Welcome to the weekend, fellow imonkers.
First, some sports. The sound you heard Sunday night was the sound of all the land (except South Florida) rejoicing as the Evil Empire was destroyed like an exploding death star.
That’s right, the San Antonio Spurs took down the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA finals. All of their wins came by more than 15 points. All in all, it was one of the most lop-sided finals series in history.
And the Washington Redskins lost their federal trademark on the name Redskins this week, after the U.S. Patent and Trademark office ruled it “demeaning”. Team owner Dan Snyder, noting that the Patent office had approved it before, called them “Indian Givers” and immediately tried to trademark the name “Buffalo Jockeys”.
And of course, some soccer was played down south. They seem to be totally confused about this, however, because they keep referring to it as “football” in spite of the fact that it has absolutely zero 300 pound guys in plastic body armor. Also, the whole tournament thingie is called the “World Cup” in spite of the fact that USA doesn’t win every year like they do in the World Series. Actually, I’m not even sure it’s a sport, since it doesn’t have scantily-clad cheerleaders, fans with blocks of cheese on their heads, or commercial breaks to hawk beer and cars. The rest of the world sure is weird. 
Actually, do you know why its called Soccer in the U.S.? Blame it on the Brits. According to the Atlantic, “From this point [1871] onwards the two versions of football [among high-brow English boys] were distinguished by reference to their longer titles, Rugby Football and Association Football (named after the Football Association)…The rugby football game was shortened to ‘rugger,'” while “the association football game was, plausibly, shortened to ‘soccer.'” Yes, apparently “it was a fad at Oxford and Cambridge to use “er” at the end of many words, such as foot er, sport er, and as Association did not take an “er” easily, it was, and is, sometimes spoken of as Soccer.” Now you know, imonkers. Of course, the Brits changed their mind once the Yanks starting calling the game soccer, and thus only a few countries side with the U.S. on this one today:
Hillary Clinton is making the press rounds, either to sell her new book, test the waters for a presidential run, or both. One interview was all about the books she read. When asked what book “made you who you are today” she had a simple answer: the Bible. Surprised?
A Muslim convert to Christianity has sued an Oklahoma church after the church announced his baptism on their website. The convert alleges that Muslim extremists read about his baptism online, captured him when he returned to Syria to visit family, held him captive for several days, tortured him, and threatened to kill him. The church has only responded so far by saying it was a public baptism, and that “the claims made in the suit are not proper.”
The Supreme Court ruled this week that it was unconstitutional for a school district to rent out a church auditorium for graduation. The Elmbrook (Wisconsin) school district did not have an adequate facility of their own, and planned to use the auditorium of Elmbrook Church. The Supremes re-affirmed their ban on that, stating, “the sheer religiosity of the space created a likelihood that high school students and their younger siblings would perceive … a message of endorsement.” Thomas and Scalia dissented, with Thomas arguing that the religious symbols were not an endorsement, but only a minor annoyance to some people: “I can understand that attitude: It parallels my own toward the playing in public of rock music or Stravinsky. It is perhaps the job of school officials to prevent hurt feelings at school events … But that is decidedly not the job of the Constitution.” What do you think?
I have always enjoyed Leadership Magazine, but boy were they clueless on this one. They published a piece by a youth pastor in his mid 30’s now serving time for having sex with a girl in his youth group. The problem was tonal, with such passages as this: “The ‘friendship’ continued to develop. Talking and texting turned flirtatious. Flirting led to a physical relationship. It was all very slow and gradual, but it was constantly escalating. We were both riddled with guilt and tried to end things, but the allure of sin was strong. We had given the devil far more than a foothold and had quenched the Holy Spirit’s prodding so many times, there was little-to-no willpower left. We tried to end our involvement with each other many times, but it never lasted. How many smokers have quit smoking only to cave in at the next opportunity for a cigarette? We quit so many times, but the temptation of “one more time” proved too strong.” A twitter campaign, takedownthatpost, went viral, pointing out that the post reads more like a story of a pre-marital fling, not the statutory rape of a young girl by a man in a position of authority over her. It took a while, but Leadership finally saw the light, pulled the post, and issued a full apology.
Here is a list of the five most-visited religious sites (think temples, not web pages) in the world. No, my church did not make the list.
Did you know that the CIA made propaganda dolls? Dolls in the form of Osama Bin Laden action figures? Dolls in the form of Osama Bin Laden action figures whose face melts when exposed to heat? Dolls in the form of Osama Bin Laden action figures whose face melts when exposed to heat which then turns into a demon face? Well, you know now.
9,000 policemen in riot gear stormed a church compound in South Korea this week. Wait…9,000?? True, when the “compound” is the size of 30 football fields and hosts a fish farm and cow ranch then Andy and Barney probably aren’t going to cut it. But seriously, 9,000? They were looking, by the way, for a pastor and businessman who may be the owner of that ferry that recently sunk and killed 300 people.
Benny Hinn had some financial challenges. I’m not sure what “financial challenges” mean to a person whose net worth is estimated at 42 million dollars, but he had them. Fortunately he also had a friend and colleague who could help. Todd Coontz explained to him the “The Thousand Dollar Principle”, which had been so profitable for him. This meant that the number 1,000 has great biblical significance, and that those who give $1,000 “seed money” will quickly reap a dramatic “harvest” [read: mega-bucks]. Benny tried it, and whaddya-know, it totally worked. “I was amazed at how quickly and miraculously God worked on my behalf! It was so dramatic…the results were quick, nothing short of miraculous, and totally life-changing!” And the reason, of course, Benny is re-counting this experience in his newsletter is to let his followers know that he now has so much money that he no longer needs their checks, right? Well, no. Benny has the best interests of his followers at heart, of course. Many have planted “seed money” in Benny’s wallet but not seen a harvest. Why? Because they have sown “sparingly”. The solution: “If you have been at a low-level harvest for a long time, then it’s time to release your prosperity with higher seed-level giving and a greater expectation of an unprecedented harvest. It’s time to move into high gear and release the prosperity anointing over yourself and your loved ones! I am asking you to move up to a higher level. I believe strongly that I am supposed to ask God’s people right now to prayerfully consider giving a sacrificial gift of $1,000.” Yes, Benny, we here at internet monk will prayerfully, oh so prayerfully, consider this. And thanks for looking out for us!
