undergraduate program’s rigidity. As an educator I really value interdisciplinary and multimedia study, and want to see art taught as a tool of argumentation.

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banasee OP t1_ir67k2n wrote

Honestly students had a lot of campaigns over the years regarding different issues with the school but it stays on Instagram. I don't have to die on this hill but i just happened to be an unemployed bum to advertise it on reddit for the current students. I thought I was just gonna get some casual lols. My school had done or said seriously messed up things before especially with the new president that people had high hopes for, but the discussions usually stay within school circles.

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Previous_Floor t1_ir36r4w wrote

RISD is a prestigious school. Why would they listen to the students who support a mascot like this? It reflects poorly on the school.

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banasee OP t1_ir39orh wrote

"Prestigious"

Ah here we go again. RISD's "prestige" is extremely limited to specific ideological ideas. The world is much bigger than western fine art history and philosophies. The school was built by textile factory owners and their wives to produce more patterns and designs for textiles. RISD was prestige in the way that it was an early adaptor of bauhaus teaching model, and good riddance that was a century ago. These days RISD is often sheltered and unaware of the discourse in the contemporary fine art world. The school is running on the sweats of forward thinking staff, students, and reputation of creatively successful alumni to stay relevant.

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youjustlostthegameee t1_ir4p2gl wrote

Having dated a RISD student for five years (they did a master's too), I can confirm how disconnected most of the students are from, well, reality. Most students are completely disengaged from the work, from arts, from passion. Source: spent ALOT of time being emotional support and also always eating at the RISD cafe since that food SMACKED like no other (thanks JWU culinary)

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banasee OP t1_ir4pe5o wrote

I can't say if i relate to the first part but people are generally very tired for sure.

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jahvape000 t1_itc926a wrote

Oh hell no! How ya gonna scream, "GO NADS!" at a risd hockey game without a scrotal mascot???? Huh? Stop sniffing the paint thinner...

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Previous_Floor t1_ir3f930 wrote

>RISD have often been ranked as top fine art programs in the nation, but not everyone is into institutional elitism and many of us just wanna be a dick.

OP, are you a current student?

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banasee OP t1_ir3jhy4 wrote

Proudly graduated this summer. Fresh out of the school with stories from the past 4 years.

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MrLegilimens t1_ir3fbvq wrote

I’d check your writing on being able to spell Scrotie’s name correctly if you care so much about his existence.

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Low-Medical t1_ir3i306 wrote

Yeah, “Scotie” is the mascot of the Supreme Court (coincidentally, it’s also a ballsack)

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banasee OP t1_ir3jlfb wrote

Lmao yeah spelling is my weakness

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MrLegilimens t1_ir4ad57 wrote

Maybe that should be the petition: teach us to spell not to raise hell

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banasee OP t1_ir4atqg wrote

Thank you for being condescending when I admit my issues and tried to humor people over it. English is not even my first language, by the way ;) I already graduated so too bad whoopsie

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