The Washington Redskins’ name trademark has once again come under fire as Native American groups have once again challenged the 1967 trademark of the team so named in 1933. The group cites the Lanham Act, which supposedly prohibits trademarks that “disparage” specific persons.
“It is the worst thing in the English language you can be called if you are a native person,” said Suzan Shown Harjo, a Native American writer and public policy advocate who is the lead plaintiff in one of the most compelling lawsuits in sports history.
Seventeen years after challenging the Washington Redskins trademark, Harjo and six others have renewed their fight, petitioning the Supreme Court to examine a lower-court ruling that denied their challenge on a technicality. via, via.
The group challenging the name compares it to putting Aunt Jemima on a football helmet, which, I gotta admit, sounds like a mighty tasty football helmet. Just to be contrarian here, why would an image for a football team be any different than such for pancake syrup? I’m not a big fan of the name–or the team, really. These groups that find the name of the team so offensive have obviously never seen them play.


Is that really the most offensive thing you can call them? Because if so, I really let the Indian guy here at work off easy when I nicknamed him “Tonto.” He keeps trying to tell us that he’s from New Dehli, but we just cut him off and ask him to please speak more clearly because his Navajo accent makes him really hard to understand.
Seriously, how much native american can these “redskins” actually be in 2009. I really doubt someone less then a quarter percent native is going to be offended, that’s all that has got to be left by now. Let it go already, god damn indian givers.
The term “Redskins” IS offensive, as are the terms “Indians” and “Native Americans.” None of these terms are accurate. For the sake of historical accuracy let’s all agree that for demographic purposes they should be called “descendants of nomadic tribes originating in/around asia and alaska who have a susceptibility to alcoholism and dealing blackjack.” Of course that’s kind of cumbersome so for everyday purposes let’s just use the term “hypersensitive dickheads.”
Suzan Shown Harjo = redcunt?
Good grief…next thing you know, the Baytown Blackies and the Chi-Town Chinks will be bitching.