tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post7019168160736496837..comments2023-04-10T10:51:50.217-04:00Comments on APUSH 1: To Change or Not to Change, That is the Question!Lord Gehmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12361275468009503613noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-28287059788917390592013-10-12T00:17:36.664-04:002013-10-12T00:17:36.664-04:00Yes everything has a name, but whats the problem n...Yes everything has a name, but whats the problem now!, its been 40yrs since the team name was established, and no one found anything wrong with it. And now when Obama goes somewhere he shouldn't have gone (talking about sports, not the government shut-down), now it gets offensive. if you ask me, if Obama never said anything, this blog would have been a different question.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237312727050016178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-13649193673286917052013-10-12T00:11:41.975-04:002013-10-12T00:11:41.975-04:00I don't think it is a racial slur Dylan, it mo...I don't think it is a racial slur Dylan, it more on the lines of our great American history, since the Natives Americans played a huge role. it was never intended to be racial, just to show the power the team possesses, because the indians were a cause of most of the wars and a force to reckon with, as in the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, ect.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237312727050016178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-63749487520250137382013-10-12T00:03:00.157-04:002013-10-12T00:03:00.157-04:00I agree with you 100%. President Obama has to have...I agree with you 100%. President Obama has to have his head on a different planet when he wants to talk about sports, and not even all the teams with native american type names, instead of trying to stop the shut-down, or the chemical weapon warfare that has been going on in the middle east.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237312727050016178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-24106329273017974792013-10-12T00:00:21.850-04:002013-10-12T00:00:21.850-04:00Agreeing with Nirali- your name means nothing unti...Agreeing with Nirali- your name means nothing until you give it a meaning. If you do nothing to give your existence a meaning or purpose, then nothing matters. We're here to make a difference and give our name a definition. Love that. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06687332229950355574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-78199456850300946082013-10-12T00:00:18.706-04:002013-10-12T00:00:18.706-04:00Your almost as late as me! I actaully liked your a...Your almost as late as me! I actaully liked your argument that the man didnt see himself in the shoes of the Native American man but in the end he did put the jersey back on so i guess his eyes weren"t open for that long.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15994021928464992315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-52941738661219023292013-10-11T23:58:08.026-04:002013-10-11T23:58:08.026-04:00i believe that Obama and the other commentators ar...i believe that Obama and the other commentators are over reacting, in my opinion. i believe that Obama is forced on the wrong things, since there are many more sports teams that have Native American names, such as, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cleveland Indians are to name a few, that Obama hadn't named.The Washington Redskins aren't there the be racial and make fun of the natives. they are there to get paid, and win. Now Obama i think has his head somewhere else, he should be more focused on stopping the government shut-down, and not worrying about sportsAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237312727050016178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-11226799694660206642013-10-11T23:57:09.392-04:002013-10-11T23:57:09.392-04:00There is no sense in changing The Washington Redsk...There is no sense in changing The Washington Redskins name to anything else due to the majority of Native Americans not taking offense by it and others even relishing it.<br />We are not children bickering over so-and-so calling us this and crying over that, so why is there such a big fuss being made by so few people over the name associated with an american football team?<br />A study done in 2004 by the Anneberg Institute actually displayed that the vast majority of Native Americans were not at insulted by the name "Redskins", the exact numbers were a whopping 9 out of 10 not being offended. So why then must we change the name if most of the people who the name is directed at take no offense to the name itself.<br />There are Natvie American descendants living in Washington that actually stated that they actually liked the name "redskins" as it tied the associated area and team name to them as a people. The name also reminded them of there roots, of which they take much pride in.<br />We can now stamp out the complaint that word "redskins" is "dehumanizing" to the Native Americans as very few are offended and some even enjoy the name.<br />Quite frankly we are becoming careful about insulting others, at this rate why dont we just rename "The Saints" for descriminating against non-religious folk or "The Giants" because tall people might be offended by the word Giant.<br />The Redskins should not change their name as too few are offended and it is just impractical to start making changes to things that can mean so little such as mere names.