Redskins Suing 5 Native Americans Offended By Team Name - Polidicks

What are they even suing these people for? For filing a complaint? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are the only people who have any conceivable reason to be sued. Some people were offended, they filed a complaint. Argue all you want about whether or not the name is offensive, but the people who should be held legally responsible for revoking their trademark is not the 5 Native Americans, that's absurd.

[QUOTE=Mort Stroodle;46396236]What are they even suing these people for? For filing a complaint? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are the only people who have any conceivable reason to be sued. Some people were offended, they filed a complaint. Argue all you want about whether or not the name is offensive, but the people who should be held legally responsible for revoking their trademark is not the 5 Native Americans, that's absurd.[/QUOTE] If you're going to file a petition making a claim, shouldn't you be able to back that up in court?

[QUOTE=sgman91;46396234]There are TONS of teams named after generalized groups of people. They are in no way even claiming to represent those people, instead, they are trying to emulate some positive aspect of them. In the case of "Redskins" they are attempting to emulate the bravery often shown by Native American warriors.[/QUOTE] see: [QUOTE]The "positive" stereotypes allow fans and supporters to honestly state that they are honoring Native Americans, but this is "...forcing your idea of what it is to honour those people onto them and that, fundamentally, is disrespectful."[/QUOTE] What if I'm Native American and I don't want to be associated as a "Brave...Native American Warrior". Someone who is living in a cave somewhere rather than a human being. What if I don't even like football? The team could just be called the "Tribesman" if that's what it was supposed to represent. There's a difference between naming a team after a group of people who either don't traditionally exist any more or have a clearly defined meaning, but using Native Americans as a poster child and associating them as "Brave Native-Folk" is disengenious and misrepresentational. I'm not saying there aren't Native Americans who could exhibit those qualities, but it's disengious to group them all together and say they all do.

[QUOTE=Zyler;46396269]What if I'm Native American and I don't want to be associated as a "Brave...Native American Warrior". Someone who is living in a cave somewhere rather than a human being. What if I don't even like football? The team could just be called the "Tribesman" if that's what it was supposed to represent. There's a difference between naming a team after a group of people who either don't traditionally exist any more or have a clearly defined meaning, but using Native Americans as a poster child and associating them as "Brave Native-Folk" is disengenious and misrepresentational. I'm not saying there aren't Native Americans who could exhibit those qualities, but it's disengious to group them all together and say they all do.[/QUOTE] Show me where the team is claiming that native americans were only brave. You are imputing your own bad assumptions onto them instead of actually taking it for what it is.

[QUOTE=sgman91;46396281]Show me where the team is claiming that native americans were only brave. You are imputing your own bad assumptions onto them instead of actually taking it for what it is.[/QUOTE] I was literally just quoting you: [QUOTE=sgman91;46396234]There are TONS of teams named after generalized groups of people. They are in no way even claiming to represent those people, instead, they are trying to emulate some positive aspect of them. In the case of "Redskins" they are attempting to emulate [b]the bravery often shown by Native American warriors.[/b][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Pilot1215;46395999]As someone who has Natives in his family, I will tell them to look past the few dumb hicks who use it derogatory. Tell them that a lot of natives see it more neutral, and look past it. Anyway, if the blacks can get past the N-word to the point of calling each other it, then Natives can do similar.[/QUOTE] Black people haven't "gotten over" nigger. Two black people calling each other that is much different than a white person calling a black person that. [QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46396060]i'd say that they are making fuss over nothing and that 90% of their people agrees[/QUOTE] "Get over it I can to be as racist as I want to be."

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;46396243]If you're going to file a petition making a claim, shouldn't you be able to back that up in court?[/QUOTE] But they didn't [I]actually[/I] take action and revoke the team's trademark, they advocated it. It was the decision of the people in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to revoke the trademark, so they should be held responsible, and should be the ones who actually back up their decision in court. Unless there's something about the whole process that I'm not getting.

[QUOTE=Zyler;46396287]I was literally just quoting you:[/QUOTE] Claiming that people were brave is different from claiming that they were ONLY brave or that brave was their only recognizable characteristic.

[QUOTE=Zyler;46396287]I was literally just quoting you:[/QUOTE] Saying "Native American warriors were brave" is not the same as saying "Modern Native Americans who are not warriors are brave" [editline]2nd November 2014[/editline] ooh you cheeky cunt you

[QUOTE=Mort Stroodle;46396291]But they didn't [I]actually[/I] take action and revoke the team's trademark, they advocated it. It was the decision of the people in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to revoke the trademark, so they should be held responsible, and should be the ones who actually back up their decision in court. Unless there's something about the whole process that I'm not getting.[/QUOTE] The trademark office is a "man in the middle" because they aren't the ones who had an issue with the name. They aren't the source. The source are those people who filed a petition.

