The R-Word--should it be banned?

There's been considerable movement on this recently:
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Washington Redskins Look For Support From Tribal Leader, He Declines

Thursday proved difficult for the public relations arm of the Washington Redskins.

The team urged its fans on Twitter to stand up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who's repeatedly shredded the team's nickname in recent months, but the plan backfired. Far from a public show of solidarity, many responses to the tweet included mockery of the clumsy PR effort or criticism of the racially charged nickname.

But that wasn't the only pratfall for the franchise. USA Today reported that "intermediaries" for the team invited a leader of a small Nevada tribe on Thursday to join Redskins owner Daniel Snyder at a media event in Washington next week.

Joseph Holley, chairman of the Battle Mountain Band of Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians, informed the National Congress of American Indians that he declined.

In a statement provided to USA Today, Holley said that a team representative called him "out of the blue" and asked what he thought of the Redskins name.

"They did not tell me what the meeting was about, what I would be doing or who else was invited and wanted my answer in just a few hours," he said. "My answer was no. I've got responsibilities to my community and members here at home and can't be running off to D.C. at a moment's notice to meet with a football team to do who knows what."

It's another clumsy bit of damage control for the team, which has faced growing calls from political leaders this year to change its nickname. When Snyder unveiled an "Original Americans" foundation in March, it was met with ridicule by Reid, who said the owner wanted to "throw a few blankets to the Indians and get a tax deduction for it."
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Dan Snyder's efforts here reek of desperation. A pathetic backfiring hashtag campaign and cold-calling tribal leaders of low-profile tribes to beg for support means this battle is probably just about over.

And that last line from Harry Reid, saying that Snyder wants to "throw a few blankets to the Indians and get a tax deduction for it" is just about enough to make me actually like Reid. That "Original Americans" fiasco was several steps beyond absurd.

Keep the name, change the mascot. A red potato would be cool! You can put a tiny helmet on it like the kind I used to buy/collect out of machines when I was a kid.

You'd think they could find some tribe somewhere that would accept a bribe in return for support.

The Washington "Save Us RG3"s.

I'd love to see a logo design for The Washington Hogs. The fan-base would definitely go for that name with a good enough logo.

Still beating this dead horse I see. The commissioner of the NFL responded to the senate letter by saying that he would not attempt to force a name change and the Redskin owner said for about the fifth time he is not changing it. Case closed.

You mean the University of North Dakota?

The important thing is that we make sure never to infringe on my sovereign right as a white male to decide how members of other cultures are allowed to feel.

Here's your fighting Sue!

And it would be even better if they dressed the Hog like a politician so those stupid fucks like the corrupt Reid would get the message.

(quoting this to save)

It's reality that contrary to what Anc implied earlier in this thread that the "real" customers of the Washington Redskins support the team name as it stands.

The complainers are your usual assortment of leftist busy-bodies looking for an issue to demagogue.

You can't force the owner to change the name of his business no matter how you feel about it. Your choice is simple: don't buy anything from them.

The owner isn't forcing the name on you nor is he deciding for you on how you and others should feel about it.

Your post reminds me of this:

Did the Chinks run the 10 minah offense?

No the important thing is that we make sure to remind the vocal minority that the world does not revolve around them and their little fragile sensibilities.

How about just dropping Washington since that word is far more offensive to Americans than redskins?

Yes, let's show them who's boss. That'll teach them to object to racial slurs.

I've always been fond of Washington Generals. I think it would be more fitting, but I don't watch football or play football and I don't care if they don't change the name. This whole thing is retarded.

They can object all they want. Just like the rest of us can look at their objection and call it foolishness.

Or, in other words, exercising our sovereign right as members of the privileged class to decide what is and isn't legitimate for others to feel.

No, just exercising my sovereign first amendment right. A right that I wouldn't have had their ancestors won.

"Won" what - the right to be left alone in their own country? Where'd you learn your history - Stormfront?

Yes, you do have a right to be an inconsiderate asshole. That still doesn't make it the right thing to do.

Yes how inconsiderate of me to disagree with the notion that a football team should change a name that it has had since the 1930s because a vocal minority takes offense. The horror.

Now, let's analyze what's wrong with that last sentence. Once you're done with, go find a gun to kill yourself with.

Yeah, I'm kind of wondering which country the Indians invaded and started slaughtering his ancestors...

His sentence was quite possibly the worst thing I've ever read at Wordforge, which is quite an impressive achievement for T.R. when you consider the competition.

He'll probably come back with a list of instances of Indians attacking white colonists, as if it just happened for no reason.

It was so bad that Terrible Writer™ is doubtlessly envious.

There are a lot of things we used to do in the '30s that aren't a good idea to do anymore. Racism and throwing racial epitaphs around without consequence are just a couple of them. The use of the name dating back to the '30s is meaningless.