Robert Griffin Stirs Controversy w/ Tweet

[Fear The Spear]

What exactly would have to happen for a name change ?
Would Snyder have to agree to it, simply from being under pressure by organizations/groups, for it to happen ?
Or could he be forced to do it, either by the NFL or the legal system ?

 

[McD5]

You think his tweet was 'ignorant'?

Needlessly vocal and aggressive? Otherwise I'd say he described American 'group think' pretty well.

I do, yes.

It was ignorant or extremely ill-advised for a few reasons:

1. An african american making that comment was ignorant. With everything those of his race before him suffered and went through.....yes, it was ignorant. That is going to piss off a lot of african americans. Cue Jesse Jackson.

2. Making that comment while wearing a native american sticker on his helmet was ignorant. That shows no respect to what those in the past went through.

3. Making that stupid comment and not thinking that this would open up a huge can of worms about the team name was also ignorant. Yes.

Boone, I don't necessarily disagree with what he was trying to say.....but there was nothing to gain by saying it. Very stupid.

 

[McD5]

Were talking about 150k boycotting a global company like nike and it mattering? That will probably barely be a blip on their radar. And most likely the indians will have to tell them they're boycotting to get any response.

Posted via BGO Mobile Device

A 150k boycott by american indians by itself may not seem like a big deal.

ESPN, ABC or NBC covering that boycott is another story.

The ACLU, Jesse Jackson, or any number of other civil rights groups deciding to take up the cause would be the end of the name, and many endorsements.

Subway, Nike and the like would fold quickly if the above happened.

 

[Dead Money]

dead,

ya know, he has had to deal with a lot of BS along the way. for example, the predictable black QB stuff.

Yeah good point but being labeled a trash talker won't help... (I know he was talking directly to our fans at our stadium but the media has taken it out of context and pasted it all over the place...)

What happened at the DDP? I missed that news.

I must've missed it, too.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

Just watch the video with Larry Michael and him at the DDP... he was off... it was awkward for him and all those quotes counter trey posted were shaky at best. They look much more solid in print. He seemed kind of out of his element and even the part where the media quoted him about Dallas was awkward. I was so impressed earlier with how charismatic this kid was , this was definitely not up to that par.

No big deal obviously but it seemed.......forced? Maybe?

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Just watch the video with Larry Michael and him at the DDP... he was off... it was awkward for him and all those quotes counter trey posted were shaky at best. They look much more solid in print. He seemed kind of out of his element and even the part where the media quoted him about Dallas was awkward. I was so impressed earlier with how charismatic this kid was , this was definitely not up to that par.

No big deal obviously but it seemed.......forced? Maybe?

Heard about those comments, haven't seen the video. Your quote was that he "lost his cool," which I interpreted differently than you meant it, I think. I have to watch the video to comment on the awkwardness (or lack thereof).

 

[McD5]

It feels to me like you are just building it more and more. It started with Subway and now it is up to ESPN and TV. They won't ban an NFL game just because of the name or else they would have long ago.

why would Jesse Jackson care about anything but black people? He doesnt. the ACLU? Because they get so many things done.

Nike would not fold quickly. they didnt fold when Jordan had all those gambling things thrown at him, they didnt drop Tiger when he cheated on his wife, they even resigned Mike Vick after torturing and murdering animals. Why would they now suddenly fold when RG III is just representing the name of his team?

I really don't disagree with his comments, and I'm not trying to build anything. I'm just illustrating where this can possibly head.

I imagine Jesse Jackson, like many other african americans is pretty pissed off and embarrassed by these comments. For an african american to be so insensitive is pretty amazing. Let's see what blowhard Wilbon says.

Tiger's companies dropped him quickly. Some have now joined back up.

Lance Armstrong's companies fled all at once.

That Rick Ross was just dropped by a shoe company this week. Maybe Nike?

If public sentiment becomes strong, they aren't sticking around. They would have nothing to gain. It's business. And any perceived racism isn't good business.

 

[Boone]

yea I'm going to disagree for one reason alone...your entire premise is falsely put since the history of the word, the people and the word's use is not only in question but in direct conflict with said premise. Fact is those other terms are pejoratives foisted on their subjects by other people while Redskin is NOT a pejorative, never has been and was actually a term widely used and made common by those subjects who were subjected to tyranny themselves (only after their tribes went on a tyrannical conquest and wiped all the ORIGINAL tribes tat were once there. So they conquered and eventually were conquered themselves. That's called history and it's happened all over the world so many times I couldn't begin to count it. Every modern day map was drawn by it.).

I gotta say, this sims up my view on the whole name change thing. The moral outrage (such as it exists in the Native American community) seems largely manufactured. The images harkened up by the term are almost universally positive because folks don't think 'racial pejorative' when they hear 'Redskin', ateast not in my opinion. The idea that it has the kind of negative impact as '******' would for an African-American is just not based in reality - in fact, arguing its the identical issue is, again in my opinion, intellectually dishonest

Besides, not sure it matters how RG3 feels about his teams name. I think his comments are more focused on the idea that we all need to feel compelled to acquiesce to the demands and opinions of the enlightened few, because anyone who differs is ignorant or racist.

 

[fansince62]

It's just going to depend on how harshly the media hits it.

At first, the value of the Redskins jerseys etc will go up in value. They will be a rare item.

If they keep hitting it, changing the public opinion years from now to a point where a Redskins jersey is about as cool as a KKK hood, or a confederate flag, then very few will want them.

yea....you have the modus operandi down!

seems to me that...just like a few years ago when the fans embarrassed Snyder into making changes....a lot of this hinges on how unwilling we are to bend to PCness. If you'll pardon the expression...it could be become a Red badge of courage.

hmmm...would the NFL still retain rights to the logo? if it isn't official, I can see an opportunity to make some money!

let's review this in the broadest possible panorama: we have a member of what has been one of the most corrupt, incompetent governments in memory passing judgment and leveling change recommendations on a community that is essentially positive and uplifting. once again...life stands on its head.

