[Donna P.]

I would like to know why some Caucasians think using a racial slur is OK. I live in a town whose school nickname is the ‘Redskins.’ Most of the town and parents think it’s OK to use this slur because they picked the name 70 years ago and didn’t mean it as a slur .

User Detail :  

Name : Donna P., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 45, City : Marshall, State : MI, Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rick29831]

I don’t understand it either. Such team names show remarkable insensitivity. Unfortunately, it’s not just whites who are so boorish. Some blacks will paint themselves and wear American Indian headdresses to Washington Redskins games and cannot admit that they are exhibiting racist behavior. People like you need to keep telling everyone how backward a town looks when it retains such names.

User Detail :  

Name : Rick29831, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Harriet R]

I don’t believe its ever OK to use a slur, ethnic or otherwise. However I’m not sure that ‘Redskin’ is meant as a slur. Most Blacks or Whites are used to being designated by those terms although their skins are neither black colored nor white colored. Perhaps it might help if you or other native Americans could tell us why you consider it a slur.

User Detail :  

Name : Harriet R, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 63, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, 

[ACC25063]

They knew it was a slur 70 years ago, just like they usually do now, they just didn’t care. They were just ‘playing Indian’ the same way little kids play at cowboys and Indians and think it’s great fun to pretend to be ‘savage’ or kill ‘savages’. 70 years ago, they thought we were ‘vanishing’ as a people (some whites still do), so in their own minds they could do whatever they wanted with our image. To them, to kids who played cowboys and Indians and their parents who encouraged their kids to dress up as ‘Indians’ on Halloween, we are just fantasy characters out of the past no different from pirates or vampires. That’s why we have to push for others to see us as we are, real people living in the present, push for realistic portrayals of us in movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Smoke Signals rather than characters in the past like Dances With what’s his name. That’s why we have to show them these mascots are nothing like us and give them real examples to look at like Congressman Ben Nighthorse Campbell or James Herrington, a Chickasaw astronaut.

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Name : ACC25063, Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : Phoenix, State : AZ, Country : United States, 

[Katie]

They feel this way because most of them have never had any racial slurs or incidences happen to them. They do not understand what a slap in the face something like this is. They do not understand that it is degrading and it makes fun of a specific race

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Name : Katie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 22, City : Loveladn, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Ken Lim]

Redskin is pretty borderline…its only a descriptor in my book, but that just my opinion. If someone called me yellowskin, it would not mean anything to me, but perhaps there are some bad connotations you have. I grew up in Tucson, AZ and had many ‘Indian’ friends as we called them back then. No one ever used the term redskin. I think calling somebody a redneck would be worse. Sorry if I’m being insensitive. My high school in Sunnyvale, CA sports team name was Indians for 50+ years and they were forced to change it a few years ago. Same thing happened to the esteemed Stanford University. I’m not sure I understand why. Sports teams choose thier names to honor, pay homage to and gain strength from the namesake. So why isn’t it good to have a team named after your ethnicity? Do Trojans & Spartans & Volunteers & Boilermakers mind?

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Name : Ken Lim, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Age : 43, City : Cupertino, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Justin26845]

all i know is that there’s a perverse rationalisation that it’s somehow paying respect to the ‘brave indian warrior’. you know, and that’s better. the best i can figure is that native americans are thought of somewhat as a people who existed in the past and racial pejoratives for native americans are associated with things like camping and things like that rather than malice.

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Name : Justin26845, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Cynthia31742]

It seems to me that minorities are the only ones complaining, as I’ve never really heard of Irish-Americans complain about Notre Dame! People of Irish descent were too discriminated at one point

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Name : Cynthia31742, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 22, City : Somewhere in Canada, State : NA, Country : Canada, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Mark]

I’ve been following the story, being just a bit west of Marshall. I think, honestly, some white folks of that area think ‘Redskin’ and they think of a romantic image of a proud, fighting people. That’s what they say on camera, anyway. They also put out that angry- white-guy-tired-of-being-told-what’s-politically -correct-vibe. But I honestly think they’re idiots, to be blunt. Just take a look at all old Western movies–‘Redskin’ is always used as a slur for those who had to be killed by the end of the picture. I think we should ask if it’d be okay for, say, some urban Kalamazoo or Battle Creek school to use the name ‘Rednecks’ and have their mascot be a white guy with a mullet, a pinch of chew in his cheek and a Marshall Redskins shirt. But that still wouldn’t be the same, since the people slurred were not killed and/or driven off their land.

