New Poll 9 of 10 Native Americans Not Offended by Redskins Name

New Poll 9 of 10 Native Americans Not Offended by Redskins Name

Shining the OutRiderr Spotlight on a Washington Post article from May 19th By John Woodrow Cox, Scott Clement and Theresa Vargas.

Nine out of 10 Native Americans say they're NOT offended by the Washington Redskins name.

This new Washington Post Poll shows that the minds of Native Americans have remained unchanged since the Annenberg Public Policy Center Poll conducted in 2004.

The survey conducted across every state, reveals that the responses to The Post’s questions about the issue were consistent regardless of age, income, education, or anything else. What doesn't get talked about is that some Native Americans embrace it, and like that their identity is represented in highly visible sports.

Barbara Bruce, a Chippewa Teacher who has lived, and worked on a North Dakota reservation most of her life says...”I’m proud of being Native American and of the Redskins. I’m not ashamed of that at all. I like that name.”

She, along with many others surveyed, embrace native imagery in sports as an acknowledgment of their identity in a society where they are rarely, represented. The tragic fact here is that they are already outnumbered by Asians, Hispanics, Latinos and The Black and White. In what was once their land, it has become a melting pot of all races flourishing except for their own.

The big overall issue here is that an overwhelming majority of Native Americans do not consider the issue of the name “Redskins” very important. Most will say they don't mind it, and some will even say they like it. Native Americans will call other natives ‘Redskins’ as well.

For others,the name is nothing to them. All the attention on this topic is really trumped up rhetoric from agitators and haters. They really sunk their fangs into this issue, so much so, that they get non-Native Americans riled up, and willing to protest, demanding the team change their name.

In my opinion, the name is just a name, the depiction is not disparaging at all. It's not some silly caricature that makes fun of Native Americans.

The sad truth here is that we are in an era of out of control political-correctness. Anyone can at any time manipulate a situation to make themselves feel offended. What a pathetic waste of time.

For a fuller account, you can read the original article with the link below.

New poll finds 9 in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by Redskins name