Native American mascots: Pride or prejudice?

[Bay_Kat]

(CNN) – Suzan Shown Harjo remembers when she walked into a store with her grandfather in El Reno, Oklahoma. She wanted to get something cool to drink on a summer day. It was the early 1950s and the storekeepers told the 6-year-old she had to leave.

“No black redskins in here,” they said.

At that moment, Harjo felt small, unsafe, afraid. Because she was a dark-skinned Native American – Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee – she was being identified by just her coloring. She wasn’t even a whole human being. Not even her grandpa, whom she saw as all-powerful, could do anything to protect her.

Later in her life, that incident made her angry. Angry enough for Harjo to launch a lifelong mission to protect her people.

The most offensive example of a mascot, says Harjo, is the one used by Washington’s football team. She has been fighting for years to get the Redskins to change their name.

The R-word – she can’t even bring herself to say it – is the same as the N-word, says Harjo, president of Morning Star Institute, a national Native American rights organization.

Native American mascots: Pride or prejudice? – In America - CNN.com Blogs

I'm sure this has all been done before. There will always be someone complaining about something that offends them.

 

[Monello]

Pride

 

[garyt27]

The R-word?
All this time, I thought they were named after beans.

 

[aps45819]

I wouldn't find it objectionable if they name a sports team after my German/Welsh/Scottish/Irish heritage.

Guess it would be American Mongrel

 

[thurley42]

She's so proud of her heritage that she dyes her hair. Lmao

 

[czygvtwkr]

Notre Dame's mascot offends me, it portrays Irish people as violent.

 

[Toxick]

Notre Dame's mascot offends me, it portrays Irish people as violent.

As someone with more than a little Irish blood, Irish stereotypes piss me off so bad I want to start a drunken brawl.

 

[MMDad]

If they would just remove the offensive part of the name everyone would be happy. I propose the Maryland Redskins.

 

[Larry Gude]

The R-word?
All this time, I thought they were named after beans.

Potatoes.

And it's time for the Redskins to change their name.

For the longest time I resisted this, argued how proud we fans were of the team, that it was an honor to Native American's, etc but, age makes one able, if not always willing, to set aside passions and bias (I am a life long Redskin fan) and call things what they are; team names CAN be something you are proud of, just like your dog or any mascot but, make no mistake, we are talking about a mascot here, the name given to a sports team and, in this case, it's not a good thing. No matter how you slice it, Washington Redskins is, if not demeaning, then, clearly subordinating.

Cowboys, Yankees, animal names, it's all just nicknames and we're not talking race. 49ers, Raiders, Buccaneers, Patriots, all good. However, there is no DC *****'s which we could claim is a term of endearment until we're blue in the face with some justification. The Washington Wetbacks. Washington Krackers or Caucasians? The Washington Camel Jockeys? The DC Haji's?

Time has come.

 

[Larry Gude]

If they would just remove the offensive part of the name everyone would be happy. I propose the Maryland Redskins.

 

[Monello]

Peanuts

 

[Midnightrider]

Potatoes.

And it's time for the Redskins to change their name.

For the longest time I resisted this, argued how proud we fans were of the team, that it was an honor to Native American's, etc but, age makes one able, if not always willing, to set aside passions and bias (I am a life long Redskin fan) and call things what they are; team names CAN be something you are proud of, just like your dog or any mascot but, make no mistake, we are talking about a mascot here, the name given to a sports team and, in this case, it's not a good thing. No matter how you slice it, Washington Redskins is, if not demeaning, then, clearly subordinating.

Cowboys, Yankees, animal names, it's all just nicknames and we're not talking race. 49ers, Raiders, Buccaneers, Patriots, all good. However, there is no DC *****'s which we could claim is a term of endearment until we're blue in the face with some justification. The Washington Wetbacks. Washington Krackers or Caucasians? The Washington Camel Jockeys? The DC Haji's?

Time has come.

yep, change is sometimes hard, but in this case i think it needs to happen. And thats coming from a season ticket holder who hasnt missed a game in years and has a crapload of jerseys, flags.....

 

[Larry Gude]

yep, change is sometimes hard, but in this case i think it needs to happen. And thats coming from a season ticket holder who hasnt missed a game in years and has a crapload of jerseys, flags.....

Long over due.

 

[czygvtwkr]

Potatoes.

And it's time for the Redskins to change their name.

