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What's in a Team's Name? How About a Slur?

By Clarence Page, Tribune Content Agency on

Well, that's a relief. It turns out that Native Americans are not offended by the name of Washington's football team after all.

You know, the Redskins.

A new Washington Post poll finds nine out of 10 Native Americans say they are not offended by the Washington Redskins name. That, the Post tells us, is a sign of "how few ordinary Indians" -- instead of, you know, those inflammatory identity-politics activist types -- "have been persuaded by a national movement to change the football team's moniker."

Actually "how few" is how I would describe the number of people surveyed. But that doesn't mean the poll wasn't scientific.

The five-month survey of 504 people, according to the Post, includes every state and the district.

It also agrees with a 2004 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the Post notes, and the responses were "broadly consistent" regardless of age, income, education, political party or proximity to reservations.

 

More than seven in 10 respondents said they did not feel the word "Redskin" was disrespectful to Indians and eight out of 10 said they would not be offended if a non-native called them that name.

Fine. I respect the results of the survey, even though it does not totally dampen my support for the Native American groups that pushed for the name change.

My support is pretty well known. I even became an Internet meme after a column I wrote two years ago was ridiculed, apparently by fans of the Redskins.

The NBA had banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life over his leaked racist comments.

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(c) 2016 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

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