US Patent Office Cancels Redskins Trademark

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Yes and no. Its interesting research but its benign origins have little to do with how the word is used in the more modern vernacular

The only way it's used in the modern vernacular is a football team.

The same applies here, the early Indians were very proud of their heritage and took on the white mans' term, not because it was a pejorative, but because they were very proud of their race and traditions. They weren't cunning linguists and relied on the terms they were taught by the French, British and others

Actually, according to that piece, evidence points to the term having first been used by a chief referring to "redskins and whiteskins", then adopted by European settlers.

The Star-bellied Sneetches from Seuss explain it pretty darn well

Great book. Just read it to my niece last week.

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Shut up or answer this question:

Would you say, as a coach, to an American Indian player: "Go get me that other redskin so we can go over a new play" to the only other American Indian football player of two on your high school team?

If you say yes you're either a liar or a complete fucking douche.

And don't give me some crap about how "Well, it depends on whether they knew I didn't intend an insult" or "If our team nickname was .... blah blah horseshit."

EDITED TO ADD: I have seen black hip hop artists indicate, when asked why they use the term "nigger" or "nigga" when referring to others of their race, that it's acceptable to blacks as a term of endearment between them.

So, are you, from your defense for what you suggest is the benign term "redskin" as acceptable to American Indians, suggesting that nigger or nigga is also an acceptable name for an NFL team, because it's unoffensive in some contexts to blacks?