Cultural English 456 - Ask an American

Complete Transcript

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 456.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 456. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

On this Café, we’re going to have another one of our Ask an American segments, where we listen to other native speakers talking at a normal rate of speech – a normal speed. We’re going to listen to them and explain what they are talking about. Today we’re going to talk about offensive mascots, focusing on a sports team called the Washington Redskins. And, as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started.

Our topic on this Café’s Ask an American segment is offensive mascots. A “mascot” (mascot) is an animal or character that represents a product, company, or school, especially a sports team. Where I went to college, at the University of Minnesota, the mascot was a gopher, and so the sports team was known as the Minnesota Gophers. If you went to the University of Oregon, you would be a duck – that is, the mascot is a duck, and so they’re called the Oregon Ducks.

Professional sports teams also have mascots. The National Basketball Association team for Chicago is called the Chicago Bulls, like a male cow. Sometimes mascots are animals. Other times they are different kinds of creatures, sometimes even historical figures. The University of Southern California, where I studied for my PhD, has as its mascot the Trojans, referring back to the Trojan War back in Ancient Greece.

Well, today we’re talking about a mascot that some people consider offensive. The word “offensive” (offensive) comes from the verb “to offend” (offend). “To offend” someone means to insult someone – to make someone feel sad, angry, or perhaps attacked. That is “to offend” someone.

Mascots are supposed to be fun. They’re supposed to be things that get people excited about a sports team. However, the case we’re talking about today has to do with some people who are angry – who are offended by – a certain mascot. We’re going to talk about the mascot for a professional American football team – the football team in our nation’s capital, in Washington, D.C. That football team is called the Washington Redskins (Redskins).

During part of the history of the U.S., the word “redskins” was used to refer to what we now call American Indians or Native Americans. Many Native Americans think that the term “redskins” is insulting. They believe it is offensive. We’re going to listen to one of those Native Americans, a man by the name of Ray Halbritter, who is a representative of a group of American Indians – the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.

Ray is one of the leaders of a campaign called “Change the Mascot.” They’re trying to get the professional sports team to change its name and its mascot – its representative, if you will – to something different. We’ll listen first to Ray. Try to understand as much as you can, and then we’ll go back and explain what he said. Let’s listen.

[recording]

“But it’s unacceptable that in this time in the twenty-first century a team would continue to use a racist slur over the objection by people – those people offended by it and – victims – victimized by it, especially when that team represents our nation’s capital.”

[end of recording]

Ray begins by saying that “it is unacceptable that in this time in the twenty-first century a team would continue to use a racist slur.” Something that is “unacceptable” is something that is not acceptable. It’s not something that we should allow, is what he’s saying. Mr. Halbritter is saying that in the twenty-first century – that is to say, in this century – we should not still be using these old racist slurs.

A “slur” (slur) is an offensive word or phrase that you use about someone. Often it relates to that person’s skin color or ethnic background or country of origin – where they came from. A “racist (racist) slur” refers to an insult that would be related to someone’s race, which is a very difficult if not impossible thing to define, but roughly speaking it would be your skin color. That’s at least the most common indication that people use for race.

So, a “racist slur” is an offensive and insulting phrase used to refer to a group of people. Unfortunately, as in all languages, there are many different racist slurs that people use. “Redskin” is considered a racial slur by Native Americans. It was originally used to describe what the white settlers, the white Americans, considered the reddish color of the Native American’s skin. Most people do not consider this an acceptable term anymore. You would not hear this term or read this term in really any other context other than for this particular American football team.

Ray says that it’s unacceptable that a team is continuing to use a racial slur “over the objection by people – those people offended by it and victimized by it.” As is true a lot of times when we’re speaking, we sometimes don’t always speak in complete grammatical sentences. Ray says, “Over the objection by people,” but the more common way of saying that is “over the objection of” someone.

