If there ever was a near legendary case of corruption in American politics it was “Boss” William Tweed and his Tammany Hall organization, the Democratic Party in New York City after the Civil War.

Tweed only was elected to the state assembly, but he looted New York City government like a king with impunity in the mid 19th century. He exercised his power for years. He was brought down through stories in the New York Times and by cartoons by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly.

Tweed was reported to say at the time, “I don’t care a straw for your newspaper articles, my constituents don’t know how to read, but they can’t help seeing them damned pictures.”

Nast’s cartoons had real power.

Tweed wound up in prison, escaped and was retuned to prison where he died.

There is an ancient phrase I’ve heard my entire life, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

As someone who started writing in high school and whose brother is still a highly talented photographer I quickly understood how immediate the impact of an image could be and the difference between the two mediums.

Pictures – photos, or illustrations – can tell their story in a moment.

This is why today questioning imagery that has been accepted for many years by some members of American society is increasingly important.

I know many people despise political correctness, as some believe it stifles free expression.  I think at the core political correctness reminds people that what they say and how they act can share messages that are not always positive.

I’m sure now the idea of having legislation in Massachusetts that would change the state seal and motto, as well as eliminate any sports mascot based on an image of a Native American and would protect Native American culture and artifacts is simply another example of political correctness gone amuck for some.

It’s not.

Now, I’m a 66-year-old white American male. My ancestry hails from the United Kingdom, Bavaria, Switzerland and Holland, primarily. That’s a whole lot of North European whiteness.

My personal experience in life does not include the same experiences other Americans of different ethnic groups have faced and it would be the height of arrogance to even pretend that I can feel what they have felt. I can understand it intellectually, but not emotionally.

I can only sympathize and attempt to be an ally.

So, I have no idea what the actual impact is like to see caricatures of your ethnic and racial group in popular culture, but I bet it’s not pleasant.

The reality of having a sports teams using Native American imagery, as Agawam High School does, is not appropriate. Yes, I know the word “Agawam” is the name of the tribe from which William Pynchon bought the property, but the word “Brownie” conjures up some images that are not positive.

Once again I don’t mean to offend the good people of Agawam or their high school, but I wonder if at this time any would suggest considering an update of the image or name.

UMass went through such a change. Their sports teams were originally “The Statesmen.” In 1948, it was changed to “The Redmen” with the following reasons cited: “The courage, strength, resourcefulness, and charity of the Indians helped sustain the Plymouth settlement, which laid the foundation for subsequent settlements in what we now call Massachusetts. Traditionally, Massachusetts has honored the Indian – the name of the Commonwealth itself is an Indian word. The Indian also appears on the seal of the Commonwealth. For centuries, the Connecticut Valley was inhabited by the red man. With the aggrandizement of the Bay Colony’s white population, the Indians showed strength and fierceness in defending his lands… a strength and fierceness well suited to a football team defending its goal posts.”

Nobody considered the term “Red Man” as demeaning – it is – nor did they think of the overall history of the Native American population in the state. Defending your existence against genocide is not the same as winning a football team.

In 1983, after many years debate, the name was changed to “The Minutemen.”

There is a lot of meaning in any image or name or title – something to keep in mind.