The Washington Redskins & The “N” Word

In the mind of some, the world of professional football has been brought to twenty-first century enlightenment by recognizing the tactless and callous nature of one team’s name. Now deemed as offensive as the pejorative for Black Americans, using the name Washington Redskins has become the death nail for a sportscaster while calling the play-by-play of the team during a game or the journalist who may offer commentary afterward. Is the comparison accurate and should the football team be forced to cease and desist from using the name it has had for over 70 years?

To equate the name of a sports team which is intended to convey a certain fierceness and ability to defend its honor, reputation and pride, with a derogatory term intended to disparage, humiliate and devalue an individual, is farcical and contemptible. Those who attempt to prove equity of the two are loathsome individuals, intent on forcing others to join them in their misery. The organizations they represent and affiliate with are more concerned with silencing and censoring speech they deem offensive rather than appreciating the rights of others to utilize innocuous words, phrases and titles, absent malice, in everyday conversations.

All of a sudden it was inappropriate and frowned upon to say; “The stewardess on the plane took excellent care of the passengers from take-off until the plane landed.” Out of the blue the terminology was changed to “flight attendant”. As the definition of the word steward has not changed, the title of one performing those duties certainly has. The Webster’s dictionary I’m using shows steward to be one on a ship, train, etc., employed to look after the passengers comfort, then later offers the definition for stewardess as a woman steward. But we were told that asking a “stewardess” for another cup of coffee was demeaning to the women in that job, and to show our appreciation and respect for them that awful word must be discarded. What has been the effect of this word ban? All crew members, male and female, are now called flight attendants. If utilizing the new nomenclature was to edify women and give them their due reverence, did the men simultaneously inherit a lower level of self-esteem to achieve said parity on the job?

Being politically correct is another phrase of questionable origin which requires all speech to be tailored so no one is offended by the words they hear regardless of the context in which they were spoken. The practice of being “pc” is another gift given to us by the purveyors of compassion. In their zeal to advocate for tolerance, and if we accept their premise of non-offensive language, we would allow the ‘personal computer’, just as the steward was, to be relegated to second string status. After all, computers had the name first, valiantly serve us and mean no harm to anyone. If even by mistake, one happens to use a word or phrase which may offend, has that act of political incorrectness destroyed any possibility of their political aspirations?

So now we are being told to believe that a sports team, The Washington Redskins, have made the premeditated decision to slander and demean an entire race of people in the same manner as those who with conscious intent, did exactly that and worse. To those who insist a football team’s name is rife with derision and discrimination, and is equivalent to Jim Crow America, I would suggest your view of history and historical events are less than accurate, either by design or due to ignorance. If a lack of knowledge is your justification, the remedy is easy. Educate yourself. If the purpose is to deceive, then perhaps seeking spiritual counsel is warranted.

The rational thinker will listen to the cries of woe by the misguided few and remain unaffected by their pleas and ultimatums. We will extract the abundant humor which is copious in their oft vocal tirade. Their obvious intent to destroy the common sense of others in the attempt to garner worth for themselves must be met with straightforward retort explaining the folly and transparency of their motives. Changing words to fit the mood of the day or a political season does nothing to change the heart and mind of one who has selfish and bigoted attributes.