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Patent office cancels Redskins trademarks

I grew up watching and listening on the radio to the Atlanta Crackers, a AA Southern League team of the Braves. They were around from 1901 to 1965. When the Negro Leagues were still flourishing, there were the Atlanta Black Crackers. But they were gone before I was born.

Fightin' Whities mascot raises a little awarness, a little cash

WASHINGTON -- Sometimes offense is the best defense.

That appears to be what some innovative Native American Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado had in mind. When local activists failed to persuade Eaton High School in Greeley, Colo., to change the name and Indian mascot of its team, the Fightin' Reds, the Indian university students decided to make their point a different way.

They changed the name of their intramural basketball team from the Native Pride to The Fightin' Whities.

As Solomon Little Owl, a team member who also directs the university's Native American Student Services, explained to reporters, his teammates, who include some Hispanics and Caucasians, wanted to "do something that will let people see the other side of what it's like to be a mascot."

The result? A media frenzy, of course. Network television, major newspapers and radio talk shows have made the Fightin' Whities the best covered intramural squad in the nation. The Greeley Tribune says its Web site, www.greeleytrib.com, crashed last Tuesday when demand for the story soared from the usual 200 hits a day for a high-interest local story to 29,000.

Yet, Caucasians have proved to be remarkably resistant to offense. Quite the opposite, many agree with the e-mailer who saw the new team name as an honor to white Americans, who apparently don't get enough credit for their many contributions to history.

"Help me out here," asked one e-mail to the Greeley Tribune, "why am I supposed to be offended?"

Within days the newspaper, the college and Little Owl's office had received so many requests for team T-shirts that the Fightin' Whities now sell their own line of sportswear at their own Web site with all proceeds going to the Fighting Whites Scholarship Fund Inc.​
 
Turns out you don't have a clue what the issue is. The Patent office based their ruling on an opinion and a whim, not on any ruling in a court of law. Sorry, but I reject any attempt by government to cause financial harm on a legitimate and long running organization because some sensitive little puke in a government office got their undies in an uproar.

If you want to be captain of the twisted undie patrol so be it. No matter how ridiculous you want to establish your position to be, you're drowning in your own bathtub with your claim the "PC Police" don't exist.

well if you don't want the government involved, then you shouldn't go get the government involved via a government contract in the first place.
 
Well ****, everything "may disparage" some individual out there. Choose one thing, anything, and I guarantee you someone out there finds it offensive. Sounds like a poorly written law to me.

There are people just waiting to be offended for sure. But they should have a voice as much as you and I no matter how pathetic it may seem.
 
The "more" is the attempts to enforce what is an otherwise minority opinion based on nothing more than a few individual's hyper-sensitivity.

It's their opinion. Just like calling their issues "hyper-sensitive" is just your opinion.
 
Fightin' Whities mascot raises a little awarness, a little cash

WASHINGTON -- Sometimes offense is the best defense.

That appears to be what some innovative Native American Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado had in mind. When local activists failed to persuade Eaton High School in Greeley, Colo., to change the name and Indian mascot of its team, the Fightin' Reds, the Indian university students decided to make their point a different way.

They changed the name of their intramural basketball team from the Native Pride to The Fightin' Whities.

As Solomon Little Owl, a team member who also directs the university's Native American Student Services, explained to reporters, his teammates, who include some Hispanics and Caucasians, wanted to "do something that will let people see the other side of what it's like to be a mascot."

The result? A media frenzy, of course. Network television, major newspapers and radio talk shows have made the Fightin' Whities the best covered intramural squad in the nation. The Greeley Tribune says its Web site, Greeley Colorado Breaking News, Opinion, Sports and Entertainment | GreeleyTribune.com, crashed last Tuesday when demand for the story soared from the usual 200 hits a day for a high-interest local story to 29,000.

Yet, Caucasians have proved to be remarkably resistant to offense. Quite the opposite, many agree with the e-mailer who saw the new team name as an honor to white Americans, who apparently don't get enough credit for their many contributions to history.

"Help me out here," asked one e-mail to the Greeley Tribune, "why am I supposed to be offended?"

