NY Indian Launching Ad Campaign Against Redskins

I did not know that about the Fighting Whities and I used to liver in Colorado for eight years.

 

21 more posts and the Maniac makes post number 5,000. When should we give him a roast thread?

 

In a similar debate, William and Mary had to remove the feathers from its logo. They are the "Tribe." I can't recall the whole debate, but from what I do recall, the NCAA forced them to remove the feathers because they were deemed offensive.

-Matt

 

I'm certainly not advocating intentionally offending anyone, but some of the current debate seems a bit lame. Regardless of what one names a sports team, there is no doubt someone on the planet who will find it offensive.

Scrolling through a list of team names and those who may find it offensive:

Denver Broncos: Offensive to rodeo riders?
New York Giants: Offensive to excessively tall persons?
Dallas Cowboys: How is this different than references to Indians? Offensive to many who live in Texas and Oklahoma?
Arizona Cardinals: Offensive to some in the Vatican?
New England Patriots: Offensive to descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers?
Vancouver Grizzlies: Offensive to Dr. John Bear? :smile:
Washington Bullets: Offensive to gun control advocates?
San Diego Padres: Offensive to Hispanic ministers?
New Jersey Devils: Offensive to Christians?
Ottawa Senators: Offensive to the House of Representatives?

Were any of these teams named with an intentional bias either for/against the object of the name (e.g., Indians, Chiefs, Bullets, Cowboys)? Or, was it an icon, mascot, symbol, etc., that the team could rally around, be proud of, and be the best they could be as athletes?

 

Florida State has tribal approval to use the Seminole name.
USATODAY.com - NCAA allowing Florida State to use its Seminole mascot

 

I'm not a fan/follower of professional sports of any kind (I simply don't have the time) so team names/mascots have no relevance to me personally. And as I stated in an earlier post, I'm certainly not advocating being intentionally offensive or abrasive to any one person or group. As for respect, I have great respect for other human beings and have always been one of those persons who stands up for the underdog. That said, I still think that some of the flak along these lines is an attempt by some to jump on the latest, most trendy, PC, bandwagon.

 

A key point is to see if the threatened group is actually offended. According to the AP, many Native Americans are, but a big majority are not:

Poll shows high support for Redskins name | ProFootballTalk

Another way to look at it is that it is a vile, disgusting name that remains acceptable only because it was acceptable for a long time in the past.

 

During the 1930s and 1940s, something like one million people emigrated from the Dust Bowl to California ("Grapes of Wrath" and all that). The term "Okie" was applied to those people, and it is still used today, especially in places like Bakersfield. The Okies definitely left their mark on the state, particularly in music: famous Okies include Woody Guthrie and Merle Haggard (in fact, there is a Buck Owens song called "California Okie")

It's been joked that Cal State Bakersfield athletic teams should be named the "Okies" or the "Sooners". And why not ? If the descendants of Norwegian immigrants in Minnesota can have a football team called "the Vikings", then by the exact same logic, the descendants of Oklahoma immigrants in California could have a team called "the Sooners", right ? Of course, there already is a team in Oklahoma called "the Sooners", but that's obviously OK, because lots of college teams share the same names.

So -- would the good, conservative, right-thinking citizens of Oklahoma be flattered by a football team in California called the "Okies" ? Would they be pleased by the "CSUB Sooners" ? Or would they go all politically correct and be offended ? Hint: there is a reason why this idea is considered a joke (and why CSUB is actually "the Roadrunners").

But we can play around with this concept a little more. How about "the UCLA Hoosiers" or the "Stanford Tar Heels" ? Anybody offended yet ?

Of course, there isn't any connection between those particular institutions and names. But it's not like the "Washington Redskins" makes sense either.

 

Got to run, the DegreeDiscussion Millists are playing the DegreeInfo Accreditors in ten minutes. :smile:

 

The name Utah Jazz offends me.

 

I agree. I am not a jazz fan. The St Louis Blues have a much name.

Also, King Leonidas rolls over in his grave at every Michigan State football game.