Finally, do you remember the Polish town that pulled down a huge statue of Lenin after communism fell in the late 80’s? Well, they now have a new statue of Lenin in the same spot. He’s florescent green. And he’s urinating.
And we go back to the World Cup for our closing video, a highlight compilation of the tournament so far:
The Internet Monk Archives 
Clark,
“….only a totalitarian would disagree.” Ain’t that a mouthful.
The market certainly didn’t deal with it when businesses made African Americans use separate facilities during the era of Jim Crow. In fact, the market facilitated that racism in horrible institutional form. The market is not magic, nor is it moral.
You should cut-out the fanatical name-calling, because it inclines others to see you as a someone who should only be taken seriously if he becomes dangerous.
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I love this. The federal government OFFERS trademark protection. And then decides who can get that trademark protection.
this ranks up there with “Keep the gubmint away from my medicare!”
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YOU DON’T OWN THE TEAM. They are not your property. You have the right not to buy tickets. Otherwise it is utterly and entirely none of your business whatsoever. Except for the sick pathological need of leftists to control the rest of us. And there’s nothing “graceful” about psychopathologies and coercion, or about sticking your nose WHERE IT DOES NOT BELONG!
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Robert, the government has no right, role or authority whatsoever in the matter, and only a totalitarian would disagree. If someone named a restaurant “Fried Chicken for …… ” the market would deal with it. Why you don’t trust the market — your fellow man — to boycott such places until they’re out of business, I can’t say.If enough people in the end are offended by the Redskins, THEY WON’T SELL TICKETS!
ANY other approach to the problem is immoral, unethical, coercive, and Anti-American. Not to mention anti-Christian.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean to imply that being a weirdo is NOT a prerequisite for iMonk readership?? We let NORMIES on this site?!?!
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And we almost did…
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“If you’re like me you’d like to think we’ve learned from our mistakes
Enough to know we can’t play god with others’ lives at stake
So now we’ve all discovered the world wasn’t only made for whites
What step are you gonna take to try and set things right”
– Bruce Cockburn, from “Stolen Land”.
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Agreed. How does a people get reduced to a trademark?
I have “friends” on Facebook who parrot the tea party pablum. Often this stuff talks about people typecast as “collectivist” as if they were a sub-human species worthy of extermination. This was particularly articulated recently by Paul Ryan when he compared the “poor” to stray cats.
That is the problem with categories, labels, and slurs. They are dehumanizing. I want to refer to where Jesus condemns those who call their neighbor “raka”, but I understand the danger of reading too much of current events into scripture. But history proves how attaching a slur to a people is followed by dehumanizing acts like discrimination, internment, and genocide.
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Charles, Jeff dropped in here a couple of weeks ago to say that he was doing well.
What are you saying?
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Marcus – You did a great job this weekend with all of your points. Thanks for carrying the argument so well.
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Jacob C: I’m neither White nor “well-off”, and I’ve actually spent a great deal of time researching the continued marginalization of the Native American community. So, what’s your next point?
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now we are fighting about what race leprechauns are?
stranger and stranger . . .
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My bad. I think my last comment came across not as I intended. Sorry about that, jazziscoolithink.
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Exactly. I grok you.
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Jeez, everybody’s a critic..
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Hinn most certainly is a stranger in a strange land, if you grok me.
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Yeah, I didn’t have space to include all the backstory, but things don’t really add up on this one. Not sure what is going on.
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So much for trying to lighten things up, Rick. Geez! See this as an attempt to illuminate some blatant self-righteousness.
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Good stuff, Rick and Jacob. I agree that there are certainly deeper and more urgent problems that need to be addressed and worked on for years to come. But I don’t see it as a real vs. fake kind of thing. Both are real problems and both should be fixed. Neither should be addressed at the exclusion of the other, but the rampant poverty and low education standards should take precedence.
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Damaris, I understand your statement as a general rule to follow, but it does not apply in all circumstances or arguments, and it certainly does not apply here.
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This used to be an interesting website.
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I would like to bless the memory of Jeff Dunn, an author and editor who was given to fight the good fight of faith against overwhelming depression. While in the midst of this battle he continued to uplift the souls of an astounding number of people, including me, by demonstrating that it is not necessary to be under the thumb of the World System 24/7, that there is a World of Zany equally available that offers relief, respite, and re-creation in life-giving humor and pure fun. It is unfortunate that his medicine was not strong enough to cure his own ills. Perhaps his dosage was too weak. Perhaps he will double up, treble, whatever it takes. I sorely miss him and send out blessings and healings and the wholeness that laughter brings. God bless Jeff Dunn and bring him home this side.
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Jacob C hits the nail on the head for me here. It kind of gets at the point I was trying to make about letting the people who have the RIGHT to be offended fight for the cause. Everyone else should instead be more focused on fixing REAL problems, like quality of education for Native Americans, than fighting the Redskin name issue. Otherwise people with no skin in the game (sorry for the pun) are just taking up the “cause of the day” and trying to make themselves look good, and using the government as a heavy-handed tool in the process.
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Oh my. Didn’t even notice! Good one, Daniel. Sorry for the slight.
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Slightly off topic, I wonder when Satan worshippers will make their offense known about the devil by being made “blue” at Duke or being a “Sun Devil” at Arizona State, and the sports world personifying him with silly caricatures.
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I’m quite bummed no-one has mentioned the European joke in the caption. I worked hard on that one.
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Steve, or anyone,
What do we do with the Cleveland Indians? They were named in honor of Maine’s own Penobscot Indian Louis Sockalexis, who played for them in the late 1800s. No slur intended in that case.
On the flip side, the High School in Old Town, Maine, near the reservation where Sockalexis was born, changed their mascot from “Indian” to “Coyote” several years ago. The Penobscots were in favor of that change.
