I used to think that ‘redskins,’ a term that is used to refer to American Indians was an offensive word that was created by white people. There has been continues debate among different people concerning the reasons and origin of the controversial term. People assume the term originated in Europe and was created because Indians paint their faces red. Others believe the name came from the 1800s government bounty announcements that called for Native Americans’ bloody scalps. Although the term is provocative to some people, most people do not find it offensive because they do not know its exact meaning.
I used to think that the United States Commission on Civil Rights did not support the use of Native American images and nicknames as sports symbols. This is because some people may find the symbols offensive. The people deem the use of the symbols demeaning to people of Native American descent. However, I believe the people who find the symbols offensive do not understand the concept of sports symbols or do not know why the symbols were adopted.
I used to think that the use of Native American mascots was a cherished tradition adopted to honor the American Indian people. I used to believe this because, from my understanding, Native Americans were hardnosed people who fought for what was theirs. I thought the use of the symbols was to associate a team with this attribute of Native Americans. Also, sports are supposed to be fun, bringing together people from different of different races. Sports symbols are used to identify uniquely a team and mostly are based on characters that give people hope. In my opinion, nobody in the current world would use a symbol that is provocative to some people to represent their team. This is because the teams would lose the potential support of people that find their symbols disrespectful.
I used to think that the letter by the Washington Redskins owner to fans was to explain the origin of the team’s name and its significance to the team. Explaining these would help shed some lights on the reasons for keeping the team’s name and dispute rumors and assumptions. Maybe this would change the mind of people who find the team’s name offensive because of wrong reasons resulting from lack of information. This would help the team maintain their fans or even get some new ones.
But now I think that the reason behind the origin of the term Redskins was good natured. The debate concerning the name made me do some research on its origin to dispel my ignorance and help me form an unbiased opinion. From my readings, I found out that an Indian language scholar named Ives Goddard published an article on the term’s early history. Goddard discovered the term did not emerge from any European language. The fact is the term was adopted by the English language in relation to how the Native Americans used the phrase of the color red to refer to skin, flesh and man to differentiate themselves from other races. The term gained popularity among the white community 1823 when James Fenimore Cooper used in his book that was sympathetic to Native Americans known as the pioneers. The word later evolved taking violent connotation; in 1890 Frank Baum used the term in a piece celebrating the death of Native Americans (Gandhi). However, I still understand why the term may offend Native American people and do not support its use even after knowing is history. This is because most people do not like to be referred to using the color and of their skin and consider this racist.
But now I think the United States Commission on Civil Rights does not support the use of Native American images and nicknames as sports symbols. I do not fully support the organizations decisions. The main reason for my opinion is some teams may be using the nicknames and images out of the respect they have for Native American people. The organization should conduct a research and find the symbols that are a sign of disrespect and call for an end to their use. The ones that are used for the right reasons should be supported by the organization because it empowers Native American people.
But now I think that the use of Native American Mascots is a sensitive matter that should be handled with a lot of care. This depends on who is using the mascots and the reason they decided to select the mascot. On one hand, the use of the Native American can be a cherished tradition that should be upheld and promoted. This is in situations where the mascot’s character is chosen out of respect and represents something meaningful to the team. Most of these situations occur where teams have a good relationship with Native Americans and have developed respect for them. This a good way to honor the Indian Americans because mascots are generally known as characters who are fun and promote harmony among different people brought together through sports. On the other hand, some people may use Native American mascot characters to ridicule the people (Emert). This situation mostly arises where the team inherits a mascot whose character was developed many years ago. During that time, white people and Native Americans were always at conflict due to land issues, and they did not like each other. This caused some of the racist white people who did not like Native Americans to develop racial stereotypical mascot characters that demeaned the culture of Indian Americans.
But now I think the letter by the owner of Washington Redskins to fans was meant to provide clarity regarding why the team will not change its name. In his letter, Dan Snyder puts an effort to defend the name of the team. He clearly sates the reasons he believes the team’s name is not racist but a badge of honor (Van Natta). Dan Snyder says that in the inaugural Redskins team, four players and the head coach were Native Americans. He further states that Red Cloud Athletic Fund that is Pine Ridge Indian Reservation designed the symbol of the team that is on the helmet. Dan Snyder states the symbol is a sign of what they stand for, that is; strength, courage, pride and respect based on the values of Native Americans. Research done by Anneberg Public Policy Center into the matter of whether the team should change its name showed that 90% of the nearly 1,000 Native Americans did not find the name offensive. One of the respondents even went ahead to say that he would be offended if the team changed the name. another research done in 2013, also revealed that most people do not see the need for the team to change its name (Washington Post). I support the decision not to change the team’s name because the reason for naming the team Redskins was as a sign of respect to Native American people. Also, most Native Americans are not bothered by the team’s name.
Political Cartoon on Racist Symbol Double Standard
The artist who drew the cartoon was effective in making the racial double standards point. This is because the artist clearly illustrates the various racial stereotypes associated with different races. However, I think excluding white people from the drawing was not a good idea. People from the other races may misinterpret the picture to mean that white people do not have racial stereotypes or cannot be mascots.
Works cited
Emert, Phyllis Raybin. “Native American Mascots: Racial Slur or Cherished Tradition?” Respect 2.2 (2003): n.pag. Print.
Gandhi, Lakshmi. “Are you ready for some controversy? The history of “Redskin.”” Code Switch. NPR.org, 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
VanNatta, Don. “Oneida nation meets with NFL about Redskins.” ESPN. ESPN.com, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Washington Post. “Letter from Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder to Fans.” Washington Post 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
