My final thoughts on the name controversy, in something of a stream of consciousness format:
*Words and connotations evolve continuously, this is a fact of life. I don't know if that should matter or not; I think part of it is our culture in America. We are pulled so many ways by so many sets of rules, and worry about offending. We were asked in Scotland if we had any children, my immediate response without even thinking was "we're not married," and the immediate response to that was "oh that doesn't matter in this country." I'm not even religious; being married before children theoretically shouldn't even matter to me, yet that was my response. Really made me stop and think.
*I'm not sure how important proof that 'Redskin' has been used as a racial slur is, but I also feel that no amount of proof will ever be enough for some. I do think some solid, irrefutable evidence that it actually has been used as a slur (and not just 'omg skin color is referenced!') would go a long way. Evidence from long enough ago can mostly be explained away by the connotation argument anyway.
*I'm not sure how important a thorough and all-inclusive survey to gauge how many Native Americans are offended is, because for some I'm not sure any percentage will ever be enough, and for others any percentage is already too much.
*I don't know if we'll ever have an "answer." Life on the reservation, from what I gather, is a tough one in most circumstances. There is rampant poverty and alcoholism and unemployment, and the name of an NFL team will likely never be at the forefront of issues for reservation living. It should be. We as a people and a country should be embarrassed by how we've treated and mostly ignored these problems, and that after all this time, it's what we call a football team that grabs or interest.
In any event, I'm curious to see how far Harry Reid takes this, and also what kind of other controversy he's trying to keep quiet.
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