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Target-rich environment
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Or been near Chernobyl too long.
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Well, assuming the question is a serious question, the reason is because Benny Hinn was mentioned in the article above, which now has several people commenting about it.
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Well, I was just hoping to illuminate some vague hypocrisy through irony, which maybe worked, even if you unwilling to concede anything. 😉
Peace.
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Regarding the bright green statue of Lenin urinating: No wonder he’s urinating: he drank way too much Kool-Aid!
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Heck, I thought being a weirdo was a prerequisite for joining the iMonk community; in my case, I thought it was the main prerequisite.
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Daniel, Hanni has a question for you here.
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SO long.
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Haha! I saw the counter but made the move anyway! Well played, though I concede nothing. 😉
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I bet very few of the well-off white liberals who are so worked up about one word have spent five minutes in the past 10 years thinking about real issues like the quality of schools in Native American lands or the problem of Native American unemployment.
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Who has time to google baptisms and look for muslim converts? I am genuinely curious how this became a thing.
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I’m not sure that PCUSA’s ethical concerns are linked to democracy. And I’m pretty sure that you aren’t suggesting that democracy somehow trumps ethics.
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My feelings? I wouldn’t care. In fact, I would be kind of interested. I enjoy learning, even from people I might disagree with. Hell, I voluntarily toured a few mosques when I was in UAE (btw, if you have the chance, I could honestly call the Sheik Zayed mosque one of the wonders of the modern world; highly recommend it). But I can understand how someone else might be offended. I still don’t understand the logic that gets from public education to the unconstitutionality of utilizing a certain venue. And I would be willing to bet that the venue in question wasn’t the board’s first choice.
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Of course I do!
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“By the way, Native Americans were not uniformly the ‘peace loving environmental’ peoples that some may promote. They were human beings and, as such, were subject to ‘all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God’. They were guilty of some horrific brutality of their OWN! ”
How is this germane to the discussion at hand?
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“Let the people who have the RIGHT to be offended by it fight the battle.”
“No man is an island…”
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Beware of assuming that people who disagree have “not gotten it.” There may be many who understand but think differently.
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So, by your reasoning, pointing out unwarranted and inflammatory statements is unwarranted and inflammatory. Do you see the absurdity of your implication?
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Why would you want to say anything about Benny Hinn?
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I get your point. But just because it might be awkward or uncomfortable, does that make it a constitutional issue?
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I’m guessing that most Muslims who convert to Christianity know the risks associated with that conversion. If he wanted to keep it private, then there was definitely a mess-up somewhere.
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Taxpayer funding paying for it? Favoring a particular religion? Remember this is a government school.
One could try switching the situation slightly School your kid is attending and for which you’ve been paying property taxes has a cheap offer from a local Mormon ward for a graduation site (the school’s own site is a bit cramped); however, the school isn’t permitted to cover during the ceremony the large portrait of Joseph Smith meeting Heavenly Father and Jesus behind the stage or other paintings depicting Joseph Smith and scenes from the Book of Mormon. Plenty of Mormon literature for people to pick up as they move towards the auditorium. School is overwhelmingly Mormon so most have no problem. You’ve invited your siblings and their children (ages 6-18) to come. Your feelings? I don’t know btw whether this situation could happen, you might try Wiccan or Buddhist or Muslim or vehement atheistic groups (e.g., “God does not exist” posted behind the stage) instead.
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And just who’s making the unwarranted, inflammatory statement here?
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Ouch! Weirdos, eh? I thought the iMonk community was better than this, too!
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To be honest, I’m still amazed that the sport of soccer continues to have only one referee on the field calling the games. Seems to me that having at least three refs (one at each end and a mid-field ref) or even six (two on the sides at each end, two at mid-field) would do WONDERS for the calling of games.
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Or Robert Heinlein.
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Yes, I loved the “‘murica!” cartoon, too.
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Yes. Just because something ill-advised is being done doesn’t mean those offended should make it a constitutional issue, nor does it mean it should be taken on as a constitutional issue.
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LOL. I had the same thought!
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The “Figgas for Niggas” term perfectly illustrates the issue here. As a male Causcasian, I personally am not offended by “Figgas for Niggas.” Let the people who have the RIGHT to be offended by it fight the battle. I’m guessing the reason the term exists and is used is because there are not enough people who have the RIGHT to be offended stepping up and trying to change it. Same with “Redskins.” I’m personally not offended by it. I’m guessing that most of the people who say they’re offended by the term have no right to be offended. Let the people who have the RIGHT to be offended by it fight the battle. But above all, let’s not have idiot Yahoo’s in government determining what’s offensive or not, and taking heavy-handed tactics at forcing their will upon the people through mechanisms such as “trademark status.” Their next approach will probably to take the stadium using “imminent domain.”
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Thanks for this, Marcus. I have a feeling Steve won’t reply. He tends to make unwarranted, inflammatory statements until someone shows them for what they are–and then disappears…until next post.
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Or a Flannery O’Connor novel…
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In other curious news the “mainline” Presbyterians narrowly vote to divest from companies used by Israel.
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I do wonder if most Mainline Presbyterians are for the government punishing the Washington Redskins but are also for punishing the most distinct democracy in the middle-east – Israel. Is there a correlation?
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people like Benny Hinn exist because there are so many who will willingly and blindly follow anyone who gives them hope . . .
it’s obvious he’s an actor and there is no doubt he is ‘on the take’ financially, but he apparently is able to give people the one thing they need more than their money . . .
in the end, many of us live in a world where hope may not matter much until its the ONLY thing that matters
it is the most vulnerable who are most preyed upon, sadly . . . God have mercy on us all
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Native Americans do seem to be somewhat split on the term ‘Redskin’ though those not opposing tend to be older (this was true when Stanford University dropped ‘Indian’ back in the early 1970). There is also a difference between the group using the term itself (e.g., the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame was in part because many at Notre Dame were of Irish descent).
