Chiefs Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard - Page 7

**BigRedChief** · 06-25-2014, 11:01 PM

The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue.

The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly.

Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas.
They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins.

The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs.
As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return.

“What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.”

For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo.

The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.”

The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated.
The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress.

Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City.

She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well.

She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity.

“I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.”

Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment.

The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.”
That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own.

That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case.

There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight.
“I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing.

“If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy

Early 90's

displacedinMN · 06-26-2014, 07:31 AM

Just think there are more important things than a name.

or does any of it matter after we have left this world

Eleazar · 06-26-2014, 07:32 AM

You'd have an argument about that, if Congress was spending a week debating this in session and holding up other business.

It seems to be a couple of wacko activists who go around getting offended by things and trying to rid the world of things that are "offensive". It's not like all of Washington came to a halt over this.

**Fire Me Boy!** · 06-26-2014, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cochise

Chief isn't like Redskin in the sense that is specifically uses their 'race' for the mascot. And to some people Redskin could be pejorative, whereas Chief is not.

The Chiefs franchise does identify with various imagery of Indian things, like the arrowhead symbol itself, so you can't really say they are named after H. Roe Bartle, really... but there's no reason to attack this name. It's not demeaning. Will the standard be that you can't have any name that refers to any group of people?

Do all teams have to be animal named now? Isn't the roaring Chicago Bear offensive to bears, because it portrays them as savages?

If you read the historical post earlier, it would seem the arrowhead symbols are actually a reference to Bartle's involvement with Boy Scouts - the arrowhead is used throughout Scouting as leadership award.

**hometeam** · 06-26-2014, 07:36 AM

I'd like to see them try and take away my Chiefs imagery.

|Zach| · 06-26-2014, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

Just think there are more important things than a name.

or does any of it matter after we have left this world

You're right man. Nothing at all matters. Where do I subscribe to your newsletter?

OmahaChief · 06-26-2014, 07:37 AM

Nex thing you know these nutjobs will be pissed off at the name commander in chief or complain about Eric Church's ablum Chief or any thing they can come up with.

I am one eighth Cherokee Indian and I do not find any of this offensive. Of course not much offends me so I don't relate to these people.

OmahaChief · 06-26-2014, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fried Meat Ball!

If you read the historical post earlier, it would seem the arrowhead symbols are actually a reference to Bartle's involvement with Boy Scouts - the arrowhead is used throughout Scouting as leadership award.

We best ban use of that then...someone will be offended.

**Fire Me Boy!** · 06-26-2014, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Zach|

You're right man. Nothing at all matters. Where do I subscribe to your newsletter?

I'm only subscribing if he'll give me secret "source" information from the Senate.

Reerun_KC · 06-26-2014, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rausch

There's a huge difference between using a Native American name and using a racist Native American term...

But there is nothing racist about white people dressing up as Indians, or a football team players posing in ceremonial dress, the tomahawk chop or some dufus dressing up as an indian in the stands with arrows in him...

Yeah, I agree, I don't see anything racist about that either...

White power!!!!

Reerun_KC · 06-26-2014, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmahaChief

Nex thing you know these nutjobs will be pissed off at the name commander in chief or complain about Eric Church's ablum Chief or any thing they can come up with.

I am one eighth Cherokee Indian and I do not find any of this offensive. Of course not much offends me so I don't relate to these people.

1/128 here and have a long blood line of Cherokee in my family on both sides...

We don't find the Redskins offensive, nor do we find the Chiefs and its Indian tradition offensive either...

But if the Redskins change, you can damn well bet the Chiefs, Indians, Braves, etc will all be next...

keg in kc · 06-26-2014, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

1/128 here

Am I reading that right? One one-hundred and twenty-eighth?

**hometeam** · 06-26-2014, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

But there is nothing racist about white people dressing up as Indians, or a football team players posing in ceremonial dress, the tomahawk chop or some dufus dressing up as an indian in the stands with arrows in him...

Yeah, I agree, I don't see anything racist about that either...

White power!!!!

Except.. there is no malicious intent behind it. All these teams are honoring the traditions and people behind the imagery they use.

Not to mention, racism, pseudo racism, implied racism is not illegal.

They can bitch all they want. The problem occurs when the government gets involved.

This whole movement is similar to the sharia law movement in the Europe. Next thing you know muslims will start suing newspapers for printing images of mohammed. Where does it end?

aturnis · 06-26-2014, 08:05 AM

Redskins I get. But Chiefs is a title/rank. Are they going to make it illegal to make chief executive officer a job title?

Chiefs weren't named after Indians, they were named after the former mayor who was heavy into the scouts I believe. It was his nickname.

The fact that they then took that name and for years portrayed it as an Indian thing, to me, is a secondary issue if you ask me. Maybe an apology is in order? Whatever.

****, it's not even an Indian word.

Dunerdr · 06-26-2014, 08:06 AM

Is there a way to get behind the skins wagon now and help em out?

Dunerdr · 06-26-2014, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

But there is nothing racist about white people dressing up as Indians, or a football team players posing in ceremonial dress, the tomahawk chop or some dufus dressing up as an indian in the stands with arrows in him...

Yeah, I agree, I don't see anything racist about that either...

White power!!!!

Nick cannon dresses up as "a white" and makes fun of my people. When he quits I'll quit.

