Times Readers Have Their Say on ‘Redskins’

Photo According to a recent Washington Post poll, a vast majority of Native Americans do not find the Washington Redskins name offensive.A Washington Post poll recently found that nine out of 10 Native Americans did not find the name of the Washington Redskins football team offensive. Seven in 10 said they did not find the term “redskin” disrespectful at all. The New York Times solicited its readers, including many Native Americans, for their opinions about whether the term is a slur, and who gets to decide if it is.

The origin of the term “redskin” is disputed. A Smithsonian Institution scholar, Ives Goddard, wrote in a 2005 paper that the term originated with Native Americans in the 18th…