Nebraska Newspaper Bans 'Redskins'

CNS News ^ | 1-28-2003 | staff

[Notwithstanding]

The newspaper serving Lincoln, Neb., will no longer call the Washington Redskins by their official name. "Out of respect for native people," the newspaper wrote on Tuesday, "we'll call that team 'Washington.'" Kathleen Rutledge, the editor of the Lincoln Journal Star, told readers Tuesday, "We will no longer use "Redskins" or "Skins" because it is a racial slur. It derives from an old, genocidal practice in this country of scalping Indians to earn a bounty. A bounty hunter could prove he had killed an Indian by turning in a scalp." Rutledge said the newspaper also has stopped printing Native American logos used by sports teams. "Instead, we'll use alternative logos that stay away from Native symbols," she wrote. "Finally, we've decided to drop the stereotypical modifier 'Fighting' when used with team nicknames such as Fighting Sioux or Fighting Illini." Rutledge said she asked the newspaper's sports editor and news editor to research the issue. "The two made a recommendation, and I have accepted it," she wrote.

[Commander8]

Oversensitive Petty Crybaby Alert!!!!

[ewing]

How about Chiefs or Braves?

[RoughDobermann]

Would she object to "Blithering Idiot"?

[LiteKeeper]

If I am not mistaken, the reference to these "tribes" is not a racial slur, but as a means of emulating those that are warriors. I would think that it would be an honor to have team want to make reference to my tribe.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Star Tribune did this 10 years ago in Mpls.

[NovemberCharlie]

"Finally, we've decided to drop the stereotypical modifier 'Fighting' when used with team nicknames such as Fighting Sioux or Fighting Illini."

Is this going to include the Fighting Irish, arguably the most famous "fighting" team out there?

[Hodar]

And naturally, the Minnesota Vikings will be referred to as the Minnesota Scandanavians; the Dallas Cowboys will be the Dallas Beef-workers, the Fighting Irish will be called the Irritatable-Guys-From-Ireland-Who-Hit-Alot.

[Richard Kimball]

And newspaper circulation just keeps on a-droppin.

[leadpenny]

For some reason I love this story. I've never been a Washington R**s**** fan.

[DoughtyOne]

It's redskins, not redscalps. I'm a whiteskin, there are blackskins, brownskins and yellowskins. Who the heck cares?

The graphic shows a proud Indian face. Yes, Indian. I am damned tired of playing an ever morphing game to be politically correct. My culture came here and termed the peope they found here to be Indians. My culture dominated and I don't have to appologize for it.

I'm sick and tired of the manufactured problems in this nation, which are only important because embeciles like this ignorant slob don't have enough work to do to keep them busy.

[Bobby777]

we've got Islamic terrorists trying to destroy the country and the crybabies are out in full force ... and yes, my ancestors included Cherokee Indians ... sheesh ...

[TRY ONE]

....Kathleen Rutledge, the editor of the Lincoln Journal Star.....

Know the difference between a young Cherokee Squaw and Kathleen Rutledge?

A young Cherokee Squaw is a cunning runt!

[Theodore R.]

Does anyone know Thomas Jefferson's reference to "Native Americans" in the Declaration of Independence? He called them "merciless Indian savages"! But IF he fathered a child by a slave, he is PC nevertheless!

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Is this going to include the Fighting Irish?

You mean "Those born in Ireland who attempt peaceful conflict resolution through mediation and accommodation, in a diverse, inclusinve, non-threatening manner?"

[Lion Den Dan]

A shame she does not understand that scalping dates back several thousand years. Primative Americans cut flint knives and later copper knives specifically for scalping long before Christ. In the period suggested by the author, the French offered bounty for scalps.

Scalps do help tally how many of your enemy you have whacked.

[leadpenny]

Just thought of something. Could calling someone a "corn husker" be construed as a slur? Kinda like "red neck?"

[Bobby777]

I'm waiting for the day when they try to "expurgate" that from the Declaration of Independence ... mark my words, the day is coming when some idiot lawyer will file that suit on behalf of somebody "offended" at history ...

[Chi-townChief]

Maybe Washington could be the first proteam to adopt the nickname, "The Fightin' Whities", like that one college did.

[dead]

I knew a liberal idiot from Syracuse University who was bloviating about the "tragic" use of sports names associated with native Americans.

For the life of him, he couldn't cogently explain why it was so unacceptable to do that, yet he didn't object to the origins of his own school's teams being named after Irish Protestants.