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Team Names

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nobbie48

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I'm not First Nation and not Inuit. I have never thought of the name Edmonton Eskimos as derogatory but is it?

To an Inuit would it sound like naming a Tennessee team the Nashville Ni*****?

Due to my heritage I know a number of people that came here through Displaced Persons Camps after WWII. They got labeled DP's but it was more than an abbreviation. It implied an uneducated, poorly groomed, ill mannered sub species. The stigma can last for generations in redneck areas.

The Washington Redskins are going through the same thing as are the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians.

One factor is that I don't think there are many First Nation members on the teams. Does that matter? Black comedians can use the N word but not a white guy.

So far animal names are safe so maybe they'll be the Edmonton Elephants or Ergrets

Being a whitey it could be a variation of a tree falling in a forest. If a name is insulting but there is no one to be offended does it get heard?

Is this a variation of the statue issue in the southern USA?
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-eskimos-name-northern-consultations-1.4731990

Apparently they did the research and consulted with those who would be offended.

I am not Inuit so I honestly can't say how offensive the term Eskimo is but at face value seems like someone saying Oriental or Blacks, slang but not a derogatory one. As an asian, I would not really be offended if there was an Ottawa Orientals NBA/CFL/NHL team.
Again I could be wrong, just my thoughts.
 
nobbie48 said:
To an Inuit would it sound like naming a Tennessee team the Nashville Ni*****?
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Why am I laughing at this lol this is bad.
 
"Eskimo" was a generic term for indigenous that lived up north, on par with "indian"
There are Inuit, Yupak, Iñupiat, Denni and other tribes. (In Inuit, which means "the people", Eskimo means "he who eats raw meat).
So there never was a people called "eskimos", it was a name us white folk gave to a "class" of people... a lot like the class of people we called "indians" (who are not from India), or like how jews call non jews "goy".
There is a lot of different peoples generically named cuz us dumb white folk couldn't be bothered... then we screwed them over pretty good cuz they were "different"... like all the other indigenous groups and the blacks and the chinese and anyone else that wasn't western europeon caucasion.

So to use some else's anology, it wouldn't be the Ottawa "Orientals", it would be the Ottawa "chinks" or the Ottawa "slants"... or how about the Washington "Honkies" or my fav: The Cleveland "Crackers" (That has a certain ring to it).

Politically "correct" isn't always
"nigger rock PQ" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-nigger-rock-name-change-black-coalition-1.3787740
"Negro Creek, ON" African Canadians in the field - NOW Magazine
 
I've watched most of these teams for years and never once thought of their names being some kind of derogatory slur against anyone. This political correctness stuff has gone way overboard. What's in a name anyway - proud tradition is all I've ever seen, not intention to humiliate or belittle anyone let alone an entire culture.
 
The London Limeys?
 
i'm of a nationality that was once thought of that was lower than human race in the states
 
lucky2 said:
i'm of a nationality that was once thought of that was lower than human race in the states
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That could be anyone honestly.

My heritage is Italian, and much like others, Italian immigrants (admitted not as worse, or as continuing as other ethnicities) were seen as inferior to American citizens.
 
miggs said:
That could be anyone honestly.

My heritage is Italian, and much like others, Italian immigrants (admitted not as worse, or as continuing as other ethnicities) were seen as inferior to American citizens.
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Well, there's tons of white on white racism currently, and historically.
For a long time the Irish were considered scum when they were immigrating to North America back in the 1800's. Look at the Protestants vs. Catholics in Ireland as well. Go to the USA - Polish people are frowned upon regularly. Whilst officially "banned", the caste system in India still exists. Your position in life is set by who you were born to. The list goes on.

Me, I'm of German heritage, and my birthday falls on the same day as Adolf Hitler's. Some genius figured that out, and I was called a Nazi, got relentlessly bullied and worse. My elder sisters got the same treatment.

So, every ethnicity, religion etc is looked down upon by someone of the same race around the world.
Human nature is hateful. That's pretty much all there is to it.
 
