Is this political correctness run amok?

[Liz Rosenthal]

I'm all for rectifying past wrongs by honoring people who deserve to be honored rather than those who do not. It's taken a long time for the USA to start coming to terms with its very checkered history. We've only just begun the process, and I hope we continue with it.

I'll take Thurgood Marshall any day over Roger Taney.

Changing the name of a school or other institution to a name that is more representative of where we are today as a society presents a good opportunity for education of the community about the reasons for the change. The Civil War and/or the Civil Rights Era is thus not pushed under the rug but pushed to the forefront instead.

As for the Washington Redskins, it's sad, I think, that one aspect of American history that is still largely ignored is the treatment of Native Americans by white Europeans and the U.S. government. Let me ask whether people would scoff at the idea of a name change were the team at issue called the "New York Jewish Big-noses" or the "Brooklyn Yiddish cheapskates." The reason that people wouldn't scoff at getting rid of such obviously offensive names is because our consciences have been awakened by knowledge of the very real consequences of antisemitism. Unfortunately, many people still don't see anything wrong with insensitive references to Native Americans because, as a society, we have not yet come to terms with our history vis-a-vis the Native American.