Quote:
Originally Posted by itvnetop
Please re-read my stance on boycotting. Another example- not a fan of Orson Scott Card's personal beliefs and public statements. Huge fan of Ender's Game. Wagner was one hell of a composer despite being an unapologetic anti-Semite. Mel Gibson's drunken rants? Don't tell me some of you aren't disgusted by his words, yet still watch his films. Separate the art from the artist. A song's message from its offensive content. A team from its nickname. It's the same way I can dance to "Ain't No Fun" in a club without stomping off the floor because of its misogynist (yes, offensive) lyrics.
Although I see the word Redskin as an offensive label, I tolerate it because I don't define the team I root for by its mascot or nickname. Being from the DMV area ties me to this team. I understand not everyone weighs the word equally right now. Just like how the n-bomb was part of everyday vernacular not so long ago, it took a few decades for the word to become universally rejected (despite some who say there are more important things to worry about than such words). But with sentiment quickly growing, right now will be tomorrow's misstep. Our future generations will wonder how exactly this name stuck around for so long.
I'll still be supporting this team after the name switches. For everyone holding on to the name for dear life- will you?
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To me it's not about holding on for dear life, it's about coming to a reasonable conclusion.
The way I see it from everything I have read is no on really is 100% on the origin of the word redskin. Half would have you believe the natives used it as an identifier themselves. The other half would lead you to believe it is because natives were hunted and skinned like animals.
For me I had thought of the name as nothing more than a name. Much like the Braves, Chiefs, Indians, Seminoles and so on. And yes in a way I think in some way naming a team after a certain group shows respect. Look at the Seminoles for example, I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure everything they do is in conjunction with the Seminole tribe. They have a guy in war paint come on the field riding a horse and throw a spear to start the games. No one seems to lose any sleep over that.
After hearing Amanda Blackhorse speak I now understand more of where she is coming from. I feel that she, and as a whole the group she represents, don't whole heartily deep down think Redskins is anywhere close to the n word. I get the impression that what molded her mind was actually seeing belligerent fans dressed in tacky Indian head dresses and gear. Which is something I can actually understand. Seeing someone stumbling through a parking lot wasted dressed up as an Indian Chief would be very disturbing to a Native American.
Given all that I can understand why a portion of the native community would want the Redskins and all other Native American mascots removed. But I don't think I will ever buy into the word Redskin being anywhere close to equal with the n word. A word that if I even typed it out I would probably get back lash. That word has so much hate behind it and was meant as hateful word to lessen someone. I would hate to give the word Redskin that power.
So my wishful thinking would be to have more education about Natives and the everyday situations that they face. Maybe a little education could help teach people to respect the Native American culture instead if making it disappear from popular culture. Because if we keep going down this uber PC road where does it stop? Say we rename the team the Warriors, which seems to be leading the clubhouse at the moment. What happens in another 15 years when people look at war in a much different light. Could Warriors not even be PC enough for the long haul?
At the end of the day I'm a Redskins fan, and a football fan. If they change the name I'll still follow the team, but I really don't think it will ever be the same. I really hope somehow we can keep the name, and both sides can be happy, but as it seems with everything else in the world these days, doesn't look like there's much middle ground in this debate.