U.S. Patent and Trademark office cancels protection of Washington team name

[seanbrock 1,684]

 

 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."

That's in the first amendment, bud. I know that you've actually been pretty vocal about defending gay rights so I'm not saying this is you talking but to me, that's all that needs to be said. It isn't abandoning your religious beliefs to say that gays are legally allowed to get married. Maybe in your eyes they're going to hell for it, but there is a reason why law and theology are separate in this country. To protect the RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I am probably one of the biggest gay rights activists (bad wording, but you get what I mean) on the forum... At least vocally anyway, and DEFINITELY amongst the more right-leaning members here -- obviously the lefties will be vocally for same-sex marriage.

And that what you quoted does NOT say there should be a separation of church and state... That is merely but one interpretation that unfortunately our highest forms of government have latched onto (such as the Supreme Court). That clause you quoted was meant to keep the government from imposing religious beliefs onto the people, as England once did to the colonists. Some of the language used in draft versions of the document make their intent very clear...

Congress shall make no law establishing one religious sect or society in preference to others

 

 

Congress shall make no laws touching religion or the rights of conscience

 

It was always meant to keep government out of religion. Not to necessarily keep have some kind of weirdly interpreted "separation" of both entities from each other. I know the lines are thin, and the language broadened as not to be too specific... but the actual terms "separation of church and state" do not exist in the document you are quoting. It wasn't even used as such until the 1800s in a letter Jefferson wrote.

Regardless, the entire idea of "separation of church and state" is a liberal one -- not a conservative one. Conservatives would be more apt to not imply such silly things from the documents they cherish so dearly to govern our country. They would (again, in a general / broad scope) take it more literally.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Favre4Ever

[GA_Eagle 595]

Splitting hairs in this case since the most vocal gay marriage opposition is imposing a tenant of their religion upon others.

 

So. Redskins. Racial slur. It is.

[Turry 755]

Everybody in the last two pages in this thread is a douchebag now with that being said. Complete non issue up here and even the term "redskin" not a big slang word up here tons of different words that are used here for example Wagon burner, Red Nigger (watch tgp gets offended as I use examples way things going as of late) I know a lot of people here who are full blooded natives who are also redskins fans I'm also part dirty injun (another slang word up here)and i m not offended by it at all and they actually like the fact of the team name is redskins and the logo.

 

All depends on who you are and where you live I guess. I will say the same people who bitch about it are the same colour who take pride in skin colour which is the most idiotic thing ever.

[GA_Eagle 595]

Everybody in the last two pages in this thread is a douchebag

Hmmm. I have been known to squirt into a vag.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

Everybody in the last two pages in this thread is a douchebag now with that being said. Complete non issue up here and even the term "redskin" not a big slang word up here tons of different words that are used here for example Wagon burner, Red Nigger (watch tgp gets offended as I use examples way things going as of late) I know a lot of people here who are full blooded natives who are also redskins fans I'm also part dirty injun (another slang word up here)and i m not offended by it at all and they actually like the fact of the team name is redskins and the logo.

 

All depends on who you are and where you live I guess. I will say the same people who bitch about it are the same colour who take pride in skin colour which is the most idiotic thing ever.

 

Never really thought about it that way. They are upset we are deeming them by color of skin, then they are proud of the color of their skin.

 

Wow, that really is kind of ass backwards in a way LOL

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

[Turry 755]

 

Never really thought about it that way. They are upset we are deeming them by color of skin, then they are proud of the color of their skin.

 

Wow, that really is kind of ass backwards in a way LOL

Not even like that man. World would be a far better place if people did not take pride in their skin colour or their ethnicity. Take pride in something you do or accomplish not something so trivial.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

I think that we should call the team the Washington Red.

 

In honor of how they changed the Syracuse Orangemen to the Syracuse Orange.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

Not even like that man. World would be a far better place if people did not take pride in their skin colour or their ethnicity. Take pride in something you do or accomplish not something so trivial.

So much win.

[Guest Phailadelphia]

Yall mufuckas need more Richard Wright in your lives.

[Thanatos 2,847]

 

Never really thought about it that way. They are upset we are deeming them by color of skin, then they are proud of the color of their skin.

 

Wow, that really is kind of ass backwards in a way LOL

Um. No. They are upset because you are using a racial slur to describe a team, not because the slur itself is "redskin."

[Vin+ 3,121]

http://www.kansas.com/2014/06/26/3527375/woman-behind-fight-against-washingtons.html

 

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.”

 

 

[Turry 755]

not gonna even bother.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

This lady needs something to occupy her time. The last line cracked me up. "If you want to be sensitive to Native Americans that is the thing to do" Lol, Fuck off cunt. You are more than sensitive enough for everyone on the planet, nobody needs to support her in this dumb ass crusade. I hope the supreme court comes to their senses and crushes this bitch like a bug.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

With all of this oersensitivity bullshit I am waiting for PETA to tell the browns, The Ravens, The Falcons, The Seahawks, The Dolphins, The Bronco's. The Eagles, The bears, The Lions, The Panthers, The Cardinals, and The Rams we all have to change team names because the depiction is disrespectful to animals.

