The “Redskins” and The Code

The question of whether the Washington Redskins should change their name has been simmering again in recent months. Supporters of the Redskin name like it and mean no disrespect by it; to them it simply means a “fierce competitiveness” which honors the Native American. The larger question is not how “I” feel about it – but whether we care (or should care) about how someone else feels about it; and then, am I willing to do something different if I find out that it hurts someone else – even though that is the opposite of my intention? Andrew Young, the African American former Congressman, Mayor of Atlanta, and UN Ambassador said that he understood that many white people viewed the Confederate flag as a symbol of regional pride, and that it had nothing to do with racism for them. The problem, of course, was that many others saw it differently. If your team’s nickname was the “Cannibals” (“We’ll eat you alive!”) or the “Bad Guys” (“We’ll kick your behind!”) – and you loved it – would you be willing to change it if you found it was offensive to others? Or, would you just tell them to understand that it’s not meant to offend, so get over it? Where do you draw the line on the Code’s “I will respect the dignity of every human being…?”