Skinsfan55 wrote:SkinsJock wrote:
The Washington Redskins name is only offensive to those that want to make it so - get over it
You could say that about the N word too. That it only is offensive to those who choose to take offense to it. I don't think they should change the name, or worse yet, pay for the privilege to use it but that's a weak argument.
Your statement is correct in that any word is only offensive to those who choose to take offense to it. True, a majority of African Americans take offense to it and some African Americans do not. BUT, Skinsfan55, here is something to think about, I would bet from my experience that a majority of the caucasion population in the urban areas take, not just offense, but great offense to the N word.
What makes a word offensive depends on how it is used and who it is directed.
The team names, "Chiefs," "Braves," and "Warriors" do not refer to the Native Americans today. Yes, tribes still have chiefs but these names do not refer to the modern chiefs, but the warrior chiefs. "Redskins" is not directed to the modern Native Americans but the warrior red skinned people who fought bravely for their land. The team name is not one in the same as the slur, "redskin" of today. Do y'all remember the term, "colored?" Well, it is tabbo to call African Americans "colored" today, but yesterday, we called Army regiments "colored" like the 10th Cavarly (Colored). You may have recognized this regiment as the "Buffalo" soldiers, so named by the Indians because they had the courage of the Buffalo and similar hair. Not an insult but an honor. Today, 10th Cavarly re-enactors proudly display the 10th Cav (Colored) insignia. They don't remove "colored" because it is part of a proud history - the glory and the pain.
Personally, I like the word as the team name because it encompasses the glory of the red warrior and the pain of the red people. I have said this in earlier posts and now I have Lone Star Dietz's grandnephew's comments which appear to support my view.
But it wouldn't surprise One Star if Coach Dietz himself had suggested the name Redskins. "This was a way to be a fierce team. For him to give that name to the team, I can imagine him fighting back in a way," says One Star. "I could see that he named that team for a reason. So we can go on fighting."
http://www.lonestardietz.com/BuryMyHeartatRFK.pdf
Despite all I said above, there are folks who see the team name "Redskins" as one in the same as redskin. I know folks who cringe at the sound of the word redskin because of how it was used toward them personally. I disagree with those supporters of our team name that lump all those who find the team name offensive as one homogenous group and in turn call them derogatory names. This kind of attitude gives ammunition to those who go to court. Don't forget that Suzan Harjo won her case at the lower federal court.
I am also aware of how things get changed. People with power get things changed. It is not about the majority. It is about power. Like I said before, where I come from, a white person will join the fight against the N word just as fast as a black person.
Now, just a comment on the N word vs the R word. Folks try to make that comparison of the N word with the R word. There is little comparison.
According to Dictionary.com:
nig·ger /ˈnɪgər/ Show Spelled
[nig-er] Show IPA
—Usage note
The term nigger is now probably the most offensive word in English. Its degree of offensiveness has increased markedly in recent years, although it has been used in a derogatory manner since at least the Revolutionary War.
According to Dictionary.com:
redskin (ˈrɛdˌskɪn)
— n
an old-fashioned informal name, now considered taboo, for a Native American
[C17: so called because one particular tribe, the now extinct Beothuks of Newfoundland, painted themselves with red ochre]
"Nigger" was always a derogatory word in history. Redskin was not always a derogatory word in its history. "Nigger" is associated with African American slavery which many Americans are ashamed that this "peculiar institution" is a part of our history (I am not one of the many). IMO, I would say that is the single most reason that folks of all different colors choose not to use "nigger" and even call it the N word. "Redskin," the slur has not reached common status as the " R word." Perhaps someday it will, but until then, perhaps, you might consider comparing "colored" to "redskin." They both refer to skin color. At one time, they were both considered by the powerful as fashionable now both are taboo.
Nevetheless, you are still right with your comment that the N word is only offensive to those who choose to take offense to it.
