Published in the Westchester Guardian, June 2014
A Bias Summary
A name creates an image. A name establishes an identity for an organization. It can symbolize what ownership has entailed for the future by developing a culture around it. A name connotes what ownership has to say about themselves and what they want the organization represent. Then when should a word or name be considered an insult and derogatory? An AP poll from April 2013 showed 80% not believing the name should be changed. Eleven per cent stated the name should be changed. In January, Public Policy Polling showed 71 percent were against changing the name as well, but the judge should not be the entire public but those of whom the name/label supposedly represents. Being in the majority or popular does not mean you are right. It’s not about political correctness. It’s about respect and it has been done before.
If society, culture does not consider the term derogatory, then its usage will return.
In the beginning: “The team originated as the Boston Braves, based in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1932. At the time the team played in Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. The following year the club moved to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, whereupon owners changed the team’s name to the Boston Redskins. The team relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1937. In their early years in Washington, the Redskins shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team.” Wikipedia.
The team came with a history of not recognizing and respecting minorities. They were the last professional franchise football team to integrate in 1962. “During most of this unsuccessful period (1946-1970), Marshall (George Preston team owner and president) continually refused to integrate the team, despite pressure from The Washington Post and the federal government. In 1961, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall warned Marshall to hire black players or face federal retribution. For the first time in history, the federal government had attempted to desegregate a professional sports team. The team was under the threat of civil rights legal action by the Kennedy administration, which would have prevented a segregated team from playing at the new D.C. Stadium, as it was owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior and thus was federal government property.” Wikipedia.
“There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self.” Henri Frederic Amiel.
The Owner. Current owner, Daniel Snyder bought the team in 1999 for $800 million, a record for the purchase of a franchise.The name has been around for 80 years. Is it too late to change? Is it now disrespectful? The same controversy occurred in 1972. Snyder has continually refused requests. Has the sin of pride pushed the ego too far? Does he not see the view of those the name represents? Do Judeo-Christian values of respect for come into play?
On the Name. “The term “R******s” was a translation of the Peau-Rouge neologism of the benign and longsuffering French Jesuit missionaries. It was also self-referential, and the chief of the Sauks, Quashquame, was recorded in 1825 as referring to his “Red Skin nation.” James Fenimore Cooper popularized the term in allusion to native people he thought “comely” and never as an insult. Not infrequently did various sachems refer to Europeans as “red men” because of how they were sunburned by an unfamiliar outdoor life.” The Rev. George W. Rutler.
“Ives Goddard, a Smithsonian Institution senior linguist, asserts that the term was originally benign in meaning, and reflected positive aspects of early relations between Native Americans and whites. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, European Americans wanted a term which all could use to refer to all Native Americans in negotiating treaties that involved different tribes. They adopted the color metaphors used at that time for race pointing to continental origins: white men, black men and red men.” Wikipedia.
Pew Research reported in October that 76 news outlets either publicly stated their opposition to the name or moved to restrict or ban its use. Some media outlets have announced they will stop using the name when referring to the team. These include Slate, The New Republic and Sports Illustrated’s The Monday Morning Quarterback.
“Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand.” Lakhdar Brahimi
Language is evolutionary. As generations come and pass, as technology changes, words and their meaning change. Some simple racial terms include. Gay, fag, faggot, redneck, Negro, savage, colored and more are now demeaning. R*****n, belongs in that category. Like the terms used in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer do you go back and edit such works or does society matures to the point of recognizing that words, their meaning, cultures and people are never stagnant. However, if the present term is derogatory, then current usage should cease while maintaining the original usage in literature.
Taking sides. Fifty U.S. Senators – all the Democrats in the Senate and one independent have signed a letter demanding a name change. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida sent his own letter. Our President also urged a name change. Others include Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, Sen. John McCain, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Henry Waxman and Tom Cole and conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. Virginia’s two senators refused to sign the letter.
In May, the New York State Assembly passed a bipartisan resolution calling for professional sports leagues to end the use of racial slurs in team names, citing the R******s as an example. The D.C. City Council unanimously voted in November to passing a resolution.
A handful of Republican strategists, including Ari Fleischer and Frank Luntz, as well as former Virginia senator and Governor George Allen were consulted to assist the R*******s.
The NFL’s senior vice president of labor policy and government affairs, was asked by “Outside the Lines”: “Is the team name a slur, yes or no?” “The team name is not a slur,” – a day after the head of the NFL Players Association said some think it is. Also in May, National Football League player received a letter urging them to put their celebrity to good use by publicly supporting a name change. The letter came from 77 Native American tribes, Indian organizations and supporters.
“Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” Laurence Sterne
#1080
Glenn Slaby Blog