Racist Sports Names

Racist sports names used in American culture and media was brought to my attention this semester and I haven't been able to let it go.

This is probably one of those times where I would see a nice looking white middle-aged man complaining on the news about how America has turned into giant sissys, who care about ridiculous things that don't matter.





However, I have mentally challenged people and physically challenged people in my family, and have seen how social limitations affect their life just as much, if not more, than their physical limitations did. I know what it feels like to be belittled, even in the tiniest ways, every day for being a woman, and I know the limitations that it has caused me to put on myself. I have a friend who every single time he did something good, all of his friends called it his dumb Irish luck. I have an aunt who's only

While that one joke you are making about a woman, a disabled person, a culture, etc. you may find funny, there is a good chance that person has heard that joke, or one similar, a million times in their lifetime.

The problem with making these cultures into a character that dances around in costumes and often misrepresents the diverse community, is that without knowing there is a slight bias and growing acceptance for mocking and belittling this particular race.

In an article I found, one Native American parent states "while in some ways the repeated exposure to the slur can be mind-numbing, it can also be enraging. Every day, I see people in the team's merchandise, and I ask myself: What if I wore a shirt that said "Niggers," "Wetbacks," or "Kikes"? How would someone wearing a shirt with the R-word emblazoned across it react to that?"

She brings up an interesting point. Why in the world is it okay to say this in media so many times, when it actually is an offensive and harmful term to some people.

This is because Native Americans hardly have any representation in media, and the only voice we hear is the one of white men in media who tell us that everything is okay and it doesn't matter, simply because they haven't been low-key made fun of their entire lives for being a minority race.

Once we start seeing changes, instead of calling people pansy's for taking things the wrong way, we stop saying things that cant be taken the wrong way. Once we become accountable and hold ourself responsible for our words and how they affect our actions, we will start to see happier, and better represented culture.

Our diversity is one of the things that makes this nation so beautiful and wonderful. Why are we ignoring the fantastic aspects, and focusing our attention on the stereotypical and untrue ideas our media shoves in to our faces? There needs to be a change.