Within days the newspaper, the college and Little Owl's office had received so many requests for team T-shirts that the Fightin' Whities now sell their own line of sportswear at their own Web site with all proceeds going to the Fighting Whites Scholarship Fund Inc.​

I love it. I agree, why should I be offended. At least now those kids have a steady income. Quite ingenious really. That reminds me some of the folks up New England way like to call us good old southern boys rednecks. Little do they realize that most of us use that epitaph as a badge of honor. Especially since Jeff Foxworthy and all his Redneck jokes. I tend to agree, most of us white boys really do not take much offensive at being called something. Actually I took more of an offense to being called a Republican for my anti ACA stance than being called a honkey, cracker or redneck. Although in my younger days when I was overseas I was referred to as a Yank, now that did get my dander up.
 
I love it. I agree, why should I be offended. At least now those kids have a steady income. Quite ingenious really. That reminds me some of the folks up New England way like to call us good old southern boys rednecks. Little do they realize that most of us use that epitaph as a badge of honor. Especially since Jeff Foxworthy and all his Redneck jokes. I tend to agree, most of us white boys really do not take much offensive at being called something. Actually I took more of an offense to being called a Republican for my anti ACA stance than being called a honkey, cracker or redneck. Although in my younger days when I was overseas I was referred to as a Yank, now that did get my dander up.

It noted in the story that offense is taken more when you are in the minority because it's more offensive when it's more threatening. Here's the piece from the story:

If some Caucasians in Greeley, Colo., find little reason to feel offended, maybe it is because they have little reason to feel threatened by the Fightin' Whities name. Caucasians in, say, Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe has not made white farmers feel very welcome in recent years, might feel a bit more anxious about jokes at their expense.​

And it makes sense to me. When I lived in Augusta, GA there was definitely the black neighborhoods and the white neighborhoods. I was in a black neighborhood and a car drove by and said, "hey white boy!" and it clearly wasn't in a nice tone. I was the only white guy around so it was definitely me that was being targeted. It kind of made me feel like crap at the time. Like the whole, "you are different and you aren't welcome here" crappy feeling. I got a little pissed. Not a lot but some for sure. I don't think it'd have bothered me that much if I were in an area where I wasn't the minority.

Funny part that made me feel even less good about all that was that there was a light skinned black guy that was between me and the car and he didn't see me so when they said "hey white boy!" he shouted back at them "I AIN'T WHITE!" to which I had to put him at ease and say... "they were talking about me" which he then noticed I was there. Made me feel even more crappy because that reaffirmed the negativity of being white and being there at the same time.
 
There are people just waiting to be offended for sure. But they should have a voice as much as you and I no matter how pathetic it may seem.

if you want to be one of those people that are offended by everything let me give you a little bit of advise that i have heard over the years.

cry me a river build me a bridge and get over it.

that is my comment to people that want to be offended by everything. basically if you want to be offended by everything then you are an immature adult that has a lot of growing up to do.
 
It noted in the story that offense is taken more when you are in the minority because it's more offensive when it's more threatening. Here's the piece from the story:

If some Caucasians in Greeley, Colo., find little reason to feel offended, maybe it is because they have little reason to feel threatened by the Fightin' Whities name. Caucasians in, say, Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe has not made white farmers feel very welcome in recent years, might feel a bit more anxious about jokes at their expense.​

And it makes sense to me. When I lived in Augusta, GA there was definitely the black neighborhoods and the white neighborhoods. I was in a black neighborhood and a car drove by and said, "hey white boy!" and it clearly wasn't in a nice tone. I was the only white guy around so it was definitely me that was being targeted. It kind of made me feel like crap at the time. Like the whole, "you are different and you aren't welcome here" crappy feeling. I got a little pissed. Not a lot but some for sure. I don't think it'd have bothered me that much if I were in an area where I wasn't the minority.

Funny part that made me feel even less good about all that was that there was a light skinned black guy that was between me and the car and he didn't see me so when they said "hey white boy!" he shouted back at them "I AIN'T WHITE!" to which I had to put him at ease and say... "they were talking about me" which he then noticed I was there. Made me feel even more crappy because that reaffirmed the negativity of being there and being white at the same time.

You may have something there. I was stationed at Ft. Gordon from 1983-86 and retired from the army there. I can see what you mean about being in the minority, perhaps you do have more to worry about than being in the majority. But I think being called names is different than a name of a sports team. A sports team name is not threatening. It just is.
 
if you want to be one of those people that are offended by everything let me give you a little bit of advise that i have heard over the years.

cry me a river build me a bridge and get over it.

that is my comment to people that want to be offended by everything. basically if you want to be offended by everything then you are an immature adult that has a lot of growing up to do.

No one is offended by everything so you are arguing to your own straw man... apparently so as to satisfy your kind of obvious superiority complex.
 
