Political correctness, omnipresent in today’s major social issues and practiced both left and right of the aisle, is not central in the debate over Washington’s use of the Redskins name and mascot. Supporters of the team title and mascot would like us all to believe this argument is about hypersensitive liberals, big government intrusion and the “thought police.” Taking this line of thought masks the real issue and avoids the bigger implications of using a distinct people as a mascot. Changing the mascot is about more than oversensitivity and someone’s feelings being hurt. It is not an issue of political correctness; it is a civil and human rights issue.

Native Americans are indigenous peoples of North America. They inhabited an area from Alaska to Panama for 12,000 years (at least) prior to European colonization. Native Americans are comprised of more than 500 tribes, and prior to 1492 numbered as many as 18 million inhabitants in North America. They are diverse in culture and language.

Since 1492, Native Americans have been systematically exterminated, enslaved, concentrated, removed and culturally re-educated at the hands of colonists and later our own government.

Native Americans, who now number 5.1 million, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, comprise 1.6 percent of the U.S. population. A majority of native languages are extinct or dying along with cultural practices.

The discussion is about more than “just a name.” The origin of the term “Redskin” is irrelevant. What is relevant is the term is a racial epithet, categorized with the most heinous terms used to identify blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Italians, Chinese and so on. Not very pleasant, huh? It is a term designed to degrade Native Americans, and it consolidates the myriad of North American tribes into a single generic category, denying recognition of their vast cultural diversity.

A common argument for Washington supporters is the name Redskin and the homogeneous Indian head mascot in some way “pay tribute” to Native Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth. In history and media, we have merged all Native Americans into a single image, usually that of a Plains Indian with headdress and tipi, and further classified Indians into two categories; the “savage” and the “noble warrior.” Watch any classic Western movie to witness these stereotypes. Who is the Washington mascot? What tribe is he from? Using a generic Indian further dilutes Native American heritage and fails to recognize native peoples as a living, diverse ethnicity. I fail to see how this honors America’s first residents.

Native Americans need to be recognized as distinct tribes and ethnic groups. If we really want to honor Indians, we’ll treat them as people, respecting their history and culture and not using them as mascots.

Washington owner Dan Snyder established the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation this year as a blatant diversion to the true issue. If Snyder is really concerned with Native American issues, he’d sit down at the table with native leaders and find a way that both sides could come out of this victorious. Snyder has the ability to control the message at this point and he should take every opportunity to do so before change is shoved down his throat. The NFL is a tax-exempt entity (501(c)(6)) that operates under an antitrust exemption granted by the federal government. The pressure is mounting and change is coming. Wouldn’t it be nice to acknowledge the change was for the right reasons, truly honoring our indigenous peoples, rather than forced change that will obscure the bigger picture?

— Loren Bailey lives in Bend.