Jul 25, 2020 3 min read

Dr. Charles Krauthammer lived his life as a man of impeccable reason, logic and common sense. In a rare moment, however, he could take leave of his senses, and such is the case with his position on changing the Washington Redskins team name and logo. All this proves is that Krauthammer is not infallible like the Holy Father. Let me ask, how did we go from “sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me” to the attitude to today wherein one is free to be offended by the most trite and silliest of reasons?

Mein himmel! We are offended by the packaging of butter, for crying out loud! I might add that the sketch of an Indian maiden on particular brand of butter was rendered, in fact, by Patrick DesJarlait, an Ojibwe Indian artist who sought to “foster a sense of Indian pride” on the package, and for 60 years, it did just that. Today’s cancel culture spit out that pride like a malcontented toddler with a mouthful of peas. The logo for the Redskins has also come under fire, and guess what? It, too, was designed by a native American. Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a leader for the Blackfoot Indian tribe, was the creator of that artwork.

Rickey Medlocke, a guitarist and vocalist of considerable renown and a native American of Lakota Sioux and Cherokee heritage, fronts a southern rock band called Blackfoot. Will they now be required to change their name also? As with the changing of Uncle Ben’s and Aunt Jemima products (that also had real people behind their history), what is now different? Why is the history of Indian names of sports teams so bad that they must be scrubbed? Folks, get a grip! Indian names for anything is not an aspersion by any stretch! It’s a symbol of toughness and pride! Ever notice there aren’t any real derogatory names for sports team? Would you cheer for the “Fat Husbands” or “My Lazy BFFs”? There’s “The Fighting Irish” for Notre Dame, and I guess that will be scrubbed too because it’s white supremacist.

This is well beyond silly. Let’s stop this nonsense now! History doesn’t change once the name or the logo goes. It’s still there. Nothing is different. There is really no time to be overly concerned with these trivialities. If you’re bothered by the tomahawk chop at an Atlanta Braves or Florida State Seminoles game, don’t watch. Do something constructive. Protesting isn’t it.

John A. Quayle

Washington