A recent poll released by the Washington Post has delivered the surprising statistic that 9 out of 10 Native Americans aren't offended by the name of Washington D.C.'s NFL team, the Redskins. This number is especially surprising given the backlash against the name over the past few years, consisting of protests calling for the team to replace the offensive term. Ignoring the question of the poll's accuracy in the first place, it's difficult to see why its results should change our attitude toward the moniker.
Consider Ohio's MLB team, the Cleveland Indians. We can hardly call the team name a slur, but combined with the existence of the team's former mascot Chief Wahoo, everyone is subconsciously aware of the connotations of the name. The implication is that an entire class of minority is reduced to an object of entertainment. And the same effect takes place if Washington's NFL team continues to go by the name Redskins. It degrades the Native American population in the eyes of other Americans, even if the Native American population appears to be fine with it.
Those using this poll as a launching pad for a tirade against liberal over-sensitivity are focusing on the wrong aspects of the issue. Looking at the specific effect of a single word isn't going to give us any answers about the appropriateness of its use. We have to look at the big picture, taking into account the various ways a minority is depicted in our culture. If we take a step back and look at the mosaic formed from all these different pieces, the picture may not be so pretty.
The problem lies not as much at the level of offense taken by a group to a term: it's more the attitude of the population that throws it around regularly. It would be naive to think that an attitude that objectifies Native Americans has nothing to do with past violations of human rights such as Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. One has everything to do with the other. Simply pushing these disturbing moments from American history under the rug will not do. It's our duty to do everything we can to redeem the image of those deemed outcasts from society.
Certain outgrowths of cultural objectification can be more subtle. Disney's 1995 "Pocahontas" is by all regards an enjoyable and moving film. Yet even a movie made in the recent past falls prey to the same issue by reinforcing the stereotypical cultural divide between the technologically advanced white man and the simple-minded, yet wise native. Portrayals that further associate Native Americans with the primitive and mystical can often be mistakenly interpreted as a tribute to simpler times.
The concept that the words and symbols we employ in our daily lives have profound effects on our outlook shouldn't strike us as foreign. By avoiding the use of patronizing language and images, hopefully, we can come to the realization that individual, emotionally sensitive human beings stand behind the generalizations we make of them.
