Chiefs Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard - Page 38

**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

Isupportthename · 06-27-2014, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRichard

I thought Dan Snyder should do a big FU to them and change it to something mocking them. Your suggestion would be a good one or possibly just change the logo to being a potato with a feather sticking out of it.

As I said, I don't support a name change for the team I grew up with. But if he wanted to change it at some point he should find a way to incorporate Columbus or Explorers into the new name, saying that he wanted to find a way to honor the "original Americans."

Otter · 06-27-2014, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRichard

I thought Dan Snyder should do a big FU to them and change it to something mocking them. Your suggestion would be a good one or possibly just change the logo to being a potato with a feather sticking out of it.

The Washington Redskin Potatoes...

I like your style.

Halfcan · 06-27-2014, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isupportthename

As I said, I don't support a name change for the team I grew up with. But if he wanted to change it at some point he should find a way to incorporate Columbus or Explorers into the new name, saying that he wanted to find a way to honor the "original Americans."

The same one that killed an entire Native Culture with disease? Yep that would honor them.

Maybe the Washington Custer's would be better- he killed less Indians and they won that battle.

Isupportthename · 06-27-2014, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfcan

The same one that killed an entire Native Culture with disease? Yep that would honor them.

Maybe the Washington Custer's would be better- he killed less Indians and they won that battle.

I think you get my point.

SPATCH · 06-27-2014, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Agree 100 percent.... my early posts in this thread are almost word-for-word.

Which I'm not surprised by.

You have demonstrated higher-order thinking ability and foresight in the past.

SPATCH · 06-27-2014, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish

No way in hell with the tomahawk chop ever go away, regardless of what the Chiefs org does.

Exactly. People could still choose to do it if they wanted to.

But, the team can't blast the music over the loud speaker and provoke it any longer. You're just giving them ammunition in the potential lawsuit if you continue to do it.

SPATCH · 06-27-2014, 02:28 PM

I want the same thing that everybody else wants. I want to continue rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium wearing the same uniforms with the same helmets that we've worn since day 1.

I happen to believe that some small sacrifices can be made to ensure that happens.

People can still tomahawk chop and wear headdresses to the games all that they want. But, the team can't actively participate in those things any longer in order to ensure the future of the Chiefs brand.

Beef Supreme · 06-27-2014, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPATCH

I want the same thing that everybody else wants. I want to continue rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium wearing the same uniforms with the same helmets that we've worn since day 1.

I happen to believe that some small sacrifices can be made to ensure that happens.

People can still tomahawk chop and wear headdresses to the games all that they want. But, the team can't actively participate in those things any longer in order to ensure the future of the Chiefs brand.

Or ...

We could just tell them to **** off.

**loochy** · 06-27-2014, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPATCH

I want the same thing that everybody else wants. I want to continue rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium wearing the same uniforms with the same helmets that we've worn since day 1.

I happen to believe that some small sacrifices can be made to ensure that happens.

People can still tomahawk chop and wear headdresses to the games all that they want. But, the team can't actively participate in those things any longer in order to ensure the future of the Chiefs brand.

this reminds me of the whole "if you act like you are scared of terrorists then they have already won" mantra

SPATCH · 06-27-2014, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

this reminds me of the whole "if you act like you are scared of terrorists then they have already won" mantra

I don't follow...

**ptlyon** · 06-27-2014, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChiefTablet

Or ...

We could just tell them to **** off.

That would be nice, but you can't.

Like the Clippers debacle, you are franchised and still have to do what the NFL says.

It's unfortunate but I'm getting to the point of thought that you take these whiney assholes and beat them into submission. This world is getting too bend over backwards for dipshits that suddenly think their feelings were hurt. It's called life. **** off.

Isupportthename · 06-27-2014, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptlyon

That would be nice, but you can't.

Like the Clippers debacle, you are franchised and still have to do what the NFL says.

It's unfortunate but I'm getting to the point of thought that you take these whiney assholes and beat them into submission. This world is getting too bend over backwards for dipshits that suddenly think their feelings were hurt. It's called life. **** off.

As I said above, I'm going on the premise that if the league could dictate this type of thing to teams, they would have changed the Redskins' (and maybe even the Chiefs') name a long time ago. Not because it's racist, but because they don't want anything remotely close to controversy. So my personal belief is that they can't just tell a franchise what to do in matters such as these. Another example is Al Davis; had the league been able to do what the NBA did with Sterling, I think they would have forced Davis out a long time ago (like when he sued the NFL).

**BigMeatballDave** · 06-27-2014, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish

No way in hell with the tomahawk chop ever go away, regardless of what the Chiefs org does.

I loathe the Chop. I'm embarrassed when I see it.

Has nothing to do with Native Americans, though.

Crying Ramtard · 06-27-2014, 03:06 PM

unless it becomes illegal to be a KKK member this cant go forth. if this succeeded the next step would be to arrest or fine people for wearing Redskins etc gear

Marcellus · 06-27-2014, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

I loathe the Chop. I'm embarrassed when I see it.

Has nothing to do with Native Americans, though.

I think its cheesy and has way jumped the shark but WTF would it embarrass you? That's weird as shit.

06-25-2014, 11:01 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3159627 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: 79,008

06-27-2014, 02:28 PM	#562
SPATCH birth of spatch Join Date: May 2008 Casino cash: $10006207	I want the same thing that everybody else wants. I want to continue rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium wearing the same uniforms with the same helmets that we've worn since day 1. I happen to believe that some small sacrifices can be made to ensure that happens. People can still tomahawk chop and wear headdresses to the games all that they want. But, the team can't actively participate in those things any longer in order to ensure the future of the Chiefs brand.
Posts: 4,569

06-27-2014, 03:06 PM	#569
Crying Ramtard Veteran Join Date: Jun 2014 Casino cash: $10012670	unless it becomes illegal to be a KKK member this cant go forth. if this succeeded the next step would be to arrest or fine people for wearing Redskins etc gear
Posts: 1,199