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15994021928464992315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-32904828262825740442013-10-11T23:55:35.747-04:002013-10-11T23:55:35.747-04:00A part of the article that really stood out to me ...A part of the article that really stood out to me was the conclusion. Reading about the colored Redskins fan at the end truly gave me chills. His eyes opened when the man had asked him to take off the cap because it offended him. This part showed most readers that you don't really see the situation until your in the other person's shoes. The colored man didn't see where the Native Americans were coming from until the old Indian man said something to him. Andre Holland realized that if someone had called him the "n" word or any other word that made him uncomfortable, he would not appreciate it.<br />Although it was only a cap, it was still offensive. Seeing that people are representing something that brought your people so much pain and agony is horrific. People need to focus less on the point that it's just a football team and that they're making money, and more on the point that this football team name is actually hurting people. The word "redskins" brings back memories that aren't so pleasing to various amounts of people.<br />Why should naming a football team "redskins" be acceptable if saying one offensive racial slur to someone else is inappropriate? Just because it happened a while ago does not, in any way, mean that it isn't apart of our history. They should be remembered as something more than "redskins". I understand that people think that naming the team "redskins" may be heroic or honorable, but perhaps changing the name to something more suitable to them would be better. Naming the football team something that none of them would be offended by would be much better than keeping it as "redskins".<br />As Reed Hundt said in the article, “If you can’t look at somebody and use a certain name because it is an insult, then that is the moment of awareness that it is time for the name to be changed,” Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06687332229950355574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-64845447388706137492013-10-11T23:55:35.299-04:002013-10-11T23:55:35.299-04:00Iamka,
This post was very well written overall. T...Iamka, <br />This post was very well written overall. The notion that the team defines the name is completely true and that quote was very powerful in itself and should be addressed. I also completely agree with the fact that many inspirations have been obtained from Native Americans, in fact, the Natives had impact on everyday things such as our monetary currency for example. I also liked how you mentioned how negative connotations arose because of a different mindset, which is true. Overall the point of view was also interesting and different than others. Vinit Parikhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095358119274908120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-62440253850079329892013-10-11T23:44:27.204-04:002013-10-11T23:44:27.204-04:00Pranav,
Overall, this post was very straightforwa...Pranav, <br />Overall, this post was very straightforward and well support through analysis. You took an unexpected point of view when you mentioned the financial factor of things when it came to the actual team name change. It was also surprising to hear that 20 million dollars could be the cost of a team name change. One issue with this post was that you didn't completely answer the prompt because you were asked whether Native American themed mascots should be banned, which you failed the answer. Vinit Parikhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095358119274908120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-85308088853522095402013-10-11T23:40:52.844-04:002013-10-11T23:40:52.844-04:00I absolutely agree with you! As president of the U...I absolutely agree with you! As president of the United States, Barack Obama should most definitely NOT be focusing on things like this. But, leaving President Obama out of this, should the "Redskins" be called that? Is it fair to the people who suffered in the past? Yes, Obama should not be worrying about this, but other people in this world should. My point is that this is not mainly about only Barack Obama's opinion, but the world's opinion or take on this.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06687332229950355574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-68585504263231992002013-10-11T23:40:26.494-04:002013-10-11T23:40:26.494-04:00I have to agree with Pranav. One's pride in th...I have to agree with Pranav. One's pride in their skin color almost always ties to one's pride in and belief of the importance of their own culture. For example, there's a Filipino myth I grew up with that tells of how God made man by baking clay. White people came to being when God pulled out the clay too early while blacks were born because He left them in the fire too long. God carefully watched over the last batch and He got them out at the right time. They were with golden brown skin and God was satisfied. The story doesn't imply the same aggressive superiority early European settlers had; it simply taught us to embrace our culture.<br /><br />This pride only becomes a horror when a person starts judging or justifying their own misdeeds against others because they were of a different color, much like how the Europeans were with the blacks and Native Americans.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01080189002887850878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-57771830880911581892013-10-11T23:37:48.525-04:002013-10-11T23:37:48.525-04:00Juliet,
