WASHINGTON — From brands to celebrities, sports teams and schools, most everyone was tweeting some form of “Happy Thanksgiving” on Thursday. But a tweet from the Washington Redskins account raised a lot of eyebrows.
The NFL team wrote “Wishing you and your family a Happy #Thanksgiving” with a picture of the Redskins symbol and the words “Happy Thanksgiving.”
Wishing you and your family a Happy #Thanksgiving. https://t.co/qI3U7hbGhK—
Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 26, 2015
The problem? As one Twitter user put it: “Can you now show your #Thanksgiving thanks by abandoning your racist moniker? #ActionsSpeakLouder.”
In June 2014, The U.S. Patent Office canceled trademarks belonging to the Redskins football team, saying they are offensive to Native Americans. The decision came in response to a suit brought by five Native Americans. Even members of Congress have pressured the team to change their name.
While The Week called the tweet “perfectly oblivious,” perhaps the tweet was meant to spark a conversation. No one is upset at other teams tweeting about Thanksgiving, should Washington’s team be able to do the same? Apparently not.
Some Twitter uses called it “ironic,” while others thought it was just plain stupid.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder opposes a name change, vowing to keep it against both public and congressional pushback. He contends the name, which the team’s had for 80 years, is part of a tradition important to fans.
