California governor bans Redskins name at public schools

[theIowaHawk]

So, your dismissing the ones I don't dismiss is okay. My dismissing is bad. Got it.

Again, you take weird, counter-intuitive approaches to things.

I am NOT dismissing them. I understand that there are those who are not offended. I understand that there are those who are, in fact, offended. I would be making the decision to not offend the offended, as opposed to your approach which offends them for little/no gain.

I acknowledge the competing interests and balance them. You simply repeat ad-naseum that X was done by native americans.....with the obvious implication that it is then ok.

 

[theIowaHawk]

By the way, if they change their name, I will just stop watching the NFL altogether. The tradition will cease to exist. I only watch the NFL when watching Redskins games. I'll simply put all my focus on college sports. And, I'll sit back and watch as the Chiefs, Indians, Braves, Blackhawks, Seminoles, and Hawkeyes lose their names in favor of names that don't refer to Native Americans. Tar Heels is exempt.

Do you insist on straw-manning, or is it just that ingrained in you?

Natural has pointed out several times, most names used are not inherently insulting/derogatory.

If you had the Negro League, the Baltimore African-Americans, or other non-offensive but descriptive names there wouldn't be the same problem as the Nashville N******* or the Juneau Jigaboos.

 

[theIowaHawk]

By the way, if they change their name, I will just stop watching the NFL altogether. The tradition will cease to exist.

I presume this is facetious, but will you tell me if you mean it? TIA.

 

[naturalmwa]

By the way, if they change their name, I will just stop watching the NFL altogether. The tradition will cease to exist. I only watch the NFL when watching Redskins games. I'll simply put all my focus on college sports. And, I'll sit back and watch as the Chiefs, Indians, Braves, Blackhawks, Seminoles, and Hawkeyes lose their names in favor of names that don't refer to Native Americans. Tar Heels is exempt.

That's certainly some interesting insight into your psyche.

 

[strummingram]

I presume this is facetious, but will you tell me if you mean it? TIA.

For me, the tradition ends. I don't watch the NFL much anyway. It's a tradition I grew up with. If they moved to L.A. and kept the name Redskins, I'd still stop watching them. Like Brooklyn Dodger fans felt. It's got nothing to do with what the imagery refers to, it's just the tradition of what it was. If I'd been a Baltimore Colts fan, I could have never been an Indianapolis fan. And, if I'd been brought up with the Colts, I doubt I'd pull for the Ravens. I lived most of my childhood in NC. I'm not too far from Charlotte or Atlanta, but I don't pull for the Falcons or the Panthers. It has nothing to do with the colors, logos, nicknames... just my tradition and what I have associated with the team my whole life.

If UNC were to change it's nickname to The Rams (since the ram is the mascot), I'd probably lose interest, too. The tradition is altered for me. It's not that big of a deal. The TV would just be on even less than it is now! I'd stop spending money on going to games, too. I still have plenty to keep me occupied.

 

[theIowaHawk]

For me, the tradition ends.

Seems to me that you have contradicted one of your broader arguments in all of this, that IN 2015 it doesn't mean racist! You don't appear to care what it means in 2015, you are in it for the history, the tradition....not caring about its simple representation today.

But digressing on that, it seems weird to be a fan of a team because of its name.

 

[naturalmwa]

Seems to me that you have contradicted one of your broader arguments in all of this, that IN 2015 it doesn't mean racist! You don't appear to care what it means in 2015, you are in it for the history, the tradition....not caring about its simple representation today.

But digressing on that, it seems weird to be a fan of a team because of its name.

But at least now its easy to understand this blind spot.

 

[joelbc1]

Smart man, Gov. Brown is!
"Redskins" is a derogatory word, plain and simple. No different than the "n" word or calling Irish a "mick" or and Italian a "wop". It's a stupid word that has NO place in the 21st century.

 

[strummingram]

Again, you take weird, counter-intuitive approaches to things.

I am NOT dismissing them. I understand that there are those who are not offended. I understand that there are those who are, in fact, offended. I would be making the decision to not offend the offended, as opposed to your approach which offends them for little/no gain.

I acknowledge the competing interests and balance them. You simply repeat ad-naseum that X was done by native americans.....with the obvious implication that it is then ok.