There are a few flaws with your post. Fir...Juliet, <br />There are a few flaws with your post. Firstly, your argument seems weak and you should have used more facts along with a deeper insight on the prompt. Secondly, just a point of clarification, you stated that "they are just trying to suddenly change the football team name now," when in reality, the article states that the first efforts to change the Redskin's team name has been in 1972. Thirdly, you stated that "most people don't think it is offensive," but that is also not true. In fact, many organizations consisting of Native Americans have campaigned against the name, since there are 5.2 million Native Americans, some of which are bound to want the name changed. Vinit Parikhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095358119274908120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-35265362265225377042013-10-11T23:29:07.844-04:002013-10-11T23:29:07.844-04:00I completely agree with your argument Iqra! I like...I completely agree with your argument Iqra! I like how you mentioned that the word "redskin" has a negative connotation. That is a very accurate statement. To some people, it may just be a football team name. To others, it may be an extremely painful and offensive slur. Just as many races out there get offended when they are called a racial slur, Native Americans may feel the same way about this. Although it happened a while ago, it is and will always be apart of our history. Nothing can change that. It effected lives and many people will remember what happened to them as a horrific event. Bottom line, just because people think it isn't a big deal doesn't mean that others aren't extremely offended by it. To some people, a football team name doesn't mean too much, but to others, it may mean the world.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06687332229950355574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-47174425223087257712013-10-11T23:27:19.299-04:002013-10-11T23:27:19.299-04:00If ""the name does not define us, we def...If ""the name does not define us, we define the name" is to be taken as truth, then the converse "if we do not define the name, the name does not define us" also has some logic behind it. Think of it like this: imagine all Native Americans did not find anything bad with the oft-called "degrading term" redskins, and instead, felt complete indifference toward the term. In this case, the term would not be classified as a racial slur, or perhaps not even having a connection with the Native Americans. I just find it fascinating that the targeted person's reaction to a specific word is what constitutes and defines a word as a racial slur. If every race in the world did not take offence to any word, then there would be no racial slurs. To me, this is one of the biggest examples of irony in the world. Pranav Jaideephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08657794762650596813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-2282897490420891102013-10-11T23:26:27.371-04:002013-10-11T23:26:27.371-04:00Native american themed mascots shouldn't be ba...Native american themed mascots shouldn't be banned in high schools across the nation for a few reasons. Firstly, we have to discuss about what a mascot is or can be interpreted as. A team mascot is something that is supposed to represent a team in terms of strength, spirit, etc. Now, if a native american head is used as the mascot, why should that be offensive? It should instead be considered a good thing for Native Americans since it shows that teams respect them enough to have a Native American represent what they are as a team. The 5.2 million Native Americans in the United States should be proud that they are significant enough for team mascots unlike other races in the country. Now, there are exceptions to this belief as well. The Native Americans shouldn't be called things that they find stereotypical such as "Redskins" because this takes a symbol of significance for the Natives and turns it into one of contempt. Names such as "Redskins" can anger many people because of the fact that it brings up skin color again after all of the cruelty due to skin color. An example of this cruelty can be the African slaves who were lowest in social class because of their position as slaves and eventually because of their skin color. Stereotypes like the Redskins should not be used at any level of sports even in high school sports because there are a substantial amount of people who find this term or terms like these to be offensive. In a nation that is built by definition on the promise of freedom of race and religion, banning stereotypes, especially on high stages like professional sport teams, should be a given. With all of the diversity in this country, we should think about mascots and team names that aren't pejorative to any group of people. In a free nation, groups like Native American shouldn't be singled out with names from Europeans that haven't experienced the hardships like their Native American ancestors have experienced. We seem to live in a generation where racial slurs are taken very offensively, so names like the Redskins should be dissolved completely. As seen with New World colonization, skin color, even though not originally a problem, was a series of tragedies followed by another. So much cruelty and death was forced upon thousands of people just because of skin color, so naming the Native Americans once again based on skin color in the 21th century should be intrinsically thought of as wrong, as we should have learned from our mistakes. High school Native American mascots should not be banned in general, but should be banned when the name is disparaging. Vinit Parikhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095358119274908120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-60674115359899613252013-10-11T23:16:30.622-04:002013-10-11T23:16:30.622-04:00I find it very interesting on the way you had appr...I find it very interesting on the way you had approached the question. It is somewhat (unusually) effective on how you say that President Obama and other people of authority should have other things to do than to worry about a sport's name debate that has been going on for decades. Your straight-forward reasoning and logic make for blunt and honest point of view. Pranav Jaideephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08657794762650596813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-55340805079696457342013-10-11T23:13:27.157-04:002013-10-11T23:13:27.157-04:00But