In a story likely to be missed by the local media, the Washington Redskins won a 17-year legal battle against a group of Native Americans petitioning the team to drop its racist trademark.
Redskins attorney Bob Raskopf said millions have been spent on the Redskins brand and the team would have suffered great economic loss if they lost the trademark registrations. “It’s a great day for the Redskins and their fans and their owner Dan Snyder,” he said.
Wonderful. Millions of merchandising dollars will be saved, and only for the small price of mass-marketed racial insensitivity towards an entire group of American citizens. While they’re at it, why doesn’t the team endow a George Wallace Memorial Scholarship and bump members of the Leesburg chapter of the Ku Klux Klan up on the season ticket list.
There’s no reason to go into the racial connotations of the name, because if you need an explanation, you’ve already missed the boat on the discussion. And it’s not that everybody who likes the term Redskins or is not bothered by it is a raving lunatic or bumbling racist.
In fact, you’ll probably find more intelligent arguments from fans on why to keep it than ignorant assertions.
At this point in history, you just hope for the majority of people to “get it.” You want so much for people to be separated on issues that don’t matter, like sports, and tolerant and understanding on the issues that do. Is a name really that serious, that even in its explicit offensiveness and hurtful nature, people just have to have it?
We all have a role to play in this life. We all have to believe in something, and we have to believe in it forcefully enough to make our lives make sense and feel valuable.
Daniel Snyder, his administration, and legions of Washington football fans believe that this name and its imagery mean everything to the history of the franchise. Records, players, and memories are Legacy 1b, but the term "Redskins" is 1a.
I believe that people who believe that are dead wrong. Nothing personal, just a separate set of beliefs.
To that end, I have to back up my own beliefs in a more forceful way than I have been. It will cost me pageviews, it will cost me Adsense clicks, Google search results, and likely, loyal readers. But inaction, no matter how small on an independent blog, is strong advocacy for the wrong ideals.
And to that end, I will never again mention the term “Redskins” on this blog.
To everyone who enjoys reading this blog and my opinion, please understand my moral approach to this and do not take it as a personal attack on your fandom or morals.
But, I don’t publish profanity, I don’t make jokes about homosexuality, race or gender, and I don’t go out of my way to viciously attack people when facts are so much more attractive to bombard.
8 comments:
Well said, sir...
It's definitely a racist term.
On the other hand, they are a business...
And rebranding it would cost some money.
But honestly that's money well spent...
Native Americans have been stepped on since forever. The repercussions of said stepping on plague them to this day...
The least the team could do is change the name. I'm sure they could find room for such action somewhere in those hundreds of millions they make.
And who knows...maybe a rebranding would actually get them to win consistently?!
/rant
judah thats some real talk. the redskins is just fucked up - PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
for real, ALL DC TEAMS ARE CURSED TO NEVER WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP UNTIL THEY CHANGE THAT NAME!
I can agree with how you feel. I think it puts Washington area football fans in a difficult position. You wanna support the home team but at the same time you don't want to support a racist name.
Snyder doesn't want to change his #1 cash cow trademark and thinks that Native Americans aren't that offended by it.
It's a catch 22. I was hoping they would be forced to change it just to bring an end to the situation.
I think if anyone stops reading your blog because you have chosen to no longer post anything related to the Redskins, especially after you gave credible sources and well thought out commentary that led to the decision, they're lame. Everyone's beliefs and values aren't the same but an intelligent and sensible person would be able to respect where you're coming from and engage in healthy debate about this without becoming argumentative.
if you read about noble drew al,i you would know the relation between blacks...native americans..washington d.c. as a city...the original 2 dollar bill with the real first black president on it...and our real history..in this country....they had to use that for the logo.....and its only racist cause yall dont know yalls history.
What about florida state and all the other teams that have name like such. They actually should be getting some money of the shit
@ Anonymous, Florida State is different. There actuall y is a tribe of native americans in Florida called the Semonile's
Hu$$tle
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leave the 'skins alone... when was the last time you heard someone refer to a native american as a redskin, or even used redskin in a demeaning way.
whenever you here a fool, especially cowgirls, say anything demeaning about "redskins" they are talking about the football team. (I HATE THE COWBOYS.) The term "Redskin" is no more racist than the NY "Giants" are to tall people. Okay, the term was used to refer to native americans at one point; like the "mountaineers" was used to refer to West Virginians. But today there are negative connotations attached to either "Redskin" nor "Mountaineer"(i suppose), unlike "hillbillies" where negativety is implied.
Simply put, the next time you here someone say nigger, think about what they are talking about... more than likely its a black male (and because the term is used so often, it may be a male of another race)... And the next time you here someone say redskin, think about what they are talking about... more than likely its something about my beloved 'skins.
"Made in DC" tees now available in different colors
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