Thread by @amybeatrice, “Canada’s Inuit community”1) we are not a monolith.2) there will never be [...]

“Canada’s Inuit community”

1) we are not a monolith.
2) there will never be consensus across an entire people.
3) it’s a racