News Outlets Are Starting To Ban The Word "Redskins" Until The Washington Redskins Switch Their Team Name
(Source) Three news outlets said last week that they aren’t going to refer to the National Football League’s Washington Redskins by the team’s name (“Redskins”) because they deem it offensive.
Slate led the pack with an August 8 announcement that it will no longer publish the name of the team, outside of direct quotes. As Slate explained, “For decades, American Indian activists and others have been asking, urging, and haranguing the Washington Redskins to ditch their nickname, calling it a racist slur and an insult to Indians.”
After Slate’s announcement and in response, The New Republic said it would also stop using the team’s name. In a tweet, New Republic editor Franklin Foer said the magazine was “changing @tnr stylebook” and in an email to DCist, Foer said the name is “offensive.”
Also, Mother Jones said it was dropping the word, after Slate made the case. In an August 9 statement, Mother Jones’ political blogger Kevin Drum said that the magazine’s style guide dictates reporters refer to the Redskins as “Washington’s pro football team.”
Oh No! What is the NFL going to do? Daniel Snyder must be beside himself right now. Did you hear that? The New Republic, Slate AND Mother Jones are all going to stop using the word Redskins. Holy shit is this bad. Who doesn’t go to Mother Jones for their sports news? What the fuck are we all going to do? Boycott city, population Washington Redskins. If I was a member of the Skins front office I would be absolutely shaking in my boots right now.
In all honesty, are people really offended by the Redskins name? I mean I understand why people get upset about it but I don’t even think of Indians when I hear it. I just think of a football team. The word has zero connotation for me to a group of people. Am I alone in this? Because I feel like I’m not. When someone says Redskins I think RGIII, and Steve Spurrier being awful, and Gus Frerotte knocking himself out with a headbutt. Not the people we stole America from. The word has no meaning in that context to me. If the Redskins weren’t the Redskins I wouldn’t even know the slur redskin existed. It’s not like a common word people use. It’s not like calling it the New York Kikes, or the San Francisco Chinks. Those would be offensive because they have meaning behind them. I’ve never heard Redskins being used in a derogatory way, maybe I’m the exception here, in which case I’ll admit I’m an ignorant boob and stop using the word Redskins like Slate and the New Republic, but I feel like I’m not.
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Also, just as an aside because I fully admit as a white male I don’t get to decide what is and isn’t racist, This is from a cited source on the Wikipedia page. I guess Slate and New Republic are just ignoring that.
“In a study performed by the National Annenberg Survey, Native Americans from the 48 continental U.S. states were asked “The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive or does it not bother you?” In response, ninety percent replied that the name is acceptable, while nine percent said that it was offensive, and one percent would not answer”.
h/t SJ