The Associated Press article “Pa. school district can keep ‘Redskins’ name, but logos might go” reported that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has ordered the Neshaminy School District in Bucks County, whose sports teams’ nickname is the Redskins, to get rid of all logos and imagery that “negatively stereotype Native Americans,” although they may keep the nickname (often shortened to simply the “Skins”). So what will their logos and imagery be? Redskin potatoes?
I graduated from Pennsbury High School in Bucks County in 1961. Neshaminy was our bitter rival in all sports, especially football. In all of the years I lived in that area, I never once heard anyone complain about the nickname, the logos, imagery or anything else about Neshaminy being offensive to anyone.
This decision is political correctness garbage at its worst. And by the way, there are currently eight school districts in the WPIAL that have “Native American” nicknames (four “Indians,” two “Warriors,” two “Raiders” — including Uniontown’s “Red Raiders”), and logos/imagery ranging from Indian heads to feathers and arrows, such as the Aliquippa “Quips,” who use an Indian head logo. Apparently, we in Western Pennsylvania are not as “PC” as our neighbors to the east (thank heaven).
I suppose it won’t be very long before other social justice warriors choose to attack any school district that has the nickname “Devils” as promoting satanic worship (there are three in the WPIAL). That might even generate a lot of support in our increasingly Godless society.
David Reese
Mt. Lebanon