For the longest time I resisted this, argued how proud we fans were of the team, that it was an honor to Native American's, etc but, age makes one able, if not always willing, to set aside passions and bias (I am a life long Redskin fan) and call things what they are; team names CAN be something you are proud of, just like your dog or any mascot but, make no mistake, we are talking about a mascot here, the name given to a sports team and, in this case, it's not a good thing. No matter how you slice it, Washington Redskins is, if not demeaning, then, clearly subordinating.

Cowboys, Yankees, animal names, it's all just nicknames and we're not talking race. 49ers, Raiders, Buccaneers, Patriots, all good. However, there is no DC *****'s which we could claim is a term of endearment until we're blue in the face with some justification. The Washington Wetbacks. Washington Krackers or Caucasians? The Washington Camel Jockeys? The DC Haji's?

Time has come.

Would you be opposed to something like Indians, Seminoles, etc? Those are the ones I don't understand what people get upset about, clearely someone holds them in high enough of a regard to want to be identified with them. My highschool was the indians and we were proud of that.

 

[thurley42]

Would you be opposed to something like Indians, Seminoles, etc? Those are the ones I don't understand what people get upset about, clearely someone holds them in high enough of a regard to want to be identified with them. My highschool was the indians and we were proud of that.

My high school was the Redskins we are still proud of it.

 

[mAlice]

Would you be opposed to something like Indians, Seminoles, etc? Those are the ones I don't understand what people get upset about, clearely someone holds them in high enough of a regard to want to be identified with them. My highschool was the indians and we were proud of that.

I don't see why anyone would be opposed to something like that. There is no negative connotation. That's why I've never had a problem with "Braves". But, redskins...has a well known history of being a negative label.

 

[Larry Gude]

Would you be opposed to something like Indians, Seminoles, etc? Those are the ones I don't understand what people get upset about, clearely someone holds them in high enough of a regard to want to be identified with them. My highschool was the indians and we were proud of that.

Seminoles, Indians, Fighting Sioux, all that's one thing but, 'Redskins' is the equivalent of saying 'The Washington N1ggers'. And we can claim it is a term of endearment, which I used to do, but, that don't make it so.

I would think The Georgia Crackers would be a hoot but, that's not gonna fly any more than the San Antonio Spics or the New England WASP's or the Brooklyn Heebs.

Washington Redskins, the time has come. And, oddly enough, it's the owner who helped me see it. He is a marketing guy and, as such, it's all about perception. He'd sell you Honey Glazed Turds if he could so, Redskins is meaningless and, I'd think secretly, because he can't say it publicly, he is sexually aroused at the prospects of re-naming the $kin$.

 

[Larry Gude]

I don't see why anyone would be opposed to something like that. There is no negative connotation. That's why I've never had a problem with "Braves". But, redskins...has a well known history of being a negative label.

Yawp.

 

[MMDad]

Would you be opposed to something like Indians, Seminoles, etc? Those are the ones I don't understand what people get upset about, clearely someone holds them in high enough of a regard to want to be identified with them. My highschool was the indians and we were proud of that.

I can see "Indians" since that is only based on an incorrect assumption and stereoptype that's centuries old.

I would think that the names that celebrate the strengths of a tribe, or of a Native American warrior, would be celebrated. If not, we will have to get rid of the Spartans, Buccaneers, Pirates, Athenians, Celtics, Demon Deacons, Fighting Irish, and all the rest just to avoid offending anyone.

But Trojans can stay. Since they are really named after jimmy hats.

 

[Larry Gude]

I can see "Indians" since that is only based on an incorrect assumption and stereoptype that's centuries old.

I would think that the names that celebrate the strengths of a tribe, or of a Native American warrior, would be celebrated. If not, we will have to get rid of the Spartans, Buccaneers, Pirates, Athenians, Celtics, Demon Deacons, Fighting Irish, and all the rest just to avoid offending anyone.

But Trojans can stay. Since they are really named after jimmy hats.

That's absurd.

Redskins is slang and it was meant the same way n1gger is.

Spartan isn't slang. Nor derogatory. Buccaneers and Pirates are outlaws, like Raiders. That's different. Athenians, I don't even know where you pull that from. Celtics isn't derogatory. Mics would be. Demon Deacons, I'll have to check on that one. And I have never heard the term 'jimmy hat' in my entire life. Ever.