Quote:
Originally Posted by punch it in
There are several different theories and accounts about where the term came from. Nowhere is it definitively stated that the new foundland tribe who painted their bodies red is the true origin. Not to mention, that settlers referring to native americans as "redskins", and this tribe referred to as the "red men" are two completely different things.
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A Senior Linguist from the Smithsonian seems like a pretty credible source to me, especially since his research was extensive, thorough and took months to complete. The point I've tried to make is that this is a unique situation with no comparable equivalent and is hardly an open and shut case.
There is no "fuzziness" surrounding other "slurs" that people try to equate with the word "Redskin". There is no debate on their origin, no debate among the offended community on acceptability and no examples of the word being used the way Redskins is used by dozens of High Schools across the country, some of which are over 100 years old.
Changing an 80 year old brand name with millions of loyal customers is not a trivial thing, and it shouldn't surprise anyone when it doesn't happen immediately just because of heightened media attention.