I’m loving all the jokes about whether Washington, D.C.’s professional football team should change its name from Redskins.
Native American groups are demanding that the team change its name, claiming it is insulting to Native Americans. You’ll recall those old Western films in which the cowboys would refer to “them Redskins” in derisive, even angry inflections in their voices.
Well, it seems the team nickname has now become the latest target of those who seek some form of political correctness.
The jokes go something like this: Washington wants to change the name of the NFL Redskins because the name conjures up negative images of the city. So the team will be known as the “D.C. Redskins.”
Or the name would change to merely “The Redskins.”
The point is that the name of the professional football team is the least of Washington’s worries at the moment. The Redskins have existed since 1932. For 71 years the team name has endured. Now it has become a target of those who think the name is insulting.
If I were of Native American descent — a term, by the way, I consider a bit curious, given that I, too, the grandson of Greek immigrants also am a “native American” — maybe I’d feel differently about it.
Many ethnic and racial groups have reason to be offended. I am still trying to understand why “Redskins” is so offensive.