Redskins

Did you hear about this dispute with a football team in Ottawa called the Redskins? Some natives are claiming that the name is racist. I am not one to say, but I have heard stories from natives in the area that want the name changed and ones that don't and think this whole issue is a cry for attention by the ones who claim to be offended.

For example, a Chief Whiteduck says he's proud of his heritage, and being "honoured" by a football team naming their team after his people is a compliment. Then, somebody on the other side (an Iroquois, I can't remember his name) says he remembers being called a "dirty Redskin" when he was a child.

Now MY take on the whole issue: When naming a team, you tend to go with a warrior, right? Lions, Tigers, Bears, etc... you don't hear wuss names like "the Ottawa Fluffy Bunnies" and stuff like that. When they were naming the team, they didn't think "ok, we'll call the team 'the Redskins', that'll teach those dirty indians." No, they thought the native warriors. Even if the people that want the name to change of the team, where would it stop? There's the Indians, Braves, Blackhawks, Seminoles. But what about Vikings? That might offend some Scandinavians. You have a college team, the Aztecs. The Saints and the Padres are bastardizing the biblical names. The Bucaneers might offend pirates. What about the Steel workers and the Steelers? The Giants could offend some little people. The Rangers offending guys on the ranch. Senators offending the government. The Rochester Americans? The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks? You just offended everybody in North America right there.

Give it a rest.

beijos