Changing the name of the Washington Redskins

A reader of the Washington Post makes this foolish argument for changing the name of the Washington Redskins (October 9 Letters to the Editor): "If you would feel uncomfortable saying a word to a person to whom it applies, then there's something wrong with that word." It might be unfeeling to call a native American a "redskin" to his face if he objects, but that's hardly a reason to change the name of the football team. In a nation of over 300 million people, you can find someone (if not thousands) who are uncomfortable saying most anything.