[QUOTE=Explosions;46396290]Black people haven't "gotten over" nigger. Two black people calling each other that is much different than a white person calling a black person that. "Get over it I can to be as racist as I want to be."[/QUOTE] I would argue that the inherent "-ism" of a term is due to it's meaning rather than the word itself. The meaning changes depending on who says it. Otherwise we'd have situations like this: [video=youtube;MIaORknS1Dk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaORknS1Dk[/video] It's not just what you say that matters, it's how you say it.

the term isn't racist but people have made it that way so yeah, it's going to have to change it's a shame we have to lose stuff to ignorance

I thought redskins were those really chewy lollies

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46396320]the term isn't racist but people have made it that way so yeah, it's going to have to change it's a shame we have to lose stuff to ignorance[/QUOTE] The only ignorance here is you thinking that Redskin was ever acceptable.

[QUOTE=Explosions;46396335]The only ignorance here is you thinking that Redskin was ever acceptable.[/QUOTE] well technically it was at one point before people started using it as a slur [editline]d[/editline] a good read: [url]http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/06/a-linguist-on-why-redskin-is-racist-patent-overturned/373198/[/url]

[QUOTE=Mort Stroodle;46396301]Saying "Native American warriors were brave" is not the same as saying "Modern Native Americans who are not warriors are brave" [editline]2nd November 2014[/editline] ooh you cheeky cunt you[/QUOTE] But "Redskins" doesn't refer to Native American warriors, it refers to Native Americans. The qualities of the "Redskins" football team are associated with Native Americans. You're essentially creating a link between the two, and many Native Americans might not want to be a football team. To be clear, I'm talking about the use of the word "Redskins" as a name for a sports team, not the use of the word in general.

[QUOTE=Zyler;46396354]many Native Americans might not want to be a football team.[/QUOTE] I got great news for you! No one thinks that modern native americans are brave because of the football team. The football team has its own identity that is in no way associated with a modern people group.

[QUOTE=Zyler;46396354]But "Redskins" doesn't refer to Native American warriors, it refers to Native Americans. The qualities of the "Redskins" football team are associated with Native Americans. You're essentially creating a link between the two, and many Native Americans might not want to be a football team. To be clear, I'm talking about the use of the word "Redskins" as a name for a sports team, not the use of the word in general.[/QUOTE] is the Fighting Irish offensive too? and all those other teams i mentioned before [editline]d[/editline] is referring to any group of people off limits in sports? it seems like that's what you're saying

[QUOTE=ilikecorn;46396805]The only solution to the levels of "omg offended" is to name everything and everyone after irrational numbers.[/QUOTE] I'm offended by numbers!

[QUOTE=Pilot1215;46395999]As someone who has Natives in his family, I will tell them to look past the few dumb hicks who use it derogatory. Tell them that a lot of natives see it more neutral, and look past it. Anyway, if the blacks can get past the N-word to the point of calling each other it, then Natives can do similar.[/QUOTE] As someone who is a native, fuck you. You don't name a team the minstrels and put a blackface caricature on the logo, you don't name a team the wetbacks, why is redskins magically ok to use? The minute we let every other race be fair game to racism then I'll be fine with the redskins.

[QUOTE=zakedodead;46397017]As someone who is a native, fuck you. You don't name a team the minstrels and put a blackface caricature on the logo, you don't name a team the wetbacks, why is redskins magically ok to use? The minute we let every other race be fair game to racism then I'll be fine with the redskins.[/QUOTE] Let me guess, you speak for EVERY native?

Are the Minnesota Vikings racist? They offend Northern Europeans

[QUOTE=Laserbeams;46397911]Are the Minnesota Vikings racist? They offend Northern Europeans[/QUOTE] this is hilariously stupid considering how "Minnesota Viking" is not a derogatory term/phrase.

[QUOTE=Pilot1215;46395999]As someone who has Natives in his family, I will tell them to look past the few dumb hicks who use it derogatory. Tell them that a lot of natives see it more neutral, and look past it. Anyway, if the blacks can get past the N-word to the point of calling each other it, then Natives can do similar.[/QUOTE] I believe there's a difference between the word "nigga" and "nigger" The latter one being mostly used by humongous hick piece of shits. No one else uses that word.

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46396443]is the Fighting Irish offensive too? and all those other teams i mentioned before [editline]d[/editline] is referring to any group of people off limits in sports? it seems like that's what you're saying[/QUOTE] It would be if it was the Fighting Micks or the Fighting Paddies. Why is this so difficult to grasp?

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46396189]i just hope they don't actually change it to "Washington Warriors" if you're going to get rid of Redskins then at least keep the native american aspect i forgot im on this place called the internet where life experience is completely null and void[/QUOTE] They should change it to the "Washington Pale-Faces" just to be fair.

[QUOTE=Zero-Point;46398644]They should change it to the "Washington Pale-Faces" just to be fair.[/QUOTE] I think Washington Forked Tongues would work on so many levels that it is a shame this is not a thing.

[QUOTE=Fetret;46398625] Why is this so difficult to grasp?[/QUOTE] Because racism towards natives doesn't count for some reason.

Words have the meaning they are given by people; I grew up only hearing "Redskins" in the context of the football team, so I can understand why some people have a hard time seeing how it's offencive to others.

[QUOTE=DaMastez;46399028]Words have the meaning they are given by people; I grew up only hearing "Redskins" in the context of the football team, so I can understand why some people have a hard time seeing how it's offencive to others.[/QUOTE] Basically no one in the modern era grew up with the term redskins as anything but the sports team.