 

[fansince62]

I will venture to say that when most people hear the word "redskin" they think football and NOT a "racist name".

damn right. and they think Championships.

 

[fansince62]

sorry folks...good, bad or indifferent...do we really want government deciding what are acceptable names? let the market decide. this is hogwash. a distraction from the diurnal incompetence that is government when it comes to exercising responsibilities that really matter - like jobs, debt, deficits, public safety, etc., etc.

 

[Shi no Tenshi]

McD5, I've been curious for awhile: what's your axe to grind about the name? I have consistently see you come down on the side of changing it, and you seem to take a negative viewpoint with it; in this thread alone, you have spoken of the suffering of Native ancestors and the like. Where did your viewpoint come from with this?

I'm not gonna lie, when I see that sort of message being invoked in response to the name of our team, I often wonder what the speaker wants to do with that info, other than use it for their own agenda. It never seems to be used to actually help Natives. However, I am curious as to where you are coming from with it, as you usually seem to have a decently thought out process on your viewpoints.

 

[Fear The Spear]

damn right. and they think Championships.

haha, yep.....that's what the dictionary says if you look up the word "redskin" !

 

[Ax]

Jebus H. Christis.

Pull the PC panties out the butt.



Dear Dan,

Please have your name legally changed to Daniel S. Redskin.

That'll be the end of it. And tens of adults can stop their crying.

 

[tshile]

When Griffin throws for 350 yards and 3 TD's in week 1 of 2013 all this dumb **** is going to go away.

I cannot believe we have to wait 4 more months.

(that's not to comment on any specific opinions, I respect all the opinions in the thread, just commenting on the situation itself)

 

[Fear The Spear]

When Griffin throws for 350 yards and 3 TD's in week 1 of 2013 all this dumb **** is going to go away.

It may be all gone in a week.......to be replaced by a new trending controversy like "gay NFL players upset for not getting enough respect from fellow players"

 

[tshile]

Yeah unfortunately we have the espn the magazine interview with griffin being released on Friday that is going to stir the pot much more than this. Just wait. I don't have time to make the thread but it'll be here in a few days I have no doubt.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Well what do they expect Griff to say about the issue ? They actually expect him to curse his own team name ?

 

[Docsandy]

I can't help to reply here. Back in the 80s when we were in the superbowl and playoffs in a regular basis, this whole "name thing" came up often. I was lucky to have a chance to spend a week on an Indian reservation in Montana and with an attorney who try to protect their rights. He worked (and in fact still works) with 4 other reservations (Montana, 2 in Arizona and 1 in New Mexico). When we talked about this whole name change, he said and I may not be quoting him verbatim as this was almost 30 some years ago, he said:

"The Indians on the reservation for one don't give a damn. What they care about is funds for education for their kids, heath care and better living conditions without having to leave the reservation". He went on to say that attorneys that defend the Indians for these specific things are sick of attorneys who supposedly do the Name change lawsuits "pro bono" (meaning they don't make money.. yeah sure they don't) to bring attention to themselves when that time could be spent on real issues like health care, education and the like. I just was in contact with him about a month ago and asked him if the "air" had changed any about the name Redskins and he said no. He said in fact, a lot of the kids that have grown up have become fans of the Redskins and could care less about the name because they have learned that it doesn't intend to defame or insult them in any way.

So basically the Native Americans who are talking about representing their nation may not REALLY be representing their nation. I could understand an argument against what my friend said if it was just the one small reservation in Montana, but this involves 4 reservations, 2 of which in Arizona which are fairly large and the one in New Mexico isn't small either.

 

[Shi no Tenshi]

I can't help to reply here. Back in the 80s when we were in the superbowl and playoffs in a regular basis, this whole "name thing" came up often. I was lucky to have a chance to spend a week on an Indian reservation in Montana and with an attorney who try to protect their rights. He worked (and in fact still works) with 4 other reservations (Montana, 2 in Arizona and 1 in New Mexico). When we talked about this whole name change, he said and I may not be quoting him verbatim as this was almost 30 some years ago, he said:

"The Indians on the reservation for one don't give a damn. What they care about is funds for education for their kids, heath care and better living conditions without having to leave the reservation". He went on to say that attorneys that defend the Indians for these specific things are sick of attorneys who supposedly do the Name change lawsuits "pro bono" (meaning they don't make money.. yeah sure they don't) to bring attention to themselves when that time could be spent on real issues like health care, education and the like. I just was in contact with him about a month ago and asked him if the "air" had changed any about the name Redskins and he said no. He said in fact, a lot of the kids that have grown up have become fans of the Redskins and could care less about the name because they have learned that it doesn't intend to defame or insult them in any way.

So basically the Native Americans who are talking about representing their nation may not REALLY be representing their nation. I could understand an argument against what my friend said if it was just the one small reservation in Montana, but this involves 4 reservations, 2 of which in Arizona which are fairly large and the one in New Mexico isn't small either.

Docsandy: Bingo! And thank you. Also, I'm curious: which reservation? Rocky Boy? Northern Cheyenne?

 

[Jimbo]

Besides, not sure it matters how RG3 feels about his teams name. I think his comments are more focused on the idea that we all need to feel compelled to acquiesce to the demands and opinions of the enlightened few, because anyone who differs is ignorant or racist.

Great job of summing up how I feel, although "enlightened" should probably be in quotes.

I will venture to say that when most people hear the word "redskin" they think football and NOT a "racist name".

I'll even go a tad further. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, if you hear the term Redskins and you DON'T immediately think of the football team from Washington, DC........you might be a racist.