Chiefs Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard - Page 25

**BigRedChief** · 06-25-2014, 11:01 PM

The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue.

The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly.

Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas.
They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins.

The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs.
As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return.

“What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.”

For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo.

The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.”

The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated.
The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress.

Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City.

She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well.

She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity.

“I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.”

Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment.

The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.”
That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own.

That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case.

There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight.
“I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing.

“If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy

Early 90's

Just Passin' By · 06-26-2014, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Redskins doesn't match with that list.

Here's a list that matches Redskins, according to many of the people it refers to:

Negro
Polack
Spade
Spic
Chink
Jap

Redskins matched my list just fine, thanks. It doesn't fit in yours, though.

Kidd Lex · 06-26-2014, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Chiefs + tomahawk chop + arrowhead logo + red and yellow + horse named "Warpaint" + stadium named Arrowhead = connection with Native American/Indian/Indigenous American stereotypes = offensive.

I hate political correctness in all of its insidiously fascist infamy, but you cannot defend the above things about the Chiefs' gameday and fan culture whilst admitting Redskins is racist and warranting change.

If the Redskins goes away, then the Chiefs, Indians and Braves logically follow.

I don't like it, but that's the way it's going to be... And the Hunt family ****ed themselves (presuming they treasure the name) by allowing the PA to play the tomahawk chop song and reviving Warpaint after the noted absence of both. It's an effective admission of guilt that those two things went away as it's understood that they probably stopped as a reaction to criticism.

so by your thinking the Vikings should go to. The Patriots even?

Just Passin' By · 06-26-2014, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Just saw this.

I personally have not seen it used that I remember. But I'm not a Native American and have not been around very many Native Americans.

This article from Politco breaks down some of the complaints/claims made by the plaintiffs in Washington case. Useful, I think. This includes a 1993 resolution from the National Congress of American Indians that defines Redskin as a slur.

If a minority racial group says something is offensive to them, I'm of the opinion that common human decency dictates I should respect its wishes.

That's an impressively stupid position.

Discuss Thrower · 06-26-2014, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The God Hypothesis

so by your thinking the Vikings should go to. The Patriots even?

The only living people who could be "offended" by Vikings would be Icelanders or Danes.. Odds are a) the ones living here don't give a shit b) there aren't enough of those that give a shit for it to be an actual issue.

Concerning the Patriots... Well.. they relate to the group of revolutionaries who fought for Independence. None of them are alive to be offended.

duncan_idaho · 06-26-2014, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

That's an impressively stupid position.

That's just, like, your opinion man...

It comes to this for me: If a racial minority says something is offensive to them, who am I to tell them how they should feel?

Many Native Americans are of the opinion that Redskins is and always was a derogatory term. If that's the way they feel, I'll respect that.

Just Passin' By · 06-26-2014, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

That's just, like, your opinion man...

It comes to this for me: If a racial minority says something is offensive to them, who am I to tell them how they should feel?

Many Native Americans are of the opinion that Redskins is and always was a derogatory term. If that's the way they feel, I'll respect that.

Feel free to explain to European and Australian blacks why they should be offended by the use of "black", but ok with African American. When you realize that you can't come up with a satisfactory answer, re-visit your earlier, stupid, position.

Many people are offended by a lot of stupid shit. Don't be such a ****ing idiot.

Discuss Thrower · 06-26-2014, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Feel free to explain to European and Australian blacks why they should be offended by the use of "black", but ok with African American.

Many people are offended by a lot of stupid shit. Don't be such a ****ing idiot.

There isn't a sports franchise in the United States that uses imagery associated with racial stereotypes of black people.

**notorious** · 06-26-2014, 10:28 PM

Kansas City Camaros has a nice ring to it.

GloucesterChief · 06-26-2014, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Feel free to explain to European and Australian blacks why they should be offended by the use of "black", but ok with African American.

Many people are offended by a lot of stupid shit. Don't be such a ****ing idiot.

Some black people don't like the term African American as well. I have a friend that prefers black because in his words: "I wasn't born in Africa, my parents weren't born in Africa, I have never been to Africa, I have nothing to do with Africa. I am an American"

**notorious** · 06-26-2014, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Some black people don't like the term African American as well. I have a friend that prefers black because in his words: "I wasn't born in Africa, my parents weren't born in Africa, I have never been to Africa, I have nothing to do with Africa. I am an American"

****in' A.

Just Passin' By · 06-26-2014, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

There isn't a sports franchise in the United States that uses imagery associated with racial stereotypes of black people.

What the hell does that have to do with the nickname "Chiefs" or "Redskins"?

Nothing.

Discuss Thrower · 06-26-2014, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

What the hell does that have to do with the nickname "Chiefs" or "Redskins"?

Nothing.

Quote:

Feel free to explain to European and Australian blacks why they should be offended by the use of "black", but ok with African American.

Many people are offended by a lot of stupid shit. Don't be such a ****ing idiot.

What does that have to do with a discussion about whether or not mascots are racist?

Nothing.

ClevelandBronco · 06-26-2014, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

The "Home of the Chiefs" thing needs to die in an AIDS fire. It's really disrespectful towards our national anthem.

Personally, I think it's a little disrespectful that it's played before sporting contests.

**notorious** · 06-26-2014, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

Personally, I think it's a little disrespectful that it's played before sporting contests.

The National Anthem?

KCrockaholic · 06-26-2014, 10:47 PM

Errrrbody offended about errrthing. Well **** you. Get over it. Sorry life can't be EXACTLY how you'd like it.

06-25-2014, 11:01 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $2589627 VARSITY	Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue. The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly. Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas. They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins. The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs. As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return. “What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.” For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo. The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.” The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated. The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress. Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City. She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well. She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity. “I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.” Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment. The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.” That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own. That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case. There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight. “I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing. “If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.” Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy Early 90's
Posts: 79,308

06-26-2014, 10:28 PM	#368
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $2365884	Kansas City Camaros has a nice ring to it.
Posts: 83,794

06-26-2014, 10:47 PM	#375
KCrockaholic Sarcasm Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Olathe Casino cash: $4552900	Errrrbody offended about errrthing. Well **** you. Get over it. Sorry life can't be EXACTLY how you'd like it.
Posts: 21,146