I see your point.

I guess, to me, if there are tribes actually using the word as a mascot, and we have tribes submitting imagery for the team to use at their insistence, I'm just going with the tradition I grew up with. It's obviously NOT a slur or offensive to all of them. And, I never use it as a slur, so, I'm fine with it. I doubt the owner ever changes it. He might sell it and THEN it gets changed. But, we'll wait and see.

Also, if the Native American teams stopped using Redskins, then I might be on-board for Washington to change.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

For me, the tradition ends. I don't watch the NFL much anyway. It's a tradition I grew up with. If they moved to L.A. and kept the name Redskins, I'd still stop watching them. Like Brooklyn Dodger fans felt. It's got nothing to do with what the imagery refers to, it's just the tradition of what it was. If I'd been a Baltimore Colts fan, I could have never been an Indianapolis fan. And, if I'd been brought up with the Colts, I doubt I'd pull for the Ravens. I lived most of my childhood in NC. I'm not too far from Charlotte or Atlanta, but I don't pull for the Falcons or the Panthers. It has nothing to do with the colors, logos, nicknames... just my tradition and what I have associated with the team my whole life.

If UNC were to change it's nickname to The Rams (since the ram is the mascot), I'd probably lose interest, too. The tradition is altered for me. It's not that big of a deal. The TV would just be on even less than it is now! I'd stop spending money on going to games, too. I still have plenty to keep me occupied.

This seems to fly in the face of your contention that mere words don't bother you. Why would changing the name of a team cause you to lose interest? It's just a word...right?

FWIW, I was a dyed-in-the-wool, Johnny U worshiping, could name the entire starting lineup, died-a-lot in 1969, Baltimore Colts fan and I didn't follow them to Indianapolis and I have never developed any feeling for the Ravens.

But then, words and names do mean things to me.

 

[strummingram]

This seems to fly in the face of your contention that mere words don't bother you. Why would changing the name of a team cause you to lose interest? It's just a word...right?

FWIW, I was a dyed-in-the-wool, Johnny U worshiping, could name the entire starting lineup, died-a-lot in 1969, Baltimore Colts fan and I didn't follow them to Indianapolis and I have never developed any feeling for the Ravens.

But then, words and names do mean things to me.

It means something only in the tradition sense of the team.

I've never said words don't MEAN anything... ever. I have insisted that how words are used is where you can find manifestations of contempt of one person, or people, toward another. I never, EVER said "words don't mean anything." The words are not the source of contempt or anger, or joy or love either. They're merely sounds we use to convey those thoughts or emotions. HOW THEY ARE USED is where the meaning can take form.

If you stopped liking the Colts when they moved, then I empathize with you if the Redskins change their name. The tradition is altered. If they moved and kept the name Redskins, it would be the same. If you can be empathetic about the tradition altering one way, but not another, then that's fine, too. I can either way. The Tennessee Titans, for example. They used to be the Oilers. A lot of sports team allegiance is tradition.

 

[strummingram]

Directly to the OP, I do NOT think the governor has any right to ban words for sports teams. I don't care what the word is. This is like censorship to me, too. If people don't want to use the words, fine. If people boycott games and the team changes, fine. But, I don't like these people banning words. I don't like the FCC doing it to TV and Radio either.

His Holiness St. George of Carlin explains:

 

[DutchyFunStar]

Think of all the new jerseys, t-shirts, and mech a team in washington could sell with the name change. Sure there is a sunk cost of retrofitting signage in stadiums and team facilities but there has to be an economic uptick. Case study for Bullets to Wizards or Bobcats to Hornets should pave the way.

 

[strummingram]

Bullets was a cool name. Wizards, too. I guess, for me, in the context of a sports team name? I'm cool with any word. We had a local softball league and I purposely joined The Misfits because it was by far the most unique nickname. It even went against the typical formula and made fun of it. Sports team names are embellishments and caricatures... we all accept this as being fact. No one needs explaining that the 49'ers are not actual miners from 1849 and they aren't walking around with pick axes and mining pans.

 

[herecomethehawkeyes]

Why tackle issues like water and electricity shortages and other problems california has when there is this low hanging fruit?

 

[iammrhawkeyes]

Nice work, strum.