“Over the objection of a certain group of people” means that even though those people object – that is, disagree or don’t like something – we are going to do it anyway. To do something “over the objection of” someone, then, means that you’re going to do something even though someone else is against it or has objected to it. A person has said that there’s a problem with what we’re doing, but we decide to do it anyway. That’s what is happening here, according to Ray.

He says that the people who have objected to the use of this racial slur, “redskins,” are the people who are offended by it and victimized by it. “To be offended” relates, of course, to the verb “to offend.” It means to be insulted, to have your feelings hurt by what another person has said or done. “To be victimized (victimized) by” something means to be treated unfairly, unjustly, especially if someone else has broken a law.

Now, there’s no law against using racial slurs, but what Ray is referring to here is that Native Americans feel as though they have been hurt – in fact, they feel hurt by this use of the racial slur “redskins.” Halbritter is especially angry by the fact that this football team is from our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. He is saying, I think, that the team that represents our nation’s capital especially should not be a team that uses this kind of racial slur.

Let’s listen to Ray one more time.

[recording]

[end of recording]

Next we’re going to hear from a reporter from Voice of America, and as I may have mentioned in the past, we get most of our Ask an American audio segments from Voice of America, including the ones you’re listening to today. Mike Richmond is a reporter for Voice of America, and he’s actually written two books about the Washington Redskins football team. Let’s hear what he has to say.

[recording]

“I feel that, uh, many Redskins fans, including myself – we feel like we are indirectly being called racist and bigoted and insensitive by supporting the team and supporting the nickname, and I don’t think that’s fair.”

[end of recording]

Mike says that he thinks “many Redskin fans, including myself” – meaning including him – feel like they “are indirectly being called racist and bigoted.” When we say something is being done “in (in) directly,” we mean it is being done not directly. Mike says that many Redskin fans think they “are indirectly being called racist and bigoted.”

“Racist” (racist) means you discriminate against someone based on their skin color, or you think badly of someone who has a certain skin color. “To be bigoted” (bigoted) is a broader, more general term usually referring to someone who discriminates against another group, not necessarily because of their race. It could be because of their religion or because of their ethnicity – the culture they came from.

Someone who doesn’t like, I don’t know, Irish people would be considered bigoted. Someone who doesn’t like Protestant Christians could be considered bigoted. They don’t like anyone in that group even though they may not have a good reason for not liking them. When we talk about “bigoted,” we’re talking about a concept related to someone being unfair or unjust to members of a certain group – someone who discriminates against members of a certain group just because they are part of that group.

Mike also says that many Redskin fans believe they are being called “insensitive.” “To be insensitive” means to be not sensitive. “To be sensitive” means to be caring, to understand the feelings and the thoughts of other people and to try not to offend them, to try not to hurt them. If you are “insensitive,” then you are the opposite of that. You don’t care about other people’s feelings.

Mike is saying that he thinks that just because the Redskins fans support this football team and support the nickname of Redskins, they are being unjustly, or unfairly, called racist and bigoted and insensitive. He says, “I don’t think that’s fair.” I don’t think that’s just. The word “nickname” (nickname) refers to the name that is given the team. So, “nickname” and “mascot” are closely related. Usually the nickname for a team is its mascot.

The mascot technically is the physical representation of the, in this case, nickname, or of the team. So, someone puts on the costume of a gopher for the University of Minnesota and walks around during the game, and you look at the mascot and it looks like a gopher. (Well, it doesn’t look exactly like a gopher, but it’s sort of like a cartoon version of a gopher.) The mascot is, remember, the symbol of the team.

A team’s nickname is the name that people know it by. Usually, however, the word “nickname” is used to describe an additional name, an informal name that someone has in addition to their “real” name. So, my first name is Jeff, but when I was in grade school, because I was the shortest person in my class in grade school, I was sometimes called “Shorty” (Shorty). Shorty wasn’t my real name, but it was a nickname that other people in my class gave me.

Here, when Mike Richmond talks about the nickname for the Redskins, he’s really referring to the actual name of the Redskins.

Let’s listen to Mike one more time.