I note the tribal council of the larger Native American nations
Navajo Nation – 9-2 – http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10766413/navajo-nation-council-opposes-washington-redskins-name
recently voted in favor of dropping the name
BTW the survey people seem to use is the Annenberg survey of 2004 which found 9% of the self-identified Native Americans (just under 800 so identified) agreed with “As a Native American, do you find that name [Washington Redskins] offensive or doesn’t it bother you?” Which has several problems including how do you answer if as a human you find it offensive or you find it offensive but it doesn’t bother you (or vice versa). In addition it was a landline phone survey and a very large proportion of Native Americans don’t and didn’t have landlines (e.g., the combination of poverty and remoteness on reservations). For instance 30% of households in Indian country (all reservation lands) did not have phone service, land or cell, and in the Navajo Nation lands two-thirds of the people apparently did not have any phone service in their homes in 2009 http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=112 [and the Navajos are the largest US tribe].
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They have official “colorblindness” in France, where by law the government is not allowed to ask questions or keep statistics regarding race, but they have no end of racial difficulties, nonetheless, aggravated by the official ignorance that such a policy produces. Just drop the “color” part and call it blindness.
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What can you say about Benny Hinn, really, except that he’s like a character out of a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., novel….
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Make that, they’re…
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Their both equally offensive, but one is far more visible, at least to me; the other I knew nothing about.
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No doubt, the name was chosen because it connotes the same kind of savage, subhuman fierceness that names like “Bears” and “Lions” communicate; there’s no “honoring” involved in the least in such naming.
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‘white evangelicals’ , Ralph Reed , Indian tribes . . . hmmmmm . . .
some people will ‘play’ the Christian far right for profit and it pays off in the millions apparently . . . what a mess . . . it would be sad except that bastions of judgmental intolerance often trust the wrong folks who then thrive in their midst . . .
“After leaving the Christian Coalition in 1997, Reed followed a checkered career as a lobbyist and political strategist. He became enmeshed in the Abramoff scandal when documents surfaced showing that Reed had been paid more than $5 million by two Indian tribes that owned casinos.
The tribes were Abramoff clients who wanted to fend off attempts by other tribes to establish competing casinos. Reed worked with Abramoff to mobilize conservative Christians to oppose the new casinos – without telling them that the established gambling interests would benefit.”
https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/ralph-reed-is-betting-evangelical-voters-will-forget-his-casino-lobbyist-past
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+10,000
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Jazziscoolithink, I suspect that more may be offended by my reply than by your original comment.
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Marcus, I think half the commentators commenting on this issue so far have not “gotten it,” so I think Jazziscoolithink’s comment is apropos.
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Not only is is less offensive, being offended by it is RACIST RACIST RACIST.
Again, it’s who’s In Power and who’s not.
“There are those who will say what we do is illegal. Before that can happen, make sure WE are the ones who define what is legal and what is not.” — L.Ron Hubbard
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Whoever is In Power, or screams the loudest, or can pay for the heaviest lawyers.
“The only goal of Power is POWER. And POWER consists of inflicting suffering among the powerless.”
— Comrade O’Brian, Inner Party, Airstrip One, Oceania, 1984
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Speaking of the Irish, what’s the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake? There’s one less drunk at an Irish wake.
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I love politically incorrect humor. I share it with my friends frequently.
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Compared to the time since the origin of American Rules Football and setting up of the pro football leagues, decades IS a long time.
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As far as I know, it’s Army custom to name helicopters after tribes. At least since the 1960s. The “Huey” was officially the “Iroquois”, and others were named “Cayuse” and “Comanche” (the last being an experimental attack chopper of the Sixties).
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best comment I’ve read today 🙂
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All good reasons not to have a graduation there. I’m not a constitutional lawyer, but I don’t think any of these reasons make it a constitutional issue.
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So what are you saying, Pattie? That if we can’t have perfect justice we should just ignore the law? I think Plato covered this a few thousand years ago.
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Naw, the first part is spot on, but thanks for being cool about it
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I would think that an evangelical megachurch facility being found by the Supreme Court of the United States to be overpoweringly Christian would shake internetmonk.com to its foundations. I am shocked to see that the web site is still standing.
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Steve, I wonder who you mean when you say “we the people”? It sounds like such an exclusive club when you talk about it! Do my Native friends need to shed their brown skin and start agreeing with everything you say in order to join?
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That’s a wonderfully worded comment, Robert. I think I agree–unless I’ve misinterpreted you! My comment about the imonk community was certainly an over generalization. I apologize for it.
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Oscar, I wonder, once you get past your ersatz indignation, if you’d answer my question. You see, things change when you get to know real people as opposed to talking exclusively in disembodied ideals.
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And the girl is someone who was in her young teens if not younger when the relationship started if one read closely. He had no apologies or even any recognition of the harm he did her (she was his guilty partner), his wife (he implied she was in part at fault because she was tending to their young children rather than only him), or to his children (he felt some pity for himself that he hadn’t seen them since his wife found out). His wife wisely took the children and left permanently immediately after finding out about the abuse and confronting him.
If the magazine had framed the essay with another essay pointing all this out rather than leaving it to the commentators (most of whose comments the magazine deleted before they eventually got around to rewriting then removing the article) then it might have been reasonable. Instead it was a lesson in how blind some people are.
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Agreed. You can delete that comment, if you like.
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This isn’t a manufacturing of outrage, Jacob C. The outrage has been there for a long time, confined to an underrepresented group whose numbers were small due to systemic genocide, but it’s been there.
And just because our culture does not affirm the values you hold, doesn’t mean that the culture holds all values to be relative. I don’t affirm much of ultraconservative evangelicalism, but I’m not going to assume that they don’t have values just because they don’t have mine.
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But they should pull that trademark, Pattie. This is what progress looks like; we don’t clear out every microaggression in one fell swoop, so sometimes it happens one at a time. The “Figgas” trademark is not less offensive; both it and the Redskins trademark deserve to be pulled, and if you find any other trademark that is offensive, I’m sure you can make the case for pulling it as well. Assuming, that is, that you would really want to see the trademark office conduct a legitimate review of trademark names.
