Columbus Day, Redskins controversy and historical accuracy

[Marvelmania]

I think they should be called the Wahoo McDaniels

[ctc]

>This wasn't an issue forty years ago, why is it an issue now?

Times change. There were all sorts of terms for different ethnicities way back when.... sometimes not so way back when.... that fall out of usage.

It's a tricky issue 'cos offense is in the eye of the offended. And you gotta give some credit there; if something bothers you, it bothers you. There should definitely be some room for discussion, and some consideration. Things get tricky when big companies get involved. They get nervous 'cos ANY bad press can be devastating. "Political Correctness" was a corporate creation back in the 90's; a way to mitigate conversation so the company couldn't be held accountable for the actions of their employees. It spilled over into the rest of society 'cos a lot of folks who'd already "picked a team" saw it as a good way to stifle dissenters. And then folks who disagreed with THEM used "PC" as the ultimate bugaboo.... thus ensuring an actual discourse NEVER happened.

>I see allot of pride in the Redskin logo. I think it's an image of strength and courage.

That's where it gets tricky too, and I think you have to consider the intent as well. Some folks aren't bothered by the appropriation of their ethnicity, some are.... and finding that happy medium is the trick. I wince a little at stuff like Notre Dame's angry leprechaun (even though I'm Scottish) but it doesn't bother me. The Boston Celtics bothers me a LOT more, mainly 'cos they're pronouncing it wrong.

>It seems to me that sports team names have changed for lots of other reasons and people get over it pretty quickly.

Yeah, but that's the era we live in. (Plus; it IS the 90's again....) Sound and fury over the slightest little thing to the point it gets tough to gauge how serious the stuff causing the consternation is. Batman's new actor generates as much rage as warlord Kony.

>Persians referred to India as Hindustan

We were taught that "Hindustani" is the correct pronunciation for someone from India in Hindi. (Which I always thought kinda odd, since not everyone from India is Hindu.)

>The Fightin' Whities was ineffective satire.

....mostly 'cos everybody liked it, and it didn't offend the folks it was supposed to. Which hits on the idea that there's a lot more interpersonal complexity to an issue like this than we often consider.

Don C.

[Random Axe]

My only purpose posting what I did was to emphasize the word "indian" isn't derrogatory and that Columbus wasn't all that bright. I hadn't intended to start the grease fire that engulfed four pages. Sorry bout that.

[Mikey]

No reason to be sorry, I love a good debate that don't get out of hand --- and this one stayed civil

Good thread

[Random Axe]

Yeah, I guess it's a good debate thread if nobody gets banned or PM bombed...

[jwyblejr]

I had to laugh when I was flipping through the channels tonight and came across Bill O'Reilly saying they should change the Redskins to the Washington Chaos.

[ScottA]

I saw a post on facebook saying they should remove the "Washington" from the Redskins name as it's offensive to all America.

[Saroyan]

I saw a post on facebook saying they should remove the "Washington" from the Redskins name as it's offensive to all America.

HA!

I don't understand why they can't change the name to the Warriors or Braves the tribe- none of those would be offensive.

[sprytel]

Not a big PETA fan, but this was clever...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1808861-peta-wants-washington-redskins-to-change-logo-not-name