The Redskins are the Redskins are the Redskins...Bob Costas is an idiot & buffoon....

[Broheim]

It is entirely different than calling a team the "n'ers" for the reasons I previously explained. The N word has no well accepted non-racially charged meaning. "Redskins" on the other hand, does. Should the team have been named that 80 years ago? No. But we are not talking about what should have been prevented 80 years ago. We are looking at the status of the word as it stands now. And now, I would wager that most Americans (particularly young Americans) solely associate the term with a football team, and not as a racial slur for American Indians. In contrast, even small children in this country are aware of the fact that the n word is a taboo term that has a singular racially charged meaning when used in most circumstances.

Question - is it ever possible for a racially epithet to become acceptable for use over time? What if it develops a non-racially motivated meaning?

honestly I think we're just a few years away from n!gger losing all its negative connotations, black people own the word and white people sound like retards when they use it as a slur. Think of how quickly that has changed.

 

[Conscript]

In the US, we have freedom of speech, and I would think a team name falls under that. The people that are truly offended should simply not support the team through tickets, merchandise, and yes, even watch on TV. The fact that the name doesn't pass your litmus test for offensiveness is irrelevant.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

honestly I think we're just a few years away from n!gger losing all its negative connotations, black people own the word and white people sound like retards when they use it as a slur. Think of how quickly that has changed.

Not that quickly, unfortunately. The N word was used for some 200 years as an awful racial epithet. Agree that it has lost its power in recent decades.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

In the US, we have freedom of speech, and I would think a team name falls under that. The people that are truly offended should simply not support the team through tickets, merchandise, and yes, even watch on TV. The fact that the name doesn't pass your litmus test for offensiveness is irrelevant.

I find it weird when foreigners misunderstand the meaning of free speech, as they often do, presumably because they don't have a First Amendment (I am thinking specifically of the publication of cartoons of Muhammed in the Netherlands a few years ago, leading to violent rioting), but I find it even weirder when Americans don't understand it.

This is not a "free speech" issue. Nobody is saying the government should take action to change the name of the Redskins. People are merely saying that the name is a racial slur and that the team should change it because, well, it's a racial slur. There is no whiff of "free speech" involved, because there is not even any discussion of government regulation of the name. By your logic, parents can't send a child to bed without supper for calling his mother a foul name, because "in the US, we have freedom of speech"!

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

honestly I think we're just a few years away from n!gger losing all its negative connotations, black people own the word and white people sound like retards when they use it as a slur. Think of how quickly that has changed.

Totally disagree.

Until and unless black people are ever on truly equal societal and economic ground with white people (which I don't see happening anytime soon), racial slurs toward them will continue to have great power. If anything I think the N word is more stigmatized (and thus more "powerful") today than it was when I was a kid in the 1980s. Hell, the term "the N word" didn't even come into play until about 20 years ago - it used to be a word a white person could use in public, at least in quoting someone else, without shame. It's certainly true that black people use it freely, but that has been true for as long as the word has existed. I don't think, say, Chris Rock, could or would, in 2013, make an album called "That N!gger's Crazy" and expect to get distribution - that was not true 40 years ago, when Richard Pryor did it.

 

[SaurusX]

honestly I think we're just a few years away from n!gger losing all its negative connotations, black people own the word and white people sound like retards when they use it as a slur. Think of how quickly that has changed.

<GASP!> You used the "r-word".

 

[pete6032]

If redskins is an acceptable name for a team then you must also accept team names such as Washington Nig***s, Washington Kikes, Washington Spics, Washington Japs, Washington Sammies.

Are all those OK, too?

 

[rudeguy]

If redskins is an acceptable name for a team then you must also accept team names such as Washington Nig***s, Washington Kikes, Washington Spics, Washington Japs, Washington Sammies.

Are all those OK, too?

your argument is weak and has already been posted

 

[Retro Rob]

If redskins is an acceptable name for a team then you must also accept team names such as Washington Nig***s, Washington Kikes, Washington Spics, Washington Japs, Washington Sammies.

Are all those OK, too?

Personally, I think people get "offended" too flipping easy these days...everything's "offensive".

Now as a minority myself, I sympathize with Native Americans, but I don't think Synder is under any obligation to change the name of his team for anyone. It would probably be the "right" thing to do, but I don't agree with people trying to force him to.

If a team was named the Washington "Nig***s", then I wouldn't pay to see them play, watch a game featuring them, nor support them in any way, shape, or form.

I personally would drop the "Red" and leave the Skins. Much like Tampa are only the "Rays" now. We'd get used to it.

 

[foghorn67]

Because we invaded Ireland, killed them off like animals, then created a derogatory term to describe them. You are correct it's exactly the same. Are you really that mentally deficient?

No. But we brutalized and conscripted their immigrants.

 

[sactoking]

As was mentioned earlier, I don't see anyone crusading against the Washington Redskins doing the same for the entire state of Oklahoma.

Hypocrites, all of them.

 

[SaurusX]

I personally would drop the "Red" and leave the Skins. Much like Tampa are only the "Rays" now. We'd get used to it.

Or just Reds. What's the origin of the Cincy Reds name?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Or just Reds. What's the origin of the Cincy Reds name?