[recording]

[end of recording]

Finally, we’re going to listen to – believe it or not – the president of the United States, Barack Obama. Yes, the Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning president himself has an opinion on this topic. Mr. President:

[recording]

“I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.”

[end of recording]

President Obama says, “I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.” The president begins by talking about our “attachment” (attachment) to something – in this case, to the name of this team.

An “attachment to” something means that you like something. You are, we might say, “fond (fond) of” something. You have positive feelings towards something. That is “to be attached to” something. To have an attachment to your couch or sofa at home means that you like it a lot. You look forward to coming home and sitting on your couch.

The president is talking about our attachment to a particular name, to this one name. He doesn’t think this attachment should override the real, legitimate concerns of people. “To override” (override) means to have power over something else and to use that power or authority to cancel something else or to say that something else doesn’t matter.

For example, if your child, your son or daughter, wants some candy, and you don’t want to give him or her any candy, your preferences, your wishes, override your child’s wishes. They’re more important, and therefore the other wishes – your child’s wishes – will be ignored. What the president is talking about here is that our attachment to this name should not override – should not be more important than – the concerns that people have about these things.

He uses the words “real, legitimate concerns.” Something that is “real” is something that is actual. “Legitimate” (legitimate) refers to something that is justified, something that has a good reason for it. He’s saying that the Native Americans who object to this mascot and nickname have good reasons for doing so, and we should listen to those concerns, those opinions, carefully and not let our attachment to the name override their concerns.

Let’s listen to the president one more time. Mr. President:

[recording]

“I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.”

[end of recording]

So now you know some about this controversy, this issue related to the use of certain mascots and names in the world of sports. It’s not just this one team, however, that has a mascot that Native Americans consider offensive.

There are other professional teams and other college teams that have mascots that some Native Americans believe are offensive and want them to change. It’s not just this one team. This is a larger issue in the United States, but the more recent controversies about the use of this kind of nickname or mascot for a team have centered on this one professional football team, the Washington Redskins.

Now let’s answer some of the questions you have sent to us.

Our first question comes from Nima (Nima) in Iran. Nima wants to know the meaning of the word “capacity” (capacity) and “capability” (capability). These words are spelled similarly and sometimes used in a similar way, although there are differences between the two words.

Let’s start with “capacity.” One definition of capacity is the maximum amount that something can contain, or the maximum number that can be stored or received into something. For example, you can talk about the capacity of a car, meaning what’s the maximum number of people that can fit into this car. (Normally we’re talking about fitting in people comfortably, not putting people on top of each other so that you can get more people into your car.)

“Capacity” is also used when talking about a container, something that holds something. This might have “a capacity of 50 gallons,” meaning that’s how many gallons you can put into this container. That is its capacity. We also use “capacity” in business settings to talk about the role that you may have in an organization or in a company. For example, “In my capacity as president of this company, I am giving everyone a ten-day holiday this year.” “In my capacity” means as part of my position, as part of my role, I am going to do this.

Another meaning of “capacity” is having the power to do something. For example, we can talk about someone having a “capacity for kindness.” They have the ability or the power for a certain kind of care or kindness towards someone. You can talk about someone’s “capacity for evil” – their ability to do terrible things. You might also say, “He has the capacity to inspire other people.” He has the ability, the power, to get other people excited about doing things. That is part of his capacity, his power, his ability.

“Capability” is also related to the idea of having the power to do something or the ability to do something. “I have certain capabilities.” I have certain things that I know how to do. You could talk about someone having the “capability of going on vacation next week to Hawaii.” That means they have the power, they have the resources, to do that particular thing. In this sense, “capability” really means the same as another word found within the word capability: “ability” (ability).

So, both “capacity” and “capability” can be used when talking about the power or ability to do something. “Capacity” has some additional meanings, including the maximum amount that can fit into some container, or the role or position that someone has in an organization.

