Class
Article
Department
Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies
Faculty Mentor
Jennifer Peeples
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
What makes something racist? In this presentaiton will look at the National Football League (NLF) team name 'The Washington Redskins' and the rhetorical choices to keep the name and deny the connotations of 'White Privilege' in modern America. I will do this by showing the different associations being made by those claiming the team's name is a racial slur and those being made by the Washington team's owner and the commissioner of the NFL. I will also cover parts of stasis theory that is the basis for the differing claims that shape much of the contention. By the end of this paper I intend to show how the R-word can be understood as a racial slur while simultaneously remaining a source of intended respect and pride by certain people. The focus of this presentation will not be on the contentious issue of the name change itself, but rather the rhetoric that defines the cultural viewpoints, i.e. White Privilege, of a modern white American. The question I will endeavor to answer in this presentation is, are the rhetorical choices being made based out of a culturally privileged view of the world or out of an intentionally racist view? The reason why this is an important topic of discussion and analysis is that racial inequality in America has reached a tipping point. The cultural hegemony of white Americans continues to be questioned and awareness of White Privilege brought to light. As this privilege is still largely unseen and unknown by the majority of white American recipients, analyzing the responses of those being accused of racial intolerance is key to understanding their motives.
Start Date
4-9-2015 10:00 AM
Blindingly White: A critical look at the claims of racial intolerance over a name, based on the understandings of White Privilege.
What makes something racist? In this presentaiton will look at the National Football League (NLF) team name 'The Washington Redskins' and the rhetorical choices to keep the name and deny the connotations of 'White Privilege' in modern America. I will do this by showing the different associations being made by those claiming the team's name is a racial slur and those being made by the Washington team's owner and the commissioner of the NFL. I will also cover parts of stasis theory that is the basis for the differing claims that shape much of the contention. By the end of this paper I intend to show how the R-word can be understood as a racial slur while simultaneously remaining a source of intended respect and pride by certain people. The focus of this presentation will not be on the contentious issue of the name change itself, but rather the rhetoric that defines the cultural viewpoints, i.e. White Privilege, of a modern white American. The question I will endeavor to answer in this presentation is, are the rhetorical choices being made based out of a culturally privileged view of the world or out of an intentionally racist view? The reason why this is an important topic of discussion and analysis is that racial inequality in America has reached a tipping point. The cultural hegemony of white Americans continues to be questioned and awareness of White Privilege brought to light. As this privilege is still largely unseen and unknown by the majority of white American recipients, analyzing the responses of those being accused of racial intolerance is key to understanding their motives.