# Redskins name "change": A proposal **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 21, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847 "2014-12-21T21:04:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/21 "2014-12-22T19:44:32Z")
How 'bout changing the name Redskin to mean “dead horse”. Surely this one had been beat enough. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/22 "2014-12-22T22:04:24Z")
They should change the name to “the Honkies”. At the first game under the new name, they should make sure that the starting lineup consists entirely of African-Americans. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/23 "2014-12-22T22:17:19Z")
They should have a name that harkens to our nation capitol and the public servants who toil for the good of the country there. I propose: The Lazy, Good-for-Nothing, Corrupt, Hypocritical, A-holes. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/24 "2014-12-22T22:49:35Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Maybe they should change it to “Brownskins” and have a mascot of a black dude with a fro. You know, to honor African Americans, since those ungrateful Native Americans aren’t quite digging the way they’ve been honored. Whatever happens, I’m sure with enough white guys working the problem, we’ll come up with a good solution. Kind of a flip post, but it makes sense as a team name. I’m not certain how many NFL players are of Native American decent, but there sure are a hell of a lot with at least some African ancestry. But yeah, it seems a little crass to memorialize the target of genocide by making them a mascott for a team invented by their destroyers. Might be appropriate for a lacrosse team, though. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/25 "2014-12-22T22:51:02Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > They should have a name that harkens to our nation capitol and the public servants who toil for the good of the country there. I propose: > > The Lazy, Good-for-Nothing, Corrupt, Hypocritical, A-holes. post 13. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/26 "2014-12-22T23:44:13Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > I see, just make the name mean something else. > > Remember > Everyone > Ducks > Stay > Keen > In > Natty > Spats Red Eyed Daughters Sometimes Kill Irritating Noisy Sons You see? All this fuss, and all the name ever was was a warning to parents of lethal sibling fights . . . ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/27 "2014-12-23T03:22:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > IT won’t work because you can’lt dictate the meaning and connotation of words. There’s glory for you. > > The Boston Redskins were clearly referring to native Americans, since at the time it was first used, there were also the Boston Braves. Newer teams in big cities sometimes draw some connection to established teams for their nicknames (Giants/Titans, Tigers/Lions, Mets/Jets/Nets). Could they do something like that then? Washington already has something similiar with the Capitals and the Nationals. Why not say, the Senators, (yes, I know there were several teams in the past that used that) or say, the Colonials? Something related to the area. A lot of cities have done that – Pittsburgh Steelers, Milwaukee Brewers, etc) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/28 "2014-12-23T03:42:47Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > They should change the name to “the Honkies”. At the first game under the new name, they should make sure that the starting lineup consists entirely of African-Americans. Thing is, this wouldn’t offend or otherwise bother me in the slightest. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/29 "2014-12-23T03:52:54Z")
I suppose the Washington Injuns would be out. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/30 "2014-12-23T11:01:47Z")
They way they’re playing this year, they might as well change their name to The Washington Generals. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/31 "2014-12-23T14:44:34Z")
I wish they would just change the name to the Washington Whiteskins. It’s not offensive, really! It would honor all the proud people with white skin who have contributed to football over the years. The mascot could be a robust, rosy-cheeked white man, maybe with spats and a top hat (think the mascot from Monopoly). Kind of a rich, white lawyer who defeats his opponents with technicalities and lawsuits. What better representative of DC, even all of football really, could there be than a white lawyer? ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/32 "2014-12-23T15:22:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Thing is, this wouldn’t offend or otherwise bother me in the slightest. > mmm 1. Are you white? 2. Do you live in a country where the majority of the population is white? 3. In your lifetime, have you experienced few, if any, discrimination as a result of your membership in the majority white population? If your answers to the above questions are “yes,” then it’s not a suprise that the proposal to change the team name to “Honkies” wouldn’t bother you in the slightest. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/33 "2014-12-23T15:50:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I suppose the Washington Injuns would be out. “Engines” might work… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/34 "2014-12-23T15:59:16Z")
POW-a-TAN. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/35 "2014-12-23T16:06:18Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > 1. Are you white? > 2. Do you live in a country where the majority of the population is white? > 3. In your lifetime, have you experienced few, if any, discrimination as a result of your membership in the majority white population? > > If your answers to the above questions are “yes,” then it’s not a suprise that the proposal to change the team name to “Honkies” wouldn’t bother you in the slightest. Well, that’s the entire point, isn’t it? I think the team name of Redskins is simply awful and flat-out racist. But speaking as a white dude who has lived where I was a minority, and treated differently because of it, the term honkie is just simply powerless to me. It’s bizarre, archaic, and does not make me any more offended than if someone proposed to rename the team the “Washington Colorless Worm Flibbity-Floo Snot Rockets.” I also recognize that the word honkie is intended as an insult, and it would be stupid to name a team that. But to play the card that someone could only not be offended by the term honkie if they have never lived as a minority population is simply in error. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/36 "2014-12-23T16:12:59Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Well, that’s the entire point, isn’t it? > > I think the team name of Redskins is simply awful and flat-out racist. But speaking as a white dude who has lived where I was a minority, and treated differently because of it, the term honkie is just simply powerless to me. It’s bizarre, archaic, and does not make me any more offended than if someone proposed to rename the team the “Washington Colorless Worm Flibbity-Floo Snot Rockets.” > > I also recognize that the word honkie is intended as an insult, and it would be stupid to name a team that. But to play the card that someone could only not be offended by the term honkie if they have never lived as a minority population is simply in error. Let me get this straight – you’re arguing your experience living someplace as a minority is equivalent to the historic discrimination that Native Americans (and other minorities) have experienced in the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/37 "2014-12-23T16:21:57Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > Let me get this straight – you’re arguing your experience living someplace as a minority is equivalent to the historic discrimination that Native Americans (and other minorities) have experienced in the United States? No. That isn’t what I said at all. If you had read my post, instead of jumping straight to being offended by it, you will note that I said that I find the team name to be “awful and flat-out racist.” What I said was that thinking that the main reason a white person isn’t offended by the term “honkie” is that they have never been a minority or experienced discrimination is an error on your part. The term “honkie” is certainly intended to be an offensive term, but if I had to guess, most white people view the term as strange and not having the offensive power that other insults do when used against non-whites. Please go ahead an re-read my previous post if this is not clear to you. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/38 "2014-12-23T16:30:53Z")
Washington Niggers Washington Towelheads Washington Chinks Washington Japs Washington Spics Washington Kikes Washington Sand Niggers Washington Dotheads Washington Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys Washington Gyps Washington Limeys Washington Guidos ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/39 "2014-12-23T18:12:39Z")
They practice in VA, play in MD. Change the name to something that reflects reality. Landover Lizzards? DMV Clerks (DMV sometimes used to mean DC, MD & VA as in “best sports bar in the DMV”. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847/40 "2014-12-23T19:55:28Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Washington Niggers > Washington Towelheads > Washington Chinks > Washington Japs > Washington Spics > Washington Kikes > Washington Sand Niggers > Washington Dotheads > Washington Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys > Washington Gyps > Washington Limeys > Washington Guidos If this was a joke (I assume it is), it kind of falls flat, Let’s just try not to throw around those terms (even jokingly) in threads not about those kind of jokes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redskins-name-change-a-proposal/707847.md?page=3)