An open letter to Bob Costas!..... Dear Bob, Thank you for sharing your opinion about the value of political correctness in society. Your political opinions in the middle of a football game are as welcomed as Bob Woodward’s opinion on the value of the I-formation. For those who may be reading but are, as yet, unaware of your comments on Sunday Night’s game, here is what you said: “Think for a moment about the term ‘Redskins’ and how it truly differs from [other team nicknames]. Ask yourself what the equivalent would be, if directed [at] African-Americans. Hispanics. Asians. Or members of any other ethnic group. When considered that way, ‘Redskins’ can’t possibly honor a heritage, or a noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. “It is an insult, a slur, no matter now benign the present-day intent.” Though the Redskins have been named as such for 80 years, I find it curious that you have chosen now, as the guilty white crowd has begun their crusade, to take a bold stand. If this is how you felt, why did you wait so long to discuss it? Where were you in the ‘80’s? The ‘90’s? Still, you felt passionate enough to, once again, interject your uninvited socio-political leanings into America’s leisure time, so let’s discuss it… You ponder what the reaction would be if this level of insensitivity were lobbed at other ethnic groups. Let’s examine that for a moment. I am a man of Scotch-Irish descent. I join millions of other Americans who are similarly proud of their emerald roots. But I ask you, Bob, where is your concern for the supposed degradation of other ethnicities? If we crusade to change the name of the Washington Redskins, whose mascot is but a noble American Indian chief, shouldn’t we also mobilize the politically correct crowd to take on those who “slur” other ethnicities? Surely the Boston Celtics should be compelled to change their name. After all, their mascot is a winking shamrock-adorned leprechaun smoking a pipe; this hardly speaks to the dignity of my ancestors. More illustrative of this point is the name and mascot of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish. My word! If “Redskins” is enough to move you to action, surely the insistence that the Irish are prone to violence must enrage you, Bob! After all, Notre Dame’s mascot is an angry, drunken leprechaun with his fists poised to deliver a punch. What should the politically correct individual derive from this? That we bog-jumpers are but violence-prone, shamrock-loving characters who love nothing more than a pint o’ Guinness and a good brawl. Of course, these depictions and characters should not serve as a defining illustration to encapsulate the dignity and value of a people. I take these cartoonish depictions as good fun as we cannot sanitize every aspect of society, nor should we. Still, you and the crusading leftists feel you know best. You push your concern on the unsuspecting, but seem to only selectively choose what races or ethnicities with which you will concern yourself. If you and your fellow political correctness crusaders were equally concerned with pushing political correctness as a measure to protect the dignity of all races and ethnicities, your crusade would be no less ridiculous, but at least you would be consistent and your cause would be worthy of a modicum of begrudging respect. Let’s not forget, however, that many American Indians do not take issue with the Redskins name. Not only was the name changed in 1933 to pay homage to the then-head coach Lone Star Dietz, an American Sioux, but the team has taken measures to try and find if the American Indian population would like the name changed. As Redskins owner Dan Snyder recently wrote, Consider the following facts concerning the “Washington Redskins” name: 1) The highly respected Annenberg Public Policy Center polled nearly 1,000 self-identified Native Americans from across the continental U.S. and found that 90% of Native Americans did not find the team name ‘Washington Redskins’ to be ‘offensive.’ 2) In an April 2013 Associated Press survey, 79% of the respondents stated the Washington Redskins should not change their name, while only 11% believed the team’s name should change. Snyder also noted the words of Robert Green, the longtime and recently retired Chief of the Fredericksburg-area Patawomeck Tribe, who said, among other things: “Frankly, the members of my tribe — the vast majority — don’t find it offensive. I’ve been a Redskins fan for years. And to be honest with you, I would be offended if they did change [the name, Redskins ... This is] an attempt by somebody … to completely remove the Indian identity from anything and pretty soon … you have a wipeout in society of any reference to Indian people … You can’t rewrite history — yes there were some awful, bad things done to our people over time, but naming the Washington football team the Redskins, we don’t consider to be one of those bad things.” Thanks for once again letting America know how you felt, Bob; but it seems that your stance has more to do with your wants and desires than with advocating for a downtrodden people. Stick to sports and I promise to never try and convince you of the unfairness of the designated hitter rule.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 02:09:25 +0000