Chiefs Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard - Page 54

**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

Direckshun · 11-15-2014, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Yeah, they are handling this the right way. But lets be honest, its a lot easier to defend the word Chiefs from the PC rabble than the word Redskins.

Agreed.

American Indians seem to be less of a fan of the tomahawk chop and the headdresses (and tomahawk anything, really) than they are of the team name.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 11-15-2014, 10:16 AM

So the new, approved costume for fans is "flannel shirt and can of Milwaukees Best Ice", then?

Good to know.

Aries Walker · 11-15-2014, 10:32 AM

I'm really glad to see that the Chiefs are taking those steps. I would be interested to see what Suzan Harjo and Amanda Blackhorse think of the efforts.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 11-15-2014, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aries Walker

I'm really glad to see that the Chiefs are taking those steps. I would be interested to see what Suzan Harjo and Amanda Blackhorse think of the efforts.

They're probably pissed that the Chiefs found an amenable group and are working with them.

Deberg_1990 · 11-15-2014, 10:46 AM

This wouldn't fly anymore?

**BigMeatballDave** · 11-15-2014, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Agreed.

American Indians seem to be less of a fan of the tomahawk chop and the headdresses (and tomahawk anything, really) than they are of the team name.

The Chop is hokey as **** and just plain played out. I cring when I see people in Arrowhead doing it.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 11-15-2014, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

The Chop is hokey as **** and just plain played out. I cring when I see people in Arrowhead doing it.

I do not agree.

**J Diddy** · 11-15-2014, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Agreed.

American Indians seem to be less of a fan of the tomahawk chop and the headdresses (and tomahawk anything, really) than they are of the team name.

Weren't their ancestors the ones tomahawk chopping my ancestors asses?

I think some people need some desensitivity training.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 11-15-2014, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Weren't their ancestors the ones tomahawk chopping my ancestors asses?

I think some people need some desensitivity training.

InChiefsHeaven · 11-20-2014, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Representatives from the Native community offered tobacco and blessed the drum. Starr Jr., who blessed the four directions inside the stadium, delivered the drum mallet to Chiefs Hall of Famer Priest Holmes, who had the honor of beating the drum for the game against New York Jets.

Ah shit, now they're promoting tobacco use? FU*******!

**BigMeatballDave** · 11-20-2014, 01:37 PM

I dislike the term Indian when referring to Native Americans. And not because I think it's racist.

When I hear Indian, I think about people from India.

**BigMeatballDave** · 11-20-2014, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Williams

I do not agree.

True fan

temper11 · 11-20-2014, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

I dislike the term Indian when referring to Native Americans. And not because I think it's racist.

When I hear Indian, I think about people from India.

Why do native Americans call their casinos "Indian Casino's"?

**LoneWolf** · 11-20-2014, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temper11

Why do native Americans call their casinos "Indian Casino's"?

Because Pale Face's Money Vacuum is too hard to say.

Fish · 11-20-2014, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

I dislike the term Indian when referring to Native Americans. And not because I think it's racist.

When I hear Indian, I think about people from India.

This always comes to mind when I think about that...

06-25-2014, 11:01 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3039627 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: 79,090

11-15-2014, 10:16 AM	#797
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	So the new, approved costume for fans is "flannel shirt and can of Milwaukees Best Ice", then? Good to know. __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
Posts: 77,135

11-15-2014, 10:32 AM	#798
Aries Walker Back again, again. Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: York, PA Casino cash: $9583357	I'm really glad to see that the Chiefs are taking those steps. I would be interested to see what Suzan Harjo and Amanda Blackhorse think of the efforts.
Posts: 8,179

11-15-2014, 10:46 AM	#800
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3914454	This wouldn't fly anymore? Attached Thumbnails __________________ Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning: Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down. One of the best plays Matt has ever made.
Posts: 66,914

11-20-2014, 01:37 PM	#806
BigMeatballDave GBM 8-12-15 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Dayton, Oh. Casino cash: $10052154	I dislike the term Indian when referring to Native Americans. And not because I think it's racist. When I hear Indian, I think about people from India.
Posts: 59,997