Some polls are aimed at finding out what people really think. Some polls are intended to make people think a certain thing.
The Redskins have crafted an online fan poll with at least one question that seems to be more about pushing public sentiment in the team’s desire direction instead of finding out what people truly believe.
The questions, shared by Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post, come from a broader online survey. The first poses in simple “yes” or “no” terms whether the team should change its name. Then, the survey asks which of the three following statements the reader agrees with the most: (1) “the name is rooted in racism and is outdated and offensive"; (2) “the name is a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect"; and (3) “it is just another team name and doesn’t really matter to me all that much.”
Plenty of people may not completely agree with any of those statements. Some may agree more with “the name may have been acceptable at first but times have changed and at some point the name should” or “when disconnected from the name of a team, the term ‘redskins’ is inappropriate and offensive” or “in 100 years people will look back on this period of history with amazement that it took us so long to realize the name should be changed.”
But that’s not even the most troubling question. The last one, a classic political push poll, loads up the team’s position before seeking an answer: “If you knew that . . . According to the independent institute poll of nearly 1,000 Native Americans, 90% of Native Americans DON’T find the Washington Redskins name offensive . . . and . . . Ten Members of Congress called on the team to change its name because they considered it offensive . . . Should the Washington Redskins change their name?”
The team doesn’t care about the answer to that one. The goal is to make sure the person responding to the poll can change “if you knew” to “now I know.”
At least it’s better than using the “hey look at all the high schools that use the name” approach, and it’s a definite improvement over using a Chief who isn’t a Chief and may not even be a Native American.
The goal is the same. The team wants to recruit more fans to become active participants in shouting down anyone who would dare point out that, for example, “the name may have been acceptable at first but times have changed and at some point the name should” or “when disconnected from the name of a team, the term ‘redskins’ is inappropriate and offensive” or “in 100 years people will look back on this period of history with amazement that it took us so long to realize the name should be changed.”