Our next question comes from Turkey, from Ziya (Ziya). Ziya wants to know the difference between two phrasal verbs, “to punch in” and “to punch out.”

“To punch (punch) in” is a phrasal verb we use when talking about your job, where you work. “To punch in” means to write down on a piece of paper or to take some action that indicates that you have arrived at work. In some jobs, when you come to work, you have to take a little card and write down the time that you arrived.

It used to be, and I’m not sure how common this is anymore, but when I was working in a certain company many years ago, they had a special machine, and the machine was called a “time clock.” And basically, every person who worked at the company had a “time card,” and the card would go into the machine and the machine would put the time and the date that that card was put into the machine. This was proof then that you arrived to work at that time.

If someone says, “I punched in at 8:15,” he means he got to work at 8:15, and that’s when he put his time card into the time clock and the time clock registered the time that the person arrived.

You may be wondering why we use the verb “punch.” “To punch” can mean to hit someone with your hand. It can also mean to make a small hole in something, and I’m guessing the reason that we use the verb “to punch” – as in “to punch in” and “to punch out” – is that in the old days, the time clocks didn’t use ink. They punched the numbers into the card. I’m just guessing. I’m not exactly sure that’s why, but that sounds right to me.

In any case, whether the time clock punches a hole in your card or merely stamps it with the time using ink, we use the same verb: “to punch in.” If you get paid on a “salary” (salary), which means you are paid a certain amount of money every month or every year regardless of how many hours you work, you would not punch in or punch out. “To punch out,” of course, means to take your time card and put it into the time clock indicating when you are leaving work.

Again, this is only for jobs that people get paid by the hour to perform. It is not something that most companies would use for employees that are on a salary. If you are working, for example, as a manager or as a lawyer or as a teacher, you probably don’t have a time clock at your work. You’re paid a certain amount of money and are expected to do the job that is related to your position regardless of how many hours it takes.

When I worked at a job right out of college, meaning immediately after leaving college, I had to punch in and punch out not only at the beginning and end of the day, but also if I was going on my lunch break. I believe we got 30 minutes every day for lunch. So, at the end of the morning, I would have to punch out, and then I could leave the building of the company and go somewhere to eat or simply stay at my desk and eat. When I was ready to begin work again, I would have to punch in again and then punch out at the end of the day.

So, that’s the meaning of these phrasal verbs, “to punch in” and “to punch out.” I should mention briefly, there is one other use of the phrasal verb “to punch in,” which is to enter information into a computer or a machine. You might “punch in” your personal identification number, your PIN, when you use your debit card or credit card to buy something at a store. You can “enter in” or you could “punch in.”

“Punch out” also has an additional meaning, which means to hit someone with your hand so hard that you might make the person fall down or even become unconscious – as though they were sleeping – because you hit them so hard. “I’m going to punch you out,” we could say. But the more common use of “punch in” and “punch out” is related to this idea of working and registering the time that you come into work and leave work.

Finally, Davo’alla (Davo’alla) in Sudan wants to know the meaning of the expression “to put the cat among the pigeons.” A “cat” is a very mean, evil animal . . . just kidding. A cat, you probably know, is a small, beautiful, lovely animal that people often have as pets. “Pigeons” (pigeons) are birds that you might see walking through a park in an American city.

“To put the cat among the pigeons” means to do something that causes alarm or concern – to do something or say something that makes a lot of people angry or worried. It means to cause problems. If you put a cat in a group of pigeons, of course, all the pigeons would get scared and run away or fly away, and that’s probably why we use that particular expression.

It may also be that we know that cats always cause problems, and so this expression makes sense if you think of it that way. That’s how I think of it, anyway.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.

