Is the term 'Redskin' offensive or respectful ?

Top 5 Controversial Mascot Teams

1. Washington Redskins 

2. Florida State University Seminoles

3. Atlanta Braves

4. Cleveland Indians

5. Chicago Black Hawks

With the Washington Redskins opening their season Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, an American Indian tribe in upstate New York has launched an ad campaign condemning the team's use of what it says is a racial slur as its mascot and name, a news release said. The Oneida Indian Nation is demanding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "stand up to bigotry" and denounce the team's "obviously wrong, insensitive and unacceptable" name, according to the radio ad. 

CBS posed a very interesting question, How Many Native Americans Think "Redskin" Is A Slur?

There appear to Native American schools that call their teams 'Redskins'. The term is used affectionately by some natives, similar to the way the N-word is used by some African-Americans. In the only recent poll to ask native people about the subject, 90 percent of respondents did not consider the term offensive, although many question the cultural credentials of the respondents. Tommy Yazzie, superintendent of the Red Mesa school district on the Navajo Nation reservation, grew up when Navajo children were forced into boarding schools to disconnect them from their culture. Some were punished for speaking their native language. Today, he sees environmental issues as the biggest threat to his people. The high school football team in his district is the Red Mesa Redskins. “We just don’t think that (name) is an issue,” Yazzie said. “There are more important things like busing our kids to school, the water settlement, the land quality, the air that surrounds us. Those are issues we can take sides on.”It seems that everyone has an opinion on whether or not the Native American names given to team mascots are right or wrong. 

"We do not deserve to be called redskins," Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter says in the ad. "We deserve to be treated as what we are -- Americans." The ads will run on sports radio stations for the duration of the NFL season in the Washington, D.C., market, as well as in cities where the team will play away games. The lack of reaction from the NFL to the demands of the "change the mascot" campaign has been "quite troubling," Halbritter told ABCNews.com. "As American Indians, we often are treated as a historic relic or mascot," he said. "Sports and politics have a really important intersection. Symbolism really matters." But Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has been firm that he has no plans to make changes, USA Today reported. "We'll never change the name," he said in May. "It's that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps." NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Associated Press that the while the league respects the opposing viewpoints, "the name from its origin has always intended to be positive and has always been used by the team in a highly respectful manner." The Redskins aren't the only team with a name that incites controversy.

CNN posted an article about a woman named Suzan Shown Harjo who has been fighting for the name change of Native American Mascots for decades.  I feel that this issue is racists in the sense that everyone has slanderous names they don't appreciate (cracker, wetback, n-word,...). I don't think other races would appreciate their racial slurs as Mascots nationally, I know I certainly would take offense. It all comes down to your prospective on the issue. If someone made a racial slur against you would you be okay with it? It's one thing for someone of your race to call you a racial slur, but it is a totally different ball game when someone outside of your 'circle' says it! Think about it....