 

Then for people to come in and say that Vikings did not ride motorcycles and the depiction is not what Odin wanted it must be changed.

 

Yep Thanks to this bullshit I am sure we have not heard the last of this shit.

[BwareDWare94 723]

With all of this oersensitivity bullshit I am waiting for PETA to tell the browns, The Ravens, The Falcons, The Seahawks, The Dolphins, The Bronco's. The Eagles, The bears, The Lions, The Panthers, The Cardinals, and The Rams we all have to change team names because the depiction is disrespectful to animals.

 

Then for people to come in and say that Vikings did not ride motorcycles and the depiction is not what Odin wanted it must be changed.

 

Yep Thanks to this bullshit I am sure we have not heard the last of this shit.

 

Did you REALLY go there?

[Thanatos 2,847]

This is not at all the same thing. First, the Chiefs were not named after the head of an Indian Tribe. Second, Chiefs is not a slur. Third, making everyone who is named after any tribe/country/group of people change their name is stupid.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

 

Did you REALLY go there?

 

Oh we are all anxiously awaiting your faux moral outrage, please continue...

[Will Fairfax 3]

If the Redskins name is offensive then what about these team names?

 

https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/485958967655280641

Edited July 7, 2014 by Will Fairfax

[Dutch 874]

If the Redskins name is offensive then what about these team names?

 

https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/485958967655280641

 

Lol @ Giants/Titans being offensive to midgets.

 

Btw, welcome to the boards and funny first post

Edited July 7, 2014 by Dutch

[oochymp 2,393]

some interesting comments from Snyder in an interview with Chris Cooley (working for ESPN) I'm posting the link to the Washington Post write up after the quote if you want to read the full context, but the bulk of the interesting commentary is here:

I said, I wrote a letter to the fans last, I think it was last October, and I said I wanted to make sure that I would listen and I would learn. So I set about, and I traveled around, and I remember my wife saying to me, “Where are you going now?” I said, “We’re going to Arizona,” or “We’re going to New Mexico,” or “We’re going to South Dakota,” and all these different states all over the country. And I wanted to meet with the leadership, as well as tribal members, and it was a great, great, uh, quite frankly a lot of fun. It was quite a trip, and we enjoyed it, and it took months to do.

 

And what I learned, what I listened and learned, is really that they love this team. They actually have a tremendous amount of fans on reservations, not only for our team, but many teams that have Native American imagery — the Atlanta Braves, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Blackhawks. And they really are proud of these teams, and I think that I learned more of the truth.

 

And what I did see that got me and touched me, and really moved me, and I think you know because you have now visited a lot of reservations as well, is the plight of Native Americans. The things that people don’t talk about. You know, it’s sort of fun to talk about the name of our football team, because it gets some attention for some of the people that write it, that need clicks, or what have you. But reality is, no one ever talks about what’s going on on reservations, the fact that they have such high unemployment rates, health care issues, education issues, environmental issues, lack of water, lack of electricity.

 

No one wants to talk about that stuff, because it’s not cocktail, chit-chat-talk, it’s a real-life need, real-life issues. And I think they don’t want to focus on that, and I dedicated an effort to do that. And I said after what I saw, and listened, and learned, it moved me. It moved me, it moved my wife, it moved my family, it moved everyone who went with us — Bob Rothman, Dwight Schar, some of my partners went on many of the journeys. And we would go back the airport afterwards, saying, “Gosh, we gotta do something, we gotta help.”

 

And you mentioned the local community charity that we have, the Washington Redskins charity that have here in the community. And you talk about what we do for kids, and we said, you know, we can do something big for Native Americans, and we can do something for Indian country. We can bring to light a lot of the real-life issues, a lot of the real-life needs. Things that are going on that are not fun, chit-chat, cocktail talk about the name of our football team , but really talking about the fact that — I went out to Zuni, for example, in New Mexico, they’re a Pueblo tribe. They have 67 percent unemployment. We talk in our country that we’re now at six percent or whatever unemployment and that’s too high. How about 67 percent unemployment? You’d sit there and say, “No, it can’t be.” Well, it is. You talk about, in South Dakota, that they have unbelievably cold weather, and conditions that are just horrific, and they need some assistance.

 

And I think that those are the real issues that America should be talking about.

 

I'm always quick to point out the source, so you have to keep in mind that the comments are at least somewhat self-serving for Snyder, but he does bring up an interesting point that regardless of what you think about the Redskins' team name Native Americans are almost undoubtedly facing bigger issues right now

[Guest Phailadelphia]

And the fact that they're facing bigger issues isn't really relevant to this issue. His "point" is essentially a deflection.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Phailadelphia

[oochymp 2,393]

And the fact that they're facing bigger issues isn't really relevant to this issue. His "point" is essentially a deflection.

it may be a bit of a deflection, but it's highly relevant given the amount of time and money that has been poured into the issue by Native American advocates to point out that there are other ways those resources could be used that would actually help Native Americans rather than focusing the national discourse on a team name

[Guest Phailadelphia]

It's nothing more than a red herring. Sadly, people are falling for it.