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Name : Mark, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 35, City : Kalamazoo, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Susan27481]

People in the United Kingdom still use the term ‘Red Indian’ to denote North American Indian. To most of them ‘Indian’ means someone from India. The term ‘Red Indian’ was first used by Europeans encountering natives in Newfoundland, Canada. The natives used red coloured clay to cover their bodies for a ritual and Europeans used the term for all North American Indians.

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Name : Susan27481, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 50, City : Oakville, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : Lab Tech, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dan-A]

Donna, The short answer is ignorance. They just don’t see it as a slur, because to them, an ‘Indian’ is an extinct creature of the 1800’s Western frontier. They don’t make the connection with today’s Native American population. The Cleveland Indians baseball team has an absurd caricature of your people as a logo. Try asking the naysayers if they’d be ok with a similar picture of a grinning black with an afro, for a team named ‘Niggers’, and see if that gives them pause. No one would stand for that, but the Native American community hasn’t had such eloquent and vocal proponents as Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcom X to get the point across. There are organizations working to end use of disparaging mascots in sports; do a search on the web, and consider getting involved yourself. Until the big-money organizations like the NFL are embarassed or pressured into changing, the going will be slow.

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Name : Dan-A, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 29, City : St. Louis, State : MO, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andres]

If a team called the Redskins is OK, then why dont we have a team called the Darkies? the Wetbacks? the Slant Eyes? the Rag Heads? the White Breads? Why, b/c it is undubiously understood in American culture that painting your face black, putting on an afro whig, waving foam chicken wings and agitating the opposing team with ghetto talk is racist (which it is). But for some reason wearing ‘war paint’ and a feather headband, whooping, dancing and waving foam tomahawks, and basically making a mockery of Native Americans is seen as ‘honoring Native American bravery’ as ive read in many newspaper articles on those who advocate these teams. It wasnt all that long ago when cartoons on tv portrayed Blacks as having charcoal black skin, ruby red lips, and being dancing, singing, watermelon chomping, chicken bone licking fools. The cartoons have since ended. However, I suspect it will be harder to change any of these people’s minds since the team names have been with these schools for generations, as have the families. Hence, ignorance is a part of their culture. Can you believe they actually think they are honoring Native Americans? Most of them probably know little to nothing about the culture, as is evident by the names and mascots of these teams that are riddled in stereotype. I think in general many whites cant understand what is racist b/c for far too long they have been the discriminators (not to mention the privalleged majority) and rarely to never have been the discriminated. However, when the table is turned on them (ive heard expression of discontent over the ‘Fighting Whities’ name from whites) they suddenly get very defensive.

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Name : Andres, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Chambersburg, State : PA, Country : United States, 

[mike]

It is a big problem here where I live trying to get people to see why it’s offensive.They see no harm in it.I saw a couple of Arabic guys the other day with Redskins caps on.Blacks,whites,asians, noone seems to see anything wrong with it.I personally do find it offensive,and even now I am thinking of what to tell my 2 year old son when he gets older and asks me why Indian people are used as ball team mascots.Even when you tell people to put thier race in the place of Indian people as a mascot and see how stupid it sounds they still are insensitive to the fact that it IS offensive.Check out http://www.iwchildren.org for the history of the word and it’s racist background.

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Name : mike, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Christian, City : va beach, State : VA, Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Melissa Shaver]

I dont understand that either, there are no teams called other racial slurs ( i dont even like saying them). We natives just got lucky (?!?!). If I call a team the Houston Honkies, and I dont mean it in a bad way, its still bad! It also amazes me that teams are named after indians and animals… so indians=animals? They just dont see the other side of the fence. I used to live in Battle Creek MI and know exactly what youre going through, but I’m sure its all over the U.S. So maybe Im not the person to answer , I just understand your side of the story.

User Detail :  

Name : Melissa Shaver, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 23, City : Beaumont, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Allen Retasket]

Yes, the term Redskins is demeaning because it’s a term the cowboys used to indicate an Indian scalp was taken for bounty. White people today think it’s OK because they never suffered all the humiliatian that Indian people were put through. Even today, people have a very stereotypical view of Indian people and the Redskin mascots only tend to propigate the stereotype. You would never hear of names like the Yale Crac*ers or the New York Spi*ks because it’s wrong. So too is the term Redskins

User Detail :  

Name : Allen Retasket, Gender : M, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 56, City : wenatchee, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : Services Co-ordinator, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, 

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