In case you missed it: We are a Redskins family.
That is to say, I was born and spent a great deal of my life in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and, personally, bleed burgundy and gold. My wife gets in to the good times, of which there are few, of late, and my kids can correctly identify the legendary logo all over our house and know enough to cover their ears on Sunday afternoons.
Gameday in the maternity ward
In case you missed it: Today the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled six federal trademark registrations for the NFL’s Washington Redskins. It appears that the 15 year debate over the alleged racist team name is finally coming to a (feathered) head.
While the team will keep all rights to the name during what will likely be a purposefully prolonged appeals process, an ultimate name change seems inevitable, to me, after today’s announcement.
As a diehard Skins fan, I have been drawn in to numerous, lengthy, debates on the subject. As a NOVA expat, you’d think I was the team’s official west coast affiliate voice. Regardless I welcome the discussion. It is an important one and I encourage you to continue it in the comments below. I mean, I dress my children in Redskins merchandise. It is impossible for me not to give serious re-consideration to the things I let slide by my own moral compass.
As for how I feel about the name change, I will just quote my same old wishy-washy answer from another conversation. Because my brain is lazy today, yes, but also because it is truly how I feel, today, from all angles:
“As a lover of the contextual nuances of words it’s hard for me to entirely discredit any one of them based on any someone’s subjective interpretation. I am sticking to my pathetically ambiguous position that I have not been driven to outrage by the name but am the first to admit to a personal bias. I also don’t think that a name change will affect anything like legacy or ability to put product on the field. If I were ownership, I wouldn’t want to be upsetting anybody other than our rivals, so perhaps a name change is in our best interest. Barring the tribes, schools, and amateur teams that have hung their livelihood on an affiliation with the Washington Redskins, I think keeping the name so that we don’t piss off the Native Americans who profess to support it, is a weak and shameful argument the organization keeps making. I don’t appreciate how Danny is lately sticking to his guns solely for the financial incentive instead of working toward an amicable resolution. And as I keep saying, for the official football team of our nation’s capital, with its disgraceful track record on race, and history of native American genocide I would have thought this a conversation the powers that be would not have wanted to prolong for these 15 years.”-Me
To read the Washington Redskin’s official response to the trademark cancellation read this, from The Washington Post.
To read what everybody and their grandmother thinks about the issue, for, against, undecided or indifferent, click here.
J’s first game
Ciao for now,
Dada Mike
I have to say that I hope it goes because it may also force my beloved Cleveland baseball team to change their obviously insensitive caricature logo. I don’t see either logo as a tribute, nor the name of the football team. I agree that I don’t think it affects legacy, but I think it does show an ability to respect all that live in our country. Just my two cents. Great post as always. These are the conversations we need to have.
I, and the Cleveland Caucasions guys, agree with you.
My take on this is that if Native Americans are bothered or offended in any way by the team’s name, then it should be changed. If they are okay or indifferent, then I say keep the name.
We are obsessed these days in this country with political correctness. It has gotten out of hand. We are so worried about offending or upsetting anyone that we go overboard to sterilize things.
Sorry for going off. This stuff annoys me.
By all means, go off. It’s a valuable conversation. I realized that for me, my initial argument against the name change came from a place of loathing the unaffected, PC police, that tend to rally around the issue, with no dog in the fight. The problem is that there isn’t, and can’t be, a single Native American voice that stands in solidarity, for or against the name. It is left, then, to Daniel Snyder to decide if and how much public opinion matters.
This has nothing to do with political correctness. For over 400 hundred years, a race of people faced near extinction at the hands of the European settlers who are now Americans. After generations upon generations of oppressions and slaughter, has the current culture of the US realize how degrading it is to add insult to injury to a race of people who been all but beaten into submission? It’s easy for you to say that people are too worried about offending people when your ancestors didn’t have their hair chopped, language cursed, lands stolen and many other things worse. And those are the ones that lived. 4 centuries of rape, murder, enslavement and torture and you think the Native Americans are too sensitive?
Clem Ironwing, Sioux had this to say about a “Redskin” name and mascot:
“When my hair was cut short by the priests, I was called a “redskin” and a savage. When I spoke my native tongue, I was beaten and called “redskin”. When I tried to follow the spiritual path of my people, I was again beaten and called a “redskin”. I was told by them to turn my back on the ways of my people, or I would forever be nothing but a dirty “redskin”.
“The only way “redskin” was ever used towards my people and myself was in a derogatory manner. It was never, ever, used in a show of respect or kindness. It was only used to let you know that you were dirty and no good, and to this day still is.
“A long time ago, a group of people who had no knowledge of these facts, and who put no thought into what “redskin” actually meant chose to use this word for their mascot. A new group of people, now being confronted about it, have somehow decided it is their decision to change the meaning of this word to fit their purposes and agendas, but again have put no thought into its true meaning or what this word means to Native Americans.”
Is he being too sensitive? Ask him how annoyed his whole tribe and race of people are.
Good thoughts on a touchy issue. I think it’s time for the Reskins and Indians to change their names and logos. Not sure why the Atlanta Braves get a pass in this discussion. Maybe “Braves” isn’t as offensive? What about that stupid tomahawk chant the whole stadium sings? But, I digress. I see an opportunity for the team to reach out to the community and right a wrong. Could be a great PR move if done thoughtfully. Which might be an issue given current ownership.
I personally have always thought that they should change the logo to a red potato put a space in the name and bam all fixed.
Or no space at all. Keep the name, change the meaning.
Can’t keep the name without the meaning of the original racial slur coming into play. No matter how you change the meaning, it will always be the same insult that Natives have been dealing with for over 400 years. Ch–k will always be a racial slur to me and there’s no changing that meaning from it’s original slander.