Is Redskins a derogatory term?

[WhoMe]

Is the term Redskin derogatory to you?

I have read two polls. One said only 10% of Natives think it is derogatory. Another poll says a majority of Natives think it is derogatory.

It is now being dissected in the courts, the media and around the cooler.

What is your take? Is it or isn't it a derogatory and demeaning term?

[docat]

Is the term Redskin derogatory to you?

I have read two polls. One said only 10% of Natives think it is derogatory. Another poll says a majority of Natives think it is derogatory.

It is now being dissected in the courts, the media and around the cooler.

What is your take? Is it or isn't it a derogatory and demeaning term?

I like the peanuts, but I'm allergic to them.

[Zeke]

Is the term Redskin derogatory to you?

Is the term "hillbilly" derogatory to West Virginians?

Personally, I believe context is everything. For example, I can easily write or speak a sentence where Redskin is used endearingly and Native American is a racial epithet.

In general, I've found that Indians who worry so much about names are the ones who only have the name left: if they had anything else, they wouldn't be worried about it.

Yes, definitions matter but I'm not defined by what somebody else calls me so I don't really care.

We've got bigger fish to fry.

[blueberry111]

Is the term Redskin derogatory to you?

I have read two polls. One said only 10% of Natives think it is derogatory. Another poll says a majority of Natives think it is derogatory.

It is now being dissected in the courts, the media and around the cooler.

What is your take? Is it or isn't it a derogatory and demeaning term?

It's not that important to me, so no it doesnt offend me. Only how sports fans portray what they think as native truly bothers me imo

[outershell]

yes. historically it is a racial epithet.
It's use as a mascot is derogatory because using an entire race of people as a team mascot is derogatory.
When you see sports fans dress up and play "Indian" you see the racism embedded in the culture.
Maybe they don't think they are being racist.... they just rely on ridiculous stereotypes and Hollywood generalizations instead of actual facts.

[wyo_rose]

Right off the cuff, I say YES. And I am one who is not in favor of removing native names from sports teams...except the derogatory ones, ie. Savages, etc...

[SsmalltownNDN]

I really could care less what someone calls me or my people. We all should know who we are and nobody can change that!

[muskrat_skull]

Yeah, it's racist I think. I think teams can do than that. People would be upset if a team was named the Blackskins or Yellowskins and rightfully so. Just because it is so entrenched and people may just not care to be uptight about it or or care about it at all or have bigger fish to fry doesn't make it right. I think it probably affects younger children the most, who see it and then get to learn about the derogatory term.

We bring our Seminole chairs to our local powwow and many people there have the same chairs. They were on sale for $5 a piece is why. And they are decent chairs.

[Josiah]

The problem is "Political Correctness" where do you stop?


I work in Aviation and for the last 30 years in the private sector, "Gender Specific" terms have been stricken from Manuals that are used to maintain aircraft.
Such as: "Manhours" or "2 man Lift" ect ect ect

However this has not carried over to the Military Manuals
GASP!!!
Its a question of Money some of these manuals were written in the 1950's when these terms were used without a second thought,
And the DOD does not have the money nor the Legal prodding to go back and change them!
So where do you draw the line??

I am sure that someone found these terms offensive and court cases were fought and now millions are spent on changing these terms to fit a "Gender Neutral Society" Buh!

While I do agree that some of these sports teams and the tomahawk chop should go
Where do you Draw the Line??
The College I went to were called the Redmen and changed their name to the Riverhawks
Just not the same

I say enough! we have farrrr bigger fish to fry that is for sure
In this I agree with Zeke!
So Hail to the Redskins LoL


As far as names go at one time one sports team was called Bean Eaters...
Thank god somebody changed the name from the Bean Eaters though
I mean really Bean Eaters! Can you imagine farting all over the place
Must have been a Rez team at one time called that

[Toolbox]

Thats insane, Josiah. That reminds me - I think it was California that a number of years ago got rid of the terms "Master" and "Slave" when referencing computer or other hardware. That and Diane Feinstein are amongst the reasons why I have decided that I would never live there.

As far as the term Red Skins is concerned I take the "Zeke" answer here and say that there are far bigger issues to settle first. It's too much money and energy wasted fighting over some words when there are issues like alcoholism, drugs, crime, and poverty to be squashed first.

[muskrat_skull]

Thats insane, Josiah. That reminds me - I think it was California that a number of years ago got rid of the terms "Master" and "Slave" when referencing computer or other hardware. That and Diane Feinstein are amongst the reasons why I have decided that I would never live there.

As far as the term Red Skins is concerned I take the "Zeke" answer here and say that there are far bigger issues to settle first. It's too much money and energy wasted fighting over some words when there are issues like alcoholism, drugs, crime, and poverty to be squashed first.

Yeah, but the os is called UNIX, like isn't that bad too? UNIX isn't UNIX without masters, slaves, zombies, and my favorite if pasttime of killing orphans and runaways. That is going way way way too far and makes me ashamed to be a woman, if women caused this.

If someone is negatively affected by computer terms, they have much much larger issues...

Look at the games kids end up playing when they get home from school, like gta and other adult stuff. Yeah, terms we use in the computer room are really a problem.

[Chevy_truckin_NDN]

I don't see a problem with it. It's just a word that does not define me. Beside, my ole man, he always talks about the beauty of his redskin...lol He doesn't get black like me in the sun, he gets red, hence, his redskin...lol

[WhoMe]

Agreed we have bigger fish to fry.

However, the more the American public sees Indians as mascot characatures, the harder it is to take Indians as a whole, seriously.

I guess seeing my daughters bullied and called dirty redskins on their school bus in the Washington DC area has made this personal.

[Zeke]

Agreed we have bigger fish to fry.

However, the more the American public sees Indians as mascot characatures, the harder it is to take Indians as a whole, seriously.

I guess seeing my daughters bullied and called dirty redskins on their school bus in the Washington DC area has made this personal.

As a guess, that's a DC issue and not a mascot issue?

If I lived in Watts or Harlem (which has cleaned up nicely, by the way), I'd attribute any guff received there to prevailing local coarseness and not monikers of nearby sports teams.

It's not as if I don't live in Chief-land and this sort of thing just doesn't happen here, at least to me?

But I'm not all Malcom X about it which is one of the things that annoyed some wannabe militant types when I ran a Native-based not-for-profit, here.

[running_with_buffs]

Me pesonally I think there is bigger concerns than this too..but I always think about derogatory names agianst other races....what if they was called the washington n word or washington beaners...would those sets of people put up with it or do somthing about it? Cause I think there's african americans who wouldn't care if they was called that and I'm positive there's mexicans that wouldn't care if they used names like wetbacks! But there is enough of them that mainstream america wouldn't dare call teams these kind of names. The only thing wrong with this is mainstream america thinks that all indians are gone or to politcally weak to not care