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The vast majority of native Americans have NO problem with it and are in favor of keeping the name.
At last count, there were about 2 million Native Americans enrolled in federally recognized tribes, with about another three million who claimed Native American heritage (including, say, Johnny Depp, who proudly affirms that he is 1/16 Native American, whatever that means. Given that the current US population is over 300 million, I seriously doubt that you can use the term “vast” when referring to Native Americans.
In addition, no legitimate survey has been conducted to determine Native Americans’ perception of the term “redskin.” I was initially going to ask you to indicate where the survey was done, but that would be a mere rhetorical move on my part; there isn’t such a survey. Even if someone were to conduct such a survey, there is no way that a significant sample of 5 million people can demonstrate a “vast majority.” Stop pretending that this evidence exists; you’re just pulling that out from your nether regions, and you know it.
We’ve come a long way from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s dream of a colorblind society, haven’t we?
A cute, but specious, statement. Colorblindness is not the opposite of racism; in fact, racist institutions and systems have been able to persist because of colorblindness, the willful ignorance that there are still people who are underrepresented and oppressed because of their racial identity. So yes, King’s dream has not been fulfilled, and risible comments like yours are symptoms of the roadblocks preventing that dream from coming to fruition.
The way it has been used with the team is one of honor.
That is ridiculous. “Honor” has nothing to do with why the team chose that name. No doubt the team’s creators envisioned a bunch of feathered savages riding horses and swinging tomahawks and thought, “Hmm, that sounds cool.” That’s not honor, any more than Gwen Stefani or Avril Lavigne dressing up in Harajuku girl outfits is an honor to Japanese culture. I can think of a dozen ways an NFL team could honor the heritage and struggles of the Native American community; misappropriating a racial slur so they can sell T-shirts and tickets is not one of them.
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The 7th Appeals court ruling on the school using the church for graduation was specific to that venue in that the setting remained overpoweringly Christian, it was not a general ruling on against holding any public school graduation in a church. If the 15ft plus cross “towering over the proceedings” had been covered, if the religious literature had been removed for the duration, if the congregation wasn’t passing out religious literature during the event, it might have passed muster; it was a divided decision. (the 7th Appeals opinions and dissents https://www.au.org/files/2012-07-23%20%2889%29%20Opinion%20on%20rehearing%20en%20banc.pdf)
Note that very orthodox Jews are prohibited from setting foot in another religion’s place of worship. Most non-Christian students and family would probably be quite upset that that their school using a church that was quite upfront that they believed non-Christians were damned.
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Glad to hear it. Yes, I am watching the game also.
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Marcus, you always have good comments, but let’s not call people names just because they have a different opinion.
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I’m good, thanks, Daniel.
New job, the usual stresses and upheavals of life.
We’re getting a good summer here in Ireland now, so I’m hanging around today enjoying the sunshine and the World Cup – the big match is expected to be Germany versus Ghana tonight, but Argentina-Iran is not turning out as easy for the Argentinians as expected.
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Yeah, there have been a few dives along the lines of “barely touched the guy and he went down in ‘ooh, he’s killed me’ agony” but on the whole the referees have kept a good rein on that kind of behaviour.
Right now Argentina are playing Iran and I have to say, the pope’s team are not playing as expected! Iran are defending well, keeping the pressure on, and it’s nil-all in the 73rd minute!
I know Pope Francis said he had to be neutral when it came to the World Cup, but what good is it being the first Jesuit pope if you can’t swing a favour for your guys with divine intervention? 😉
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At the time of this post, only three people seem to have “not gotten it,” so I wouldn’t generalize about the entire iMonk community. It’s an open forum, dude; weirdos get in.
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Oh, I love that pic, Martha. Thanks.
And it is good to see you again. Everything been ok?
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Too funny!
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Because the tone of the article was “this is how the girl & I were caught up in terrible sin”, not “This is how I came to commit a horrible sin & a crime against this girl”.
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Actually there’s one born again every minute, according to P.T.L. Barnum.
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On a lighter topic, I’m pretty sure I saw that guy in the “‘murica!” cartoon the last time I was at the mall. His electric cart almost ran me over and his oxygen bottle almost hit me in the head.
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How did Leadership Journal “see the light” in deciding to pull their article? It was written by a former youth leader now serving a prison sentence. He writes about the allure of sin and a failed attempt to dabble in it, without realizing how addictive the behavior would be. It’s a warning to all of us that think maybe we can sin a little and control it. His story illustrates what I often say: If you can’t be a good example then you’ll just have to be a terrible warning. We bring drug addicts to DARE meetings to tell kids not to do what they did. How is this not the same?
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I agree with Steve. On the one hand, we live in a culture where values are held to be relative (thus meaningless and we should be indifferent to everything) but on the other hand certain politically correct preferences have absolute value and people are supposed to be in a constant state of outrage over every real or imagined slight. So which is it – relativism and apathy or an angry absolutism that seeks enemies to censor and denounce? Our keepers want it both ways.
This manufacturing of outrage and the seeking of offenders to denounce is just a form of bread and circuses. Keep people distracted by issues like what to name a sports team – and keep people divided over silly things. Then you can use the IRS to go after political opponents in a way even Nixon never dreamed of and no one will notice or care. You can spy on peaceful citizens and no one will notice or care. You can whip up outrage over this or that (some football fans wear hats shaped like cheese – surely there should be animal rights outrage over this), keep people distracted and fighting each other as you build up your power.
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See my earlier post regarding the use of this term, NOT pulled by the Trademark office!
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All I can say is that the lack of protective equipment makes it easier to admire the physical fitness of the players……I don’t give a fig about soccer, nor am I suffering from the sin of lust, but those are ALL some beautiful examples of the glories of the human form……….nice, very nice (happily married but NOT blind or dead!)