They used to wear red stockings. Team was originally the Cincinnati red stockings. Later shortened to Cincinnati Reds.

 

[BudAshes]

Redskins isn't as bad as the Cleveland Indians. Native Americans were named Indians despite being no where near India and now hundreds of years later it was never bothered to be changed.

Plus this is super racist:

 

[Retro Rob]

Or just Reds. What's the origin of the Cincy Reds name?

Don't know. But I did hear on ESPN last week that they didn't want to integrate.

Probably run by a bunch of racists anyway, so it wouldn't be shocking if they don't change the name.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Redskins is just a patently absurd name. How anyone could not see it as a racial slur is beyond me. Labeling Native Americans for their "red" skin is just so blatant. Welcome to the 21st century.

Oh, and the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo is, along a similar line, a ridiculous mascot.

 

[Nintendesert]

There's so much white guilt in this thread.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Redskins isn't as bad as the Cleveland Indians. Native Americans were named Indians despite being no where near India and now hundreds of years later it was never bothered to be changed.

Plus this is super racist:

Many Native Americans (most, actually, of the ones I know) call themselves "Indians." I will always respect calling people whatever they want to be called, but there is not any clear consensus that "Indian" is offensive. I certainly agree, though, that Chief Wahoo is a racist caricature and not an homage to Native Americans in any way, shape or form.

 

[pete6032]

your argument is weak and has already been posted

Its a principal called equal treatment. If its not OK to use racial slurs against all ethnicities as a team name then it is not OK to use a racial slur against any ethnicity as a team name.

 

[lupi]

In general I hate the team. I also have friends of the "native american" heritage as does my non-blood relatives unless taking "native american" surnames was just done for kicks.

I'd donate money helping Snyder fight this new saga in the PC bullshit regalia. You can find someone offended by anything if you asked enough people, why worry about placating everyone.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Its a principal called equal treatment. If its not OK to use racial slurs against all ethnicities as a team name then it is not OK to use a racial slur against any ethnicity as a team name.

But is "beloved patriot" necessarily a racial slur now? I would argue (as I have in this thread) that it is not. At least not in some instances - such as when it is used to reference something other than native americans.

"but, but, it was used in a bad way before!" That is not the issue. The issue is how it is used now. And now the term is clearly capable of being used for a non-racial purpose.

I've resisted the urge to bring this up, but folks who argue that the term "beloved patriot" must be changed because it has "a" racist meaning in some contexts are essentially arguing that they (or at least some people) are not intelligent enough to recognize when the term is or is not being used in an offensive way. But surely people are intelligent enough to figure that out for themselves, right? The term "f*ck" has nearly infinite context dependent meanings, yet we can all figure those out. Surely we can distinguish between the much more limited set of contextually dependent meanings associated with the term "beloved patriot."

 

[cronos]

And you huggy/feely jackasses should stop pussifying this country; turning us into a nation of fucking cry babies

I agree with you there. Just look at this thread, the name hasn't even been change and we have all kinds of whiny cry babies posting about it. Can you imagine the tears flowing around the country when it did get changed?

 

[bignateyk]

Calling them the Redskins is basically the same as calling them the Washington N*ggers. Really couldn't care less whether they change it or leave it though.

 

[Nintendesert]

In general I hate the team. I also have friends of the "native american" heritage as does my non-blood relatives unless taking "native american" surnames was just done for kicks.

I'd donate money helping Snyder fight this new saga in the PC bullshit regalia. You can find someone offended by anything if you asked enough people, why worry about placating everyone.

I hate the team too. My uncle is 100% Native American and guess who his favorite team is? You guessed it, the Casinos!



No, it's the Redskins. He's so offended he just keeps buying their merchandise too! But hey, if just 1 person is offended we must make changes!! DURRR DURRR DURRR! It's like changing the English language because there's some ignorant ass out there that doesn't know what niggardly means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_"niggardly"

 

[manly]

But is "beloved patriot" necessarily a racial slur now? I would argue (as I have in this thread) that it is not. At least not in some instances - such as when it is used to reference something other than native americans.

"but, but, it was used in a bad way before!" That is not the issue. The issue is how it is used now. And now the term is clearly capable of being used for a non-racial purpose.

I've resisted the urge to bring this up, but folks who argue that the term "beloved patriot" must be changed because it has "a" racist meaning in some contexts are essentially arguing that they (or at least some people) are not intelligent enough to recognize when the term is or is not being used in an offensive way. But surely people are intelligent enough to figure that out for themselves, right? The term "f*ck" has nearly infinite context dependent meanings, yet we can all figure those out. Surely we can distinguish between the much more limited set of contextually dependent meanings associated with the term "beloved patriot."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redskin_(slang)

Slang identifiers for ethnic groups based upon physical characteristics, including skin color, are almost universally slurs, or derogatory, emphasizing the difference between the speaker and the target.

Just because it doesn't upset a lot of people doesn't mean it's socially acceptable. Your argument is false anyways, its use by the Washington franchise is clearly referencing Native Americans. Not potatoes or whatever alternate meanings you can produce.

But hey, I'm sure the media, dictionaries and liberals are just being overly sensitive.