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FCC + 'Redskins'

Should the FCC ban usage of the word 'Redskins' in broadcasts?


  • Total voters
    57
I'm not a fan of the FCC deciding what's derogatory or offensive.

They don't get to decide what is offensive or derogatory.... they only get to decide what would be allowed on television or not.


Isn't this a proposed regulation of speech by an agency of the government? I would say more people are offended by the words politicians spew than announcers broadcasting a football game or the individuals on its home radio station...

When politicians stop having affairs, being criminals for lobbying and business's, etc. then maybe they can have a valid say... until then they can kiss my ass.

Don't know why i bother since 90% here don't give a damn what the minority wish but...

The first article says "77 native tribes, organizations, and supporters," which i read as 77 tribes plus supporters. ...

...and 77 out of 566 is only 13.6% so apparently the majority of Native Americans don't even care what the minority Natives wish.

Number of federally recognized Indian tribes: 566

American Indians: Census Facts | Infoplease.com
 
...and then the Minn Vikings. Where does the hurt end? My ancestors were Norsemen... but the term Viking was applied and anybody who uses that term is describing their violent attacks, sacking of towns and monastery's, murder, rape, etc. It is very negative and I know it hurts my mother when people would call me a callous Viking.
 
Apples and Oranges. There are Native American high schools that use the team name redskins as their team name.How many majority black high schools would be ok with niggers as their team name?

The only substantive difference is the number of people who think it's a racial slur.
 
First amendment protects that. If people don't like it don't support it.

Way to attack the straw man, chief! People want it to change. So you've already admitted there's no problem whatsoever with people protesting use of the name "redskin," even boycotting the NFL in the process if they want to. Great. That's my point entirely. These protests are just another aspect of free speech, as are people who organize boycotts against businesses that discriminate against homosexuality, or call for the firing of a CEO who says something homophobic. Just free speech and the free market at work.

So, do you think the FCC should allow everything in the name of free speech? After all, first amendment is about what the government does, not what customers do. Hardcore pornography on primetime NBC? Free speech man. If you don't like it, don't support it.
 
Simpleχity;1063825346 said:
There you have it. The FCC is considering banning the word 'Redskins' from the broadcast mediums it regulates.

What say you?

The term can be used as a derogatory slur. Using it as the name of your team qualifies as derogatory. But as note, a redskin potato isn't, as an example. I'm reluctant to be too black and white on dueling meaning terms.
 
The only substantive difference is the number of people who think it's a racial slur.

So according to that logic all it takes to get a word banned is for one person to think it is a racial slur and the word is automatically as toxic as nigger.
 
The term can be used as a derogatory slur. Using it as the name of your team qualifies as derogatory. But as note, a redskin potato isn't, as an example. I'm reluctant to be too black and white on dueling meaning terms.

so using it proudly as a team name is derogatory, what about the native American high school teams that use it? Are they self hating native Americans?
 
Way to attack the straw man, chief! People want it to change. So you've already admitted there's no problem whatsoever with people protesting use of the name "redskin," even boycotting the NFL in the process if they want to. Great. That's my point entirely. These protests are just another aspect of free speech, as are people who organize boycotts against businesses that discriminate against homosexuality, or call for the firing of a CEO who says something homophobic. Just free speech and the free market at work.

So, do you think the FCC should allow everything in the name of free speech? After all, first amendment is about what the government does, not what customers do. Hardcore pornography on primetime NBC? Free speech man. If you don't like it, don't support it.
I never said I had a problem with puerile boycotting it. More power to them. But if they are unsuccessful oh well.

I don't think the FCC should play nanny. Just stick to broadcast licensing and so forth.
 
Yeah. It is. The definition of the term: noun, Slang: Often Disparaging and Offensive. Redskin | Define Redskin at Dictionary.com

o_O yes, let's use a public website as a source because I'm sure they ignore media and none of the staff don't have jaded opinions.

The way I see it, if it's good enough for Native American schools, then it's okay for a National Football team. And for all those who want to equate it to the N-word, please show a national team with the team name N****ers.
 
Way to attack the straw man, chief! People want it to change. So you've already admitted there's no problem whatsoever with people protesting use of the name "redskin," even boycotting the NFL in the process if they want to. Great. That's my point entirely. These protests are just another aspect of free speech, as are people who organize boycotts against businesses that discriminate against homosexuality, or call for the firing of a CEO who says something homophobic. Just free speech and the free market at work.

So, do you think the FCC should allow everything in the name of free speech? After all, first amendment is about what the government does, not what customers do. Hardcore pornography on primetime NBC? Free speech man. If you don't like it, don't support it.

Porn and hate speech are not analogous with a slang name like this... not even close. Nobody said that everything should be allowed.
 
o_O yes, let's use a public website as a source because I'm sure they ignore media and none of the staff don't have jaded opinions.

The way I see it, if it's good enough for Native American schools, then it's okay for a National Football team. And for all those who want to equate it to the N-word, please show a national team with the team name N****ers.

You can use any dictionary. And because one insult is more accepted than another doesn't make it not an insult.
 
Doesn't change the definition of redskin, and it doesn't make redskin what some of the others mean. So, no, that doesn't excuse.

The name "Redskin" needs no excuse. What needs an excuse is the hypocrisy of its critics.
 
You can use any dictionary. And because one insult is more accepted than another doesn't make it not an insult.

I'll give you this, clearly some people take it as an insult (though if you understood the history of that organization in particular, you'd know it's not meant as such.) I will say this though, we need a new poll on the topic, and not a limited one done where one side cherry picks. If a majority of Native Americans said they had a problem with it (which there is substantial evidence to say this is not the case, including that poll done back however many years ago) then I would not only be open to changing the name, but I would go so far as to say let them pick the new one. Until that day where we fair poll, then all the noise to me is being done by a very vocal minority.
 
I'll give you this, clearly some people take it as an insult (though if you understood the history of that organization in particular, you'd know it's not meant as such.) I will say this though, we need a new poll on the topic, and not a limited one done where one side cherry picks. If a majority of Native Americans said they had a problem with it (which there is substantial evidence to say this is not the case, including that poll done back however many years ago) then I would not only be open to changing the name, but I would go so far as to say let them pick the new one. Until that day where we fair poll, then all the noise to me is being done by a very vocal minority.

A majority of Native Americans had a problem with the U.S. Cavalry, but we kept it anyway.:mrgreen:
 
You can use any dictionary. And because one insult is more accepted than another doesn't make it not an insult.

And if you look up Native American tribal names you sometimes find that they are insults themselves... Apache means enemy, in another language and Navajo meant large field or valley. So what?
 
Often doesn't mean always

Common usage of today doesn't necessarily indicate common usage of 80 years ago

Dictionaries don't define proper nouns. No dictionary in the world defines the Redskins, as a team name, as derogatory

Even if one wants to throw out the social differences (which is ridiculous to do, but let's play along), Claims that nigger and redskin are inherently equal and exactly alike is still ridiculous given the etymological history of how each term came to be

If one suggests the acceptance of a potential insulting word has no baring on whether or not it's an insult, then said person should be calling for similar FCC censoring of the ethnic slurs Yankee and Canuck
 
Win some, lose some. As I pointed out to classes, Little Big Horn was not an American defeat because both sides were Americans.

I don't think Sitting Bull would of agreed with you. Though the US Government probably saw them as such.
 
I don't think Sitting Bull would of agreed with you. Though the US Government probably saw them as such.

Sitting Bull "came in" a couple of years later, and eventually starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. As American as apple pie.
 
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