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Yes, I’m with ya here, Dr. F. It seems a little heavy-handed for a government to rule in a situation like this. Definitely doesn’t seem like a “constitutional” issue. And if you look at the picture in the article, it doesn’t look like there is religious symbolism in that auditorium. In fact, I would venture to guess that most church “auditoriums” (as opposed to “sanctuaries”) are pretty void of the symbolism a person might find offensive.
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What shows the federal government’s hypocrisy and overreach is that they have NOT pulled the trademark of a group called…
“Figgas for N***as”. (it rhymes)
THAT is LESS offensive????
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I think SCOTUS got the school ruling wrong. I tend to agree with the dissenting opinion; it really isn’t a constitutional matter. I mean, what if the church venue was the best possible option? Maybe not a good idea, but not unconstitutional.
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Steve, percentages are not really relevant. Trademark law prohibits the trademarking of offensive terms. If you look up “redskin” in the dictionary, it is listed as a slur. The law was correctly applied. I have worked in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, where the “n-word” was used consistently as a moniker, and no one was offended. That doesn’t make the word not a slur.
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Didn’t Paul address this bluntly already in the pages of the New Testament? Something about leaders using the church for gain? I guess there’s one born every minute.
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Absolutely; especially with two key defenders out for Portugal. They will score, but I think the US can outscore them.
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The above +1 is meant for Marcus’ comment.
Jazziscoolithink,
It’s hard for those who profit in small ways from privileged status that they are often unaware of to give up the prerogatives that come with that status when circumstances arise that challenge historical habits, both inside and outside the iMonk world. In this case, historical habits have given many people the sense that they are being imposed on when others lacking their status tell them that what they have been doing and saying for a long time is offensive, because acknowledging the truth of this claim involves a real, though subtle, loss of power.
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Good one. Certainly that’s in someone’s comedy routine by now, right?
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We’re all pretty much hypocrites at heart. Jesus pretty much said so. I’m sure you have your moments, too.
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Amen, Rick.
And this coming from a government that is obsessed by the color of people’s skin.
Look at any federal form where they ask what race one is. What should it matter what color or race someone is?
We’ve come a long way from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s dream of a colorblind society, haven’t we?
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Well, I’m not sure a 70-30 “not offended” index means that the name isn’t offended. More important to me would be, who makes up the 30%. Are they people who just think they should be offended, or are they people who have the RIGHT to be offended?
Also…the hard-drive/IRS thing…let’s not mix that into this. Certainly a separate issue, and a discussion about one shouldn’t be mixed into the other. (Unless you want to talk about the heavy-handedness of the government.)
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+1
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I would like to see the statistics of “who’s offended by the name Redskins” to see if it’s just people who THINK they need to be offended, as opposed to people who actually have a RIGHT to be offended.
And also, I agree with the term intended to be an honor. No one names their team after something they find distasteful or weak. At least, I don’t think so. “Now playing for the Fairfield Dirty Diapers, number 7…”
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My curiosity is aroused. What has been done to the millions of Native Americans who are NOT offended by the word “Redskin”?
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70% of native Americans are not offended by the word Redskins (according to polling)
I happen to be offended that the same government is doing this that has destroyed hard drives containing evidence (e-mails) involving a government agency (the IRS) that is going after Americans to punish them for thinking contrary to what some in their government think and do.
That…is very offensive.
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I guess if people give willingly then there’s no crime. I’m guessing his judgment will come later, by a higher authority. And fortunately it’s that higher authority that will judge, because if it was me…
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Exactly ‘who’ should be the arbiter that decides if something is offensive, or not?
I happen to be offended by what they have done to millions of native Americans who are NOT offended by the word.
I happen to be offended by an government who believes that they know better than we (the people) do.
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The flopping is hilarious.
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I’m kinda with Clark on this one. The “trademark” approach to the situation is heavy-handed and NOT the way to go about instituting change. It’s government control at its worst.
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The word “Redskins” is not meant to offend or to be derogatory.
The way it has been used with the team is one of honor.
The vast majority of native Americans have NO problem with it and are in favor of keeping the name.
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+10 !
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Whoops! This is a duplicate. Dan, you can erase this one if you like.
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For starters, oscar, I seriously doubt that you have a problem with the term “Fighting Irish” as much as you want to argue the lame-old “Well, if you’re gonna do it here, you have to do it there, because the two things are exactly the same” argument. Your righteous indignation, however, is both acknowledged and dismissed, if that makes you feel better.
And no, the fact that ND’s mascot is white has little to do with why the term “Fighting Irish” is not offensive. I can guarantee you, though, that if I hear a strong argument from the Irish/Irish-American community that they are an oppressed an underrepresented ethnic group that suffers from clear evidence of institutionalized racism, I’ll jump on the bandwagon to change their name. However, I haven’t heard a legitimate argument of that nature come from that community. Have you?
There is no hypocrisy here. The same society that marginalizes the Native American community has chosen to privilege White identity (and to stereotype Irish ethnicity, but that’s a much longer discussion). When you can demonstrate to me that Native Americans and people of Irish decent share a reasonable set of similarities as far as continued institutionalized oppression and marginalization, then we can revisit your charge. Until then, I find it specious and silly.
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“Mine is bigger than YOURS!” doesn’t cut it. Offensive is offensive. If a standard is a subjective judgement then it is no standard at all. There were some Native Americans that DIDN’T object to “Redskins”, so apparently, the outrage is not universal, although that does not mean that it is acceptable.
Never the less, ANY caricature of ethnicity or race should be judged equally, NOT on a “I’m more outraged than YOU!” basis. I’m Irish, third generation, and I find the fighting leprechaun OFFENSIVE, others may consider it to be funny, or even a valid portrayal! Do you find Illinois “The Fighting Illini” offensive? What’s the difference?
By the way, Native Americans were not uniformly the “peace loving environmental” peoples that some may promote. They were human beings and, as such, were subject to “all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God”. They were guilty of some horrific brutality of their OWN! Yes, they were unfairly, and sometimes BRUTALLY, violated, but that has little to do with Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins controversy, which is largely a power play at this point.
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+1
This exactly. I’m shocked by the number of commenters who don’t get this. I, apparently mistakenly, assumed the imonk community was more gracious.
