A society so acquiescent to militarism is not only destructive but also leads to a dangerous ignorance of history. Bob Costas may shed crocodile tears over the use of the name Redskins, but I am sure he won't think twice about cashing his check for covering their games.īut it runs much deeper than that. Why there is such silence over the use of Native American names for tools of death, destruction, and conquest when compared to a silly sports team? Since Native Americans themselves seem to be fairly disinterested in the matter, part of it undoubtedly stems from a culture of politically correct hysteria, where mostly white, guilt-ridden liberals pine over how racist and intolerant everyone else is. If Robert Griffin III's aerial attack needs a new name, then so does the president's. And all of these weapons systems are at the president's disposal. The " Collateral Murder" video leaked by Chelsea Manning starred the Apache versions, giving a slight glimpse into what these helicopters are used for. military has named helicopters after Apache, Blackhawk, Chinook, Chamanche, Iroquois, and Kiowa tribes. If this were the only one, it might be easy to understand. In popular culture, it is generally used to portray the supposed savagery of Indians, as a caricature, and to rally Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta (now talk about offensive!).įor the rest of the world, the American government's version is an incredibly expensive representation of empire and hegemony, a hatchet from the sky that vaporizes towns on the president's whim. On Obama's orders, they would have fired Tomahawk missiles into Syria.Ī Tomahawk axe, derived from Powhatan tamahaac, was a hatchet used by Native Americans all over the continent. The warships were deployed to the Mediterranean.
into yet another war, this time in Syria. I have been very critical of President Obama these last few years, but thankfully there is finally something that I can agree with him on! And due to the president's progressive credentials, I hope that he will lead stubborn Redskins owner Dan Snyder by example.įor example, it was barely a month ago that President Obama and his cabinet could not wait to get the U.S. During halftime of Sunday night's broadcast of the Redskins-Cowboys game, sportscaster Bob Costas also weighed in, calling our capital's team name "an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent." Joining the president's sentiments is NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who had previously shown support for the team's mascot but has lately changed his tune a bit. Earlier this month in an interview with the Associated Press, President Obama said that if he were the owner of the Washington Redskins and he knew the name was "offending a sizable group of people," then he would "think about changing it." Say what you want about President Obama, his sense of taste and sensitivity is matched by few in public office.
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