It's interesting watching the progression of immigrants in construction. Long ago, Italians were the laborers, then they have moved up to concrete and dirt, quickly followed by development. When I was on the tools, Portugese made up the vast majority of the laborers. Not sure who is at the bottom of the pile right now. It's always a cycle of people perceiving themselves better than others.
 
BigEvilDoer said:
Well, there's tons of white on white racism currently, and historically.
For a long time the Irish were considered scum when they were immigrating to North America back in the 1800's. Look at the Protestants vs. Catholics in Ireland as well. Go to the USA - Polish people are frowned upon regularly. Whilst officially "banned", the caste system in India still exists. Your position in life is set by who you were born to. The list goes on.

Me, I'm of German heritage, and my birthday falls on the same day as Adolf Hitler's. Some genius figured that out, and I was called a Nazi, got relentlessly bullied and worse. My elder sisters got the same treatment.

So, every ethnicity, religion etc is looked down upon by someone of the same race around the world.
Human nature is hateful. That's pretty much all there is to it.
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Precisely.

We're pretty much all d**ks.

Everyone sits on the bottom of the pile at some point because we as a species can't seem to figure out and accept that we're all the same, and looking to have the same things in life.

...with a few exceptions from some notable d-bags throughout history.
 
Jayv said:
I had never really heard of the saying until i moved to Canada. It doesn't bother me one bit, but there again nothing really does.
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Mangiacake.
 
I grew up in a working class transition neighborhood. So much has changed over the years.
Now, even the government housing houses are worth over a million dollars.
It's been fairly rich people, with multiple vehicles, living there for the last 2 or three decades.

Anyways, I remember the Germans, Italians, Greeks, Newfoundlanders, Indians, probably a few others. We seemed to get along o.k.
They'd stay for a few years and then move on to a bigger place further out where there were more of their former nationality.
 
IMO there are sports team names that are out and out derogatory and there are others that could be seen as positive assuming the mascot/emblems are of course not derogatory--some in between. I may be missing the mark but....

Washington Redskins I see as a totally derogatory team name. Should have been gone LONG ago. It is shameful to the team (and fans) that uses it.

Chicago Blackhawks or Atlanta Braves as examples in name only I think are potentially positive (debate could be was it intended to be?) and not derogatory, other aspects may be bad (symbols, crowd chants, etc.). Maybe with some modification of other aspects these names can be a very positive image and a history teaching tool. But maybe if I was a Sauk I may not like them using the name Blackhawk, or maybe I would.... that I obviosuly cannot know on my own as I am not Sauk. The voice and opinion of the people "targeted" (for lack of a better term) is an important part of the debate.

Of course there is always the classic white privilege sentiment, how dare they change my team's name. Snowflakes, Liberals....

Just because it has been done a certain way for a long time does not mean that way was or is right.
 
backmarkerducati said:
IMO there are sports team names that are out and out derogatory and there are others that could be seen as positive assuming the mascot/emblems are of course not derogatory--some in between. I may be missing the mark but....

Washington Redskins I see as a totally derogatory team name. Should have been gone LONG ago. It is shameful to the team (and fans) that uses it.

Chicago Blackhawks or Atlanta Braves as examples in name only I think are potentially positive (debate could be was it intended to be?) and not derogatory, other aspects may be bad (symbols, crowd chants, etc.). Maybe with some modification of other aspects these names can be a very positive image and a history teaching tool. But maybe if I was a Sauk I may not like them using the name Blackhawk, or maybe I would.... that I obviosuly cannot know on my own as I am not Sauk. The voice and opinion of the people "targeted" (for lack of a better term) is an important part of the debate.

Of course there is always the classic white privilege sentiment, how dare they change my team's name. Snowflakes, Liberals....

Just because it has been done a certain way for a long time does not mean that way was or is right.
Click to expand...
Redskins is gone as of today. New name to be announced shortly.
 
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