Glossary

mascot – an animal or a character that represents a product, company, school, or a sports team

* Do you think it’s wrong for cigarette companies to use cartoon mascots that appeal to young children?

racist slur – an offensive and insulting word or phrase used to refer to a group of people of a particular race, or a group of people with the same skin color

* The fight started when one student used a racist slur to refer to another student.

over the objection of (someone) – doing something even though another person doesn’t want it to happen or says that it is wrong

* Harvey was fired for speaking to the media over the objection of his direct supervisor.

offended by – feeling insulted and hurt by what another person has said or done

* Were you offended by Jan’s comments about your weight?

victimized – having been treated unfairly, especially if someone else has broken a law

* The store owner was victimized by a string of robberies.

nation’s capital – the most important city in a country, where the government is based

* Almost all of the leading lobbyists are based in the nation’s capital, because that’s where they can interact with influential politicians.

bigoted – believing that one is better than others and refusing to listen to others’ opinions or even be kind to them

* Some older people in our community seem to be bigoted, but they’re just reflecting what they were taught when they were children.

insensitive – not caring about other people’s feelings and continuing to do things to hurt others’ feelings

* It was really insensitive of Shirley to talk about her new boyfriend in front of her little sister when she knew she had just broken up with her own boyfriend.

nickname – a short name that’s not the full, official name of an organization or a person, usually used by one’s friends or family members

* Your name is Alejandro Paz, so how did you get the nickname “Chompers”?

attachment to – a fondness for something, or the positive feelings one has toward something, liking it and wanting to be associated with it

* Brent has an attachment to fried foods, but his doctor wants him to stop eating them.

to override – to have power over something else and use that power or authority to cancel something else or say that something else doesn’t matter

* When the federal government issued a travel advisory against traveling to that area, it overrode all our wishes to vacation there.

legitimate – real, reasonable, and justified

* Can you think of any legitimate reasons why we shouldn’t buy this home?

capacity – the maximum amount that something can contain; the maximum amount or number that can be contained, received, or stored

* According to the fire chief, the maximum capacity of this room is 35 people.

capability – one’s power or ability

* We have a great software product, but we’ll have to improve our marketing capabilities if we want people to find out about it.

to punch in – to register one's arrival at work, especially by using a time clock (a device that marks the time when someone places a piece of paper or card in it)

* Heather is obsessed with punctuality. One time, she fired an employee for punching in two minutes late.

to punch out – to register one’s departure from work, especially by using a time clock (a device that marks the time when someone places a piece of paper or card in it); to hit someone very hard so that he or she becomes unconscious (not awake)

* Even after you punch out, you’re still representing our company while you’re wearing our uniform.

to put the cat among the pigeons –– to do something that causes concern or alarm; to do or say something that causes trouble and makes a lot of people angry or worried

* Allowing a boy into our dance club might be putting the cat among the pigeons.

What Insiders Know

The Most Common School Mascots

Mascots are used to identify a company, school, or team, so you might expect they would be “unique” (found only in one place, not copied by others), but that is “far from the case” (definitely not true). A study of “NCAA schools” (schools that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association) found that just 20 mascots are used by more than one-third of all NCAA schools.

Many of the most popular mascots are animals. “Bulldogs” (a muscular, heavy, and often aggressive dog with a wrinkled face and flattened nose) are the most common mascot, found at Yale, Fresno State, Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, South Carolina State, and other universities. The second most common mascot is the “Eagles,” a large “bird of prey” (a bird that eats small mammals like mice). “Tigers” are the third most common mascots among NCAA schools. Wildcats” (large, “wild” (not domesticated; not trained to live with humans) cats), “hawks” (large birds similar to eagles), and bears are all “tied” (with the same score or rank) for the next position on the list.

The most popular non-animal mascot are the “aggies,” which refers to people involved in “agriculture” (the industry associated with growing plants and raising animals for food, clothing, and other products). Most of the school with “aggies” as their mascots are found in “traditionally” (in the past) “rural” (far from a city) areas where agriculture is an important part of the local economy. “Spartans” (strong and fierce soldiers in ancient Greece), “devils” (the opposite of gods; creatures associated with evil), and “knights” (men who wore heavy metal over their clothing to fight against enemies and protect their king) are the other most-popular non-animal mascots for NCAA schools.