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You have to feel sorry for Karim Benzema; he thought he’d scored the sixth French goal in the last couple of seconds of added-on time (and it was a lovely effort).
Turns out the referee blew for full time JUST as Benzema was getting his boot to the ball, so the match was officially over by the time the ball hit the back of the net. So the scoreline stands at 5-2 (and the Swiss were lucky to get the two consolation goals, and those were purely down to the French switching off because, rightly, they knew they had the game won).
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You all *do* realize, of course, that the USA winning the mens FIFA World Cup *is* one of the signs of the Apocalypse, right? 😉
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Am I right that ethnic sensitivity among white evangelicals hasn’t progressed that much since Luther decided to tell everyone what he thought of the Jewish people?
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Oscar, are you aware of the history of robbery, deception, and genocide committed against the Native population often in the name of Christ? While the “Fighting Irish” is arguably offensive, you would be naive (or worse: willfully ignorant) to not understand the massive difference between that and the Washington Redskins (or worse: the Cleveland Indians). Native Americans live in the deepest poverty an are the most mistreated and often ignored minority in this country. Christ calls us to stand with “the least of these.” Natives are clearly among the least of these–the poor, depressed and marginalized, whose history of being taken advantage of continues today in more ways than our sports mascots.
I’m Irish, and I know a lot of Irish people. I’ve, unsurprisingly, never met one Irish person offended by the “Fighting Irish” as a team name. I also know and work with many Native Americans, and it’s, understandably (not hypocritically, as you so callously toss around the term) a different story–one of deep pain that goes far beyond being offended. I wonder, Oscar, have you ever had a conversation with (much less a relationship) a Native American?
Maybe you should be a little more sensitive of reality before throwing the word hypocrite around and making false comparisons.
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I went to a Benny Hinn event once. I was walking through the Indianapolis Convention Center as one was going on so I dropped in. Attendance was much smaller than I expected, and while the lovely Angel Pendant for sale at the door was fetching, I passed it by. My favorite part was hearing him preach about how all adversity is taken care of for the faithful then walking out past banners advertising the insurance policies his organization sold, apparently to the faithless.
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I have taken it for granted that this “kerfuffle” over the football team’s name was just a tempest in a teapot until the SCOTUS ruling. They seem to normally rule for the big guys. Then I heard some one ask if we would call an American Indian a “redskin” to his/her face. Nope. I don’t belong to a class that is discriminated against so sometimes I just don’t get it, it takes a while.
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I certainly don’t expect the US to do well in the elimination stage of the World Cup (assuming we beat Portugal… there’s no way we’re going to do well against Germany), but I think they key to beating Portugal is to actually play to win, rather than to play a turtle defense and hope for a draw or a narrow victory. As good as Ronaldo’s injury is for the US chances of advancement, it could lull us into playing it safe, which would be a very, very bad plan.
Last World Cup, a couple of our local movie theaters live broadcast the finals and semifinals in 3D I gotta say, that is the BEST way to watch the game, other than live! It was expensive; FIFA apparently set the rates at $30 a ticket. But the theater I went to threw in a $20 gift card to offset it. So, what with snacks, it was about the same. I haven’t found out if they’re doing it again this World Cup, but I certainly hope so! I’ll take a LOOONG lunch those days if I have to 🙂
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Want to sell ring side seats for the Judgement Seat when Hinn’s name is called? Not me, I’ll be too concerned about myself!
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+1
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First, it should be pointed out that the ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is probably not going to have as much of a damaging effect on the Redskins’ brand name as, say, the team’s declining performance and problematic management/coaching. I remember last season; fans were clearing out of the stadium before halftime. Anyway, this is the second time the Redskins lost their trademark, and they’re still paying bills.
Second, it’s interesting to note that the people who claim that the term “Redskins” is not offensive can’t claim to have a racial identity of Native American. The people who can claim that identity, and understand that their heritage has been tainted with rape, imported disease, genocide, and forced exile, have a problem with the continued use of a term that was initially created as a racial slur to further denigrate an already devastated population. But let’s face it, that group is just small enough for us to misappropriate symbols from that culture, use terms that degrade and abuse them, and ignore their very legitimate request to stop doing it. It takes some serious balls (or lack thereof) to hear someone say, “That’s hurtful,” and tell them, “No, it’s not.”
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And Notre Dame’s “Fighting Irish” with that detestable pugnacious leprechaun as a mascot is OK? It embodies the old trope that the Irish get drunk and fight as a general rule. That isn’t offensive because it is a WHITE mascot?At least Washington’s logo is well done even if the name is detestable.
What? no hue and cry? Hypocrites!
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“When asked what book “made you who you are today” she had a simple answer: the Bible. Surprised?”
Absolutely not! What messes me up is reading that Hillary has ties to the shadowy, Randian, pro-rich, anti-democracy, anti-gay, conservative Washington think-tank affectionately referred to as the “Fellowship” or “Family”, currently lead by Doug Coe, of whom she has spoken very positively as “genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God.”
(Ref.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/hillarys-prayer-hillary-clintons-religion-and-politics?page=2 ;
http://thedailybanter.com/2008/03/hillary-clintons-spiritual-adivsor-doug-coe-and-his-curious-admiration-for-nazis-and-communist-killings/ ).
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Government is under no obligation to support trademark rights for businesses with offensive names. By your logic, the government would have to give trademark status and protection to a business that wanted to trademark the “n” word in its title. This has nothing to do with free speech or property rights, but whether government is obligated to extend certain limited protections to businesses under certain narrowly defined criteria. Don’t confuse the issues.
BTW, you may feel you have no say in the matter, but you don’t speak for me, and you have no right or ability to deny my right to say what I will.
The name of the Washington NFL team is manifestly offensive, the equivalent of any other disgusting slur used to refer to oppressed ethnic groups. The fact that you don’t know that reveals either your ignorance or your ill will, and your ill will is made obvious by the last two sentences of the comment above.
