The Daily Show Goes In On Redskins Name Controversy

The Daily Show found itself in a bit of hot water recently when it filmed a piece on the controversy surrounding the name of the Washington football team, which you can watch above. Before the segment aired, however, Jon Stewart addressed the incident and explained why The Daily Show stood behind it:

Recently we sent our intrepid reporter Jason Jones out to the field to explore the phenomenon of a certain Washington, DC football team's name. We learned later that some of the individuals who participated in the piece…they didn't enjoy the experience. It is something that happens a lot less than you would think, but we take the complaint seriously. We generally don't want people who participate in the show to have a bad experience. We work very hard to find real people who have real beliefs and want to express those beliefs on television, and we work hard to make sure the gist of those beliefs are represented accurately, albeit sometimes comedically, on our program.

If we find out that someone in a piece was intentionally misled, or if there comments were intentionally misrepresented, we do not air that piece. We would not air that piece. So that being said, I hope you enjoy the following piece.

The actual bit contrasts the reasons why a group of Native Americans find the nickname offensive with the justifications of Washington football fans, and boy do the football fans come off as dull-witted as you'd expect. A few choice quotes:

If the Redskins name is changed and I have children one day, what will I pass on to them?

I'm actually one-twelfth…as one-twelfth Cherokee I am not offended.

Q: Would you call a Native American a Redskin?

A: Do you know any Native Americans?

Q: Yeah, about eight of them.

A: Am I not a Native American? Was I not born in this country?

The program ended with the perfect exhortation from Jason Jones:

Hey, he-who-stands-on-the-wrong-side-of-history: change the fucking name!