Finally, we’re making some progress here: The FCC is considering banning the word “redskins” from TV and radio, following a petition they received from legal activist John Banzhaf III.
“We’ll be looking at that petition, we will be dealing with that issue on the merits and we’ll be responding accordingly,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said, according to Jezebel. The petition penned by Banzhaf sought to shirk a D.C. radio station of its broadcasting license for its use of the word when referring to the Washington sports team.
“There are a lot of names and descriptions that were used over time that are inappropriate today,” Wheeler added. “And I think the name that is attributed to the Washington football club is one of those.”
If the ban goes through, it could spell fines and other penalties for stations that continue to use the word.
Chatter surrounding the use of the word “redskin” reached a tipping point this summer, when the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled six federal trademark registrations for the Washington Redskins because the team name is “disparaging to Native Americans.” The definition of the word is even being tweaked in the dictionary to highlight its offensiveness as well.
Despite such moves, however, many still refuse to throw out the word — and the team name. “The Daily Show” recently featured a controversial segment in which a group of native people and a cadre of Redskins fans came face-to-face to discuss the team name, and team owner Daniel Snyder has repeatedly refused to change the name.
Brenna Ehrlich
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