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Out here on Ruby Ridge we have an easy solution. You don’t like the name Redskins, buy the team. You, I and the government have no right and no say, except the boycott option. Of course, the whole thing is just ginned up by by the people who hate property rights and free speech. Basic inalienable human rights. All the self-righteous enemies of “bigotry” can pat themselves on the back for ushering in totalitarianism. Wiping out everything that you perceive to be bigotry will require massive totalitarian coercion on the part of any government. You don’t even really believe the word “Redskin” is offensive. You’re just saying so to justify putting a government boot on the throats of your political opponents. And most of us know it.
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…and white people’s skin is not white, and black people’s skin is not black, and brown people’s skin is not brown, and yellow people’s skin is not yellow. When I pointed these facts out to my seven-year-old son (decades ago) and asked him what color he was, he looked at his arm and said “peach”…so what was your point exactly?
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I heard a while back that the Washington Redskins was considering changing its name because so many people were offended by the term ‘Washington’.
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In addition to the previous responses, the notion that this will “ruin” or is an “attempt to ruin” the business is risible. They can change their name, or they can keep their name without trademark protection. The use of trademark law by sport franchises is a fairly recent phenomenon. They did just find for many years without it. The danger they run is that someone can hawk tee shirts with the name on it, without the team getting a piece of the action. Either way, the Landover, Maryland NFL franchise will do just fine.
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I think I would find blocks of cheese downright pedestrian after seeing the Japanese fans: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1855177/thumbs/o-JAPANESE-FANS-WORLD-CUP-facebook.jpg
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I believe I also saw Netherlands fans wearing blocks of cheese too.
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Why isn’t Hinn in jail yet for fraud or something? The sleaze you quoted is open-air extortion. God have mercy.
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The Washington NFL Team’s name is a slur, as bad as any slur gets, and the appropriation of the tribal name “Apache” for a military helicopter is offensive. The government made a good decision, long overdue, in refusing to continue the trademark status of the Washington NFL Team’s name.
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This is my understanding of the World Cup: http://vivas.us/world-cup-2014-in-10-seconds-this-is-hilarious/
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Trademark law is pretty clear that trademarks are not granted for terms generally deemed to be offensive, slurs, etc. The court was applying the law as it best saw fit. Perhaps it will be overturned on appeal or perhaps not. There is no question that many Native Americans find the term offensive.
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Forgot to add: the Costa Rican group is fascinating at this stage. Costa Rica on top of the table, England at the bottom, and *nobody* expected it would come down to Italy and Uruguay scrapping it out for second place to get through to the next round.
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I have to correct you, Daniel: the World Cup *does* have fans wearing blocks of cheese on their heads – the Swiss.
Shaping up to be a good tournament so far; England are going out (to the surprise of nobody except their perennially over-hopeful media); Spain weren’t the side they have been (but again, I wasn’t that surprised) and Italy got turned over in a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, who are doing much better than everyone expected and may (or may not) turn out to be the surprise of the tournament.
Portugal as yet haven’t lived up to the expectations (or rather, Ronaldo hasn’t, which is a bit unfair expecting him to work miracles all on his own). Germany are Germany – quietly and efficiently progressing forwards.
And France are being France – 5-0 up against Switzerland yesterday, let their concentration lapse towards the end because they were so well ahead and permitted Switzerland to come back with two easy goals but won comfortably (too comfortably) 5-2. They could be great, they could be terrible, in their next match and we won’t know until they come out on the pitch.
USA did very creditably against Ghana. Congratulations! Most interesting match today probably the one where Germany play Ghana, and we’ll see who wins that (anyone seriously doubting the Germans will make it?)
The US – Portugal game will also be interesting; if Portugal are to live up to the hype, this is one they have to win, and not just grinding out a 1-0 victory either.
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First, it should be pointed out that the ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is probably not going to have as much of a damaging effect on the Redskins’ brand name as, say, the team’s declining performance and problematic management/coaching. I remember last season; fans were clearing out of the stadium before halftime. Anyway, this is the second time the Redskins lost their trademark, and they’re still paying bills.
Second, it’s interesting to note that the people who claim that the term “Redskins” is not offensive can’t claim to have a racial identity of Native American. The people who can claim that identity, and understand that their heritage has been tainted with rape, imported disease, genocide, and forced exile, have a problem with the continued use of a term that was initially created as a racial slur to further denigrate an already devastated population. But let’s face it, that group is just small enough for us to misappropriate symbols from that culture, use terms that degrade and abuse them, and ignore their very legitimate request to stop doing it. It takes some serious balls (or lack thereof) to hear someone say, “That’s hurtful,” and tell them, “No, it’s not.”
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Wow, I didn’t realize they had been using the name for DECADES!! Far be it from my native friends, whose ancestors lived here thousands of years before America had its name, to be offended by a football mascot with such a long and great history. I mean, decades!! Thank you, Steve, for bringing attention to that oft overlooked fact. We need people like you to stand up for the little guys–you know, the small, mom and pop businesses like the Washington Redskins.
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I’m with Steve on this one… its not the federal govt.’s place to try and enforce decency or good taste. I’m not a fan of the football team’s name either, but that’s not the feds’ area of responsibility…
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Yes but Apache is not a slur. Nor is Comanche or Oglala Sioux (or any of the other Sioux), Illini, Miami et al. I could agree it is inappropriate cultural appropriation to just plain out steal the names of tribes, especially to name a killing machine.
The name of the Washington NFL team is pure slur. No different than if someone called their team slurs for Poles, Italians or any other slur. Besides, I’ve seen Native Americans, their skin is not uniform in color and it is not red! Coppery in some cases perhaps, but not red.
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In this case, the federal government is siding with millions of Americans who find the moniker for our nation’s capital’s professional football team morally offensive and degrading. Go feds! The helicopter’s name is equally offensive.
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The audacity of the Federal government is truly amazing. They can ruin, or attempt to ruin someone’s business because they don’t happen to like the name the company has chosen and used for decades.
But…they are free to name their killing machine helicopters, “Apache”(s)…and think absolutely nothing of it.
Amazing.
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