06-25-2014, 11:01 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3039627 VARSITY	Woman behind the Redskins name change says the Chiefs should be on guard The fight took a monumental shift at a protest nine years at Arrowhead Stadium and it’s about to come full circle. No matter what you think of the issue, it will soon be ubiquitous in and around Kansas City’s greatest obsession other than barbecue. The Chiefs are aware of it, and are preparing accordingly. Back in 2005, a group calling itself Not In Our Honor protested before the Chiefs played Washington. The protesters were predominately American Indians, united in their anger over what they perceived as offensive stereotypes passed off as nicknames for sports teams. An older woman, Suzan Harjo, one of the leaders of the protest, met a younger woman named Amanda Blackhorse, then a student at Kansas. They bonded over their passion for the issue, and that’s how the case known as Blackhorse et al v. Pro-Football Inc. came to be. Last week the plaintiffs prevailed when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademarks of the Washington Redskins. The case is under appeal, but you should know that the woman who took on and (at least for the moment) defeated the corporate entity that owns Washington’s NFL team would like to see the same type of case brought against the Chiefs. As she says, the spark that started back in 2005 at Arrowhead has created a fire that will probably soon return. “What happens there, it’s just insane the things they allow to go on,” Blackhorse says of the Chiefs and Arrowhead. “They are definitely in the group (of offensive teams), for sure.” For now, the Chiefs are publicly silent on this. But they know the fight is likely coming, and they hope a few things work in their favor — most notably that it’s tough to compare their nickname with the one in Washington that is a dictionary-defined racial slur. Blackhorse’s group has also protested baseball’s Cleveland Indians, and that team has greatly scaled back its use of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo logo. The Chiefs have similarly scaled back some of their more obvious plays on Indian stereotypes, and they hope they have some other advantages when the fight comes. The team is named after H. Roe Bartle, the mayor who was key in Kansas City landing the team from Dallas in 1962. Bartle’s nickname was “The Chief.” The team stopped using a man dressed in traditional headgear as a mascot during pregame festivities many years ago. In the early 1990s, many of the Chiefs’ defensive players posed for a poster that today both looks absolutely ridiculous and would never be recreated. The team does, however, play the tomahawk chop during games and welcomes fans in headgear and other stereotypes of Native American dress. Those are some of the parts of the game day experience that Blackhorse calls “insane,” and why she expects a fight that’s gaining momentum and support nationally to come to Kansas City. She knows that the vast majority of Chiefs fans will oppose her, but she also knows that the vast majority of fans in Washington opposed her, as well. She says there is “no middle ground with this issue,” that once an ethnic group is used as a nickname for a sports team, the people in that ethic group lose control of their identity and humanity. “I don’t want people to think I’m going around pointing fingers, like, ‘You’re a racist, you’re a racist, you’re a racist,’ ” she says. “That’s not the point. The point is we’re offended. You can love Native Americans to death. You can have admiration, love what we do, how we are, whatever, and still (hijack) our culture without understanding it that way.” Wherever you stand on this issue, there is no denying that Blackhorse’s side is making progress. Teams are sensitive to and aware of perpetuating stereotypes so much more than in the past, in response to public sentiment. The issue is further complicated by context, that this is a fight centered around Indians, who make up about 1 percent of the nation’s population and who, in Blackhorse’s words, “are invisible sometimes to people.” That makes getting the message out a bit more difficult. A group of people that feels offended by widespread stereotyping isn’t big enough to get critical mass on its own. That’s why Blackhorse says the movement needs the help of non-Indians, and part of why she’s so encouraged by developments in Congress and with the trademark case. There is a lot of momentum here, which can be dangerous for teams like the Chiefs that will likely soon find themselves directly in the fight. “I’m not sure there’s anything the (Chiefs) can do at this point other than look for another name,” Blackhorse says. “They could be the team that says, ‘You know what? We understand the issue and we don’t want to be Dan Snyder and fight this in court forever. We want to do the right thing and move forward and avoid this entire battle.’ I’m sure fans will be upset, but still, that’s doing the right thing. “If they want to be sensitive to Native American people, that’s the thing to do.” Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy Early 90's
Posts: 79,090

06-26-2014, 07:31 AM	#91
displacedinMN It was not a fair catch Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Correcting papers Casino cash: $2842630	Just think there are more important things than a name. or does any of it matter after we have left this world __________________ #investigatecarlcheffers
Posts: 36,372

06-26-2014, 07:32 AM	#92
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	You'd have an argument about that, if Congress was spending a week debating this in session and holding up other business. It seems to be a couple of wacko activists who go around getting offended by things and trying to rid the world of things that are "offensive". It's not like all of Washington came to a halt over this.
Posts: 80,659

06-26-2014, 07:36 AM	#94
hometeam Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Casino cash: $4021956	I'd like to see them try and take away my Chiefs imagery.
Posts: 10,645

06-26-2014, 07:37 AM	#96
OmahaChief Down with Nino Brown Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Omaha Casino cash: $9435000	Nex thing you know these nutjobs will be pissed off at the name commander in chief or complain about Eric Church's ablum Chief or any thing they can come up with. I am one eighth Cherokee Indian and I do not find any of this offensive. Of course not much offends me so I don't relate to these people.
Posts: 3,616

06-26-2014, 08:05 AM	#103
aturnis MVP Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Iowa Casino cash: $9975811	Redskins I get. But Chiefs is a title/rank. Are they going to make it illegal to make chief executive officer a job title? Chiefs weren't named after Indians, they were named after the former mayor who was heavy into the scouts I believe. It was his nickname. The fact that they then took that name and for years portrayed it as an Indian thing, to me, is a secondary issue if you ask me. Maybe an apology is in order? Whatever. ****, it's not even an Indian word.
Posts: 13,873

06-26-2014, 08:06 AM	#104
Dunerdr MVP Join Date: Oct 2012 Casino cash: $2329677	Is there a way to get behind the skins wagon now and help em out? __________________ Adopt-A-Chief- Rachel Santschi
Posts: 10,790