Nirali like you said nine out of ten Native Am...But Nirali like you said nine out of ten Native Amercian people are not affected by the name. It shouldn't be SO important that it is urgent change the name of the football team name right away. It's not like we're directly calling them redskins it's just a name to show the pride and strength that the redskins have so technically we are actually complimenting them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340055170456924480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-39707587346777781782013-10-11T23:12:36.090-04:002013-10-11T23:12:36.090-04:00Dylan, I must disagree about your statement "...Dylan, I must disagree about your statement "How does the color of your skin give any sort of pride?" I, along with many others, in fact, take great pride in the colour of my skin. To me, and countless others of different creeds, the physical colour of skin represents part of one's culture. For example, in the Indian religion, one of the biggest stories is about the changing of the pigment of skin. While I do find it unfortunate that people tend to judge others by the colour of their skin, I also find that that same colour tends to bring people of the same culture, but different ways of life, together, and thus, it is essential for both one's acceptance of culture and for self-respect that one must take pride in the colour of their own skin. <br />Pranav Jaideephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08657794762650596813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-59143607193949514702013-10-11T23:04:12.130-04:002013-10-11T23:04:12.130-04:00I agree, it seems very degrading towards people wh...I agree, it seems very degrading towards people who were branded with that name. Who experience torture, slavery, and murder of an entire race. It's like saying "Let's have a team called the 9/11ers!" I don't think skin color should be a way to idolize your team. I mean how intimidating is skin supposed to be.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06387470305649892377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-13254446807486170182013-10-11T23:00:48.756-04:002013-10-11T23:00:48.756-04:00I agree when you say this isn't that important...I agree when you say this isn't that important. Obama should be focusing on more important things like ending the government shut-down. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281112200915943654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-39985153377162486182013-10-11T23:00:24.052-04:002013-10-11T23:00:24.052-04:00Yes I agree with you Dylan because it IS supposed ...Yes I agree with you Dylan because it IS supposed to show their bravery and strength which is just another reason to keep the same name and not worry about changing it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340055170456924480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-28430982744623771612013-10-11T22:57:08.187-04:002013-10-11T22:57:08.187-04:00I definitely agree with you Pranav. People are onl...I definitely agree with you Pranav. People are only focusing on the Native American racial name while other people aren't worried about the other names that may be racial to other religions. This is why if its not that important to a huge majority then it shouldn't really be involved in government or political issues. They have many other serious things to worry about.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340055170456924480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-61993135672966771892013-10-11T22:56:17.004-04:002013-10-11T22:56:17.004-04:00It's good that they're slowly but surely s...It's good that they're slowly but surely shedding pieces of their Indian-themed get-up. To them, it may seem like an act of honor to do 'rain dances' and cheer their athletes while dressed up in 'Indian-style' costumes, but it's not. It's a mockery that shows their ignorance and besmirches the Native Americans' way of life. For example, the band used to wear elaborate feather headdresses. A quick search, however, reveals that not all tribes employed this famous headdress. In the dozen or so tribes that did, this type of headdress was reserved only for chiefs and warriors who earned each feather that made the headdress up. Anyone who wore this was deeply revered in the tribe.<br /><br />Among all the questions you asked, the one that stood out the most was how this team could possibly represent the 'redskins' when they had an all-white roster until 1961. Yes, it was supposed to commemorate one of their coaches; however, there are a thousand other names they could have used. Why did the original team owner decide to use a well-known racial slur instead of, oh I don't know, the coach's favorite animal?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01080189002887850878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8574696193706600827.post-40246819401915348022013-10-11T22:52:38.562-04:002013-10-11T22:52:38.562-04:00In my personal opinion I believe that Native Ameri...In my personal opinion I believe that Native American mascots should not be band. It is just something that shouldn't be too important when there are other things going on that may be much more important then changing a football team name. This team name has been around for many years and it confuses me why they are suddenly try to change it now. Also many people are already used to the football name and wouldn't really want it changed after so many years of the same tradition. Also most people don't really believe its offensive and just want to enjoy a football game with a mascots and the players on the field. Other teams aren't any different such as the Cleveland Indians that have a baseball team. It truthfully isn't any different from the football team so I'm confused why it's so crucial to change the name. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340055170456924480noreply@blogger.com