I applaud the president for stating that he’d “think about changing” the Redskins’ name, and only wish he would have been more critical of its existence in the 21st century. Holding on to the blatantly racist tradition of the Washington Redskins name not only tarnishes Dan Snyder’s legacy, but also continues to paint American culture as being racist and ignorant. It would be simple to change the Redskins name and mascot, and to hold onto them is stubborn and offensive. There is nothing respectful about the racial slur “redskin,” and there isn’t any justification for its continued usage.

I strongly disagree with Ethan Demers’ argument that the Redskins’ name “was never meant to offend anyone.” The nickname was coined by original Redskins owner and known racist George Preston Marshall, who proudly refused to sign a black player to his team until 10 years after every other professional football team had already done so — and only after being forced by the federal government to do so. When he died, Mr. Marshall left $6 million to his charity, the George Preston Marshall foundation. Of this $6 million, Marshall demanded that none of it be used “for any purpose which supports or employs the principle of racial integration.” To assume that the racial slur that Marshall nicknamed his football team was not meant to be offensive ignores everything about the history of the Redskins.
Demers argues in his article that only 19 percent of Native Americans who live outside of reservations, and 47 percent who live inside of them, find the images of the Redskins logo to be offensive. Are the 47 percent of Native Americans who live in reservations not worthy of even the most reasonable amount of empathy?

The truth is that Native American mascots are caricatures of a people who were brutally massacred and evicted from their homes by white, Christian foreigners. When we hide behind culture as a defense for blatant racism, we blindly give into pressure from the cultural right to ignore years of racism and abuse. Our culture should not be held back by offensive traditions of the past. Changing the Redskins nickname isn’t just politically correct, it is common human decency at its most basic form.

Matt Plotnick
Senior English and textual studies major