Is it time to say "goodbye" to the Skowhegan Indians? (Perry: 2015, lawyer)

[DauntlessDan]

Saw on the news tonight how the NAACP is now after Skowhegan because their sports team is named the "Skowhegan Indians". The spokesperson on TV said that the town was currently having a dialogue with several native American (Indian) groups about what exactly is wrong with the name. The NAACP says that it is "offensive" (ahh that universal term). The spokesperson said that any change will ultimately be up to the school board. You can bet that if the name does not change (become sanitized) then the NAACP will threaten a lawsuit. (From what I understand they've had the name since the 1930s, long before the "politically correct era, and now suddenly it is offensive). And then once this is over, it will be on to yet another obscure little town somewhere in rural America to sanitize that town's names, no doubt. Anyone following this?

[camanchaca]

I say good on the NAACP, this is 2015 and we're a little more civilized now than in the 1930s.

[bangorme]

Yeah, I'm for banning the team names Yankees, Cowboys, Vikings, 49's, Chiefs, Canadiens, Canucks, Padres, and Pirates. Then I'd like to ban all animal team names, because I like animals and don't like people swearing at them. Then I'd like to ban all...................

[AustinB]

I think the Beatrice Rafferty school in Perry has the team name of Indians also.

[arctichomesteader]

I think the NAACP's official name is offensive. Two can play the race card.

[maineborzoi]

Of course it is!! And redundant as a big melting pot.. Ban the NAACP! ( and while they are at it- have Al Sharpton pay his taxes...
http://www.newsmax.com/US/Al-Sharpto.../18/id/608137/

[roadrat]

Yes, we should stop using all reference to American Indians, all hail the NAACP, lets face it the indians were half naked savages that we crushed under our boot heels, we kicked there ass and took there grass, they were losers! why would we want to treat them as anything but incompetent losers as per the NAACP? Maybe the NAACP would be happier if the indian on the town seal was not fishing but wearing baggy jeans sporting a gold toof, holding an EBT card in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other, I guess that would fit there perfect subject.
The NAACP's motto"Keeping minority's on the plantations since 1909"

bill

[mainebrokerman]

when did the term Indian become deroguratory???

ive heard about the "redskins" football debacle but the name is still their

growing up, we had friends/neighbors that were Indians- they were tough as nails, they called themselves Indians, and were proud of it,



I think we are going too far here, the PC police have loud voices and are stirring a pot that they themselves claim they protect..




I remember back in elementary school,, we had a Christmas tree in the class, and we would sing Christmas songs,
I remember the teacher asking us "what Christmas meant to us" and us kids would speak of family holiday traditions, some of us kids didn't have much,,,but even hoping a family member coming back from viet nam would make our Christmas,,,it wasn't all about the presents,,, some kids would say they'd go to midnight mass..
a couple jewish kids, would speak of there traditions, which we were all quite interested in,,,and those kids also sang Christmas songs and didn't get offended by the tree..

I just think the PC police goes way too far
and this is why there is such a cynical attitude towards the b.s.




somewhere

[Kracer]

Double check with the NAACP, it may be the name, "Skowhegan', they find offensive, when used in association with the word, "Indians".

Maine is a great place to bring this threat/ law suit, as small towns in rural areas are least likely to have funds to fight lawsuits. So small victories are assured and add up. As in frontier days when the 'xxxxx' would pick off outlying, isolated settlers one by one.

The threshold for the social justice effort to create victims has been lowered to sub floor level to ensure enough enemies exist to fuel many more social justice campaigns.

One man's tribute is anothers curse. Good luck with that. Maine has become the beta test site for all manner of outside national and federal organizations to cut their teeth.

Lawyers will be the only people able to afford to live there and make an easy living. They are all going to migrate from NJ where herds of lawyer roam the highways and byways looking for work.

Get your thesaurus and dictionaries out and start crossing off any perceived or imagined offensive words before lawyers are air dropped from cargo planes.

[Mark S.]

On the one hand, this seems to be making a mountain out of a mole hill. Most native people I know call themselves Indians and find the term "Native American" to be silly PC. So I just don't see how "Indian" is offensive. If I'm wrong, please explain.

On the other hand, there are other mascots out there where I can kind of see the point. Redskins comes to mind. If we're really going to keep that around, then I suggest the NFL make the following changes:

The Dallas Rednecks
The Atlanta Crackers
The Tennessee Hillbillies
The Philadelphia Wops
The Seattle Slackers
The Los Angeles Cholos
The New England Micks
The Miami Cartel

How are any of those less derogatory than Redskins?