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No one is offended by everything so you are arguing to your own straw man... apparently so as to satisfy your kind of obvious superiority complex.

nope there are people that are offended by everything. you constantly hear them all the time. no strawman here. if you are offended it shows how little maturity you have as an adult and as a person.

It is easy to be offended it is difficult not to be offended.

i am not the one crying over a football name.
 
nope there are people that are offended by everything. you constantly hear them all the time. no strawman here. if you are offended it shows how little maturity you have as an adult and as a person.

It is easy to be offended it is difficult not to be offended.

Everything huh? EVERYTHING!

You are not speaking in truths. Not even close. Had you said some are more easily offended than others, you'd have something. No one is offended by everything and seeing you double down on that comment is weakening your argument significantly.

ludin said:
i am not the one crying over a football name.

And if you read my posts in this thread you'll see that neither am I.
 
so you believe that the 5 who brought it were not offended?
They may be honestly offended. They may be schiet-stirers. I see it about 50/50.

Even if they all are honestly offended, five is way too small a number to dictate policy like this. And even if you try to expand this into others who might be offended yet not inclined to act, studies suggest their numbers are still a very small minority.

ETA: PETA is a larger group, and they probably disapprove of team names like Eagles, Lions, Bears, Rams, Tigers, and so on. Should we mindlessly pander to them simply because they have an opinion and are vocal about it?
 
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I'm offended by the people that think the patient office can remove trademarks because people are offended. I deserve attention too. Come on government, act on someone for me!

Wait..I need four more people that are also offended for action to happen. Is anyone else offended? Come on guys, I only need four people that agree with me.
 
I'm offended by the people that think the patient office can remove trademarks because people are offended. I deserve attention too. Come on government, act on someone for me!

Wait..I need four more people that are also offended for action to happen. Is anyone else offended? Come on guys, I only need four people that agree with me.

The huge over bloated size of our government offends me.
 
nope there are people that are offended by everything. you constantly hear them all the time. no strawman here. if you are offended it shows how little maturity you have as an adult and as a person.

It is easy to be offended it is difficult not to be offended.

i am not the one crying over a football name.

Right. We should not be offended by what stupid people say, we should be inspired by what smart people say.

Ignoring ignorance and surrounding ourselves with like-minded people is just part of our job if we want to be happy human beings.
 
They may be honestly offended. They may be schiet-stirers. I see it about 50/50.

Even if they all are honestly offended, five is way too small a number to dictate policy like this. And even if you try to expand this into others who might be offended yet not inclined to act, studies suggest their numbers are still a very small minority.

ETA: PETA is a larger group, and they probably disapprove of team names like Eagles, Lions, Bears, Rams, Tigers, and so on. Should we mindlessly pander to them simply because they have an opinion and are vocal about it?
Good point. Maybe there is another reason, like that IRS thing. If the government wants a vendetta against certain people or groups they have many ways to carry it out.
 
I'm offended by the people that think the patient office can remove trademarks because people are offended. I deserve attention too. Come on government, act on someone for me!

Wait..I need four more people that are also offended for action to happen. Is anyone else offended? Come on guys, I only need four people that agree with me.
And let's allow Mr. Fry to once again remind us about what being offended is worth...................
Fry Offended.jpg
 
This whole Redskins thing has gotten boring.

I, personally, find the name ridiculous, nonsensical and insensitive...but I believe in free speech above all else.

But there is no point whining about it as clearly the owner is not going to change the name until he is financially pressured to do so.

I would also add, that in addition to the name nonsense, imo, he is the worst NFL owner with a proven track record for negative intervention and incompetence. Good owners are best seen and not heard.
 
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well if you don't want the government involved, then you shouldn't go get the government involved via a government contract in the first place.

LOL. So there you go. You can't address the basic issue of the government arbitrarily damaging a legitimate business, because they felt like it, so you return to 5th grade.

Probably should have left it alone, rather than prove your inability to look at the issue objectively.
 
I said this before, I don't agree with the government acting this way. However, that it happened to Daniel Snyder makes it so much easier to laugh about it. The guy is a total dickwad.
This is an indication of the heart of a tyrant. It is okay for the government to behave improperly, tyrannically, as long as it is against people you don't like.
 
The article also said this was done before and it was overturned in Federal court. The team can continue using the logo as well. This will go nowhere just like it did in 2003.

This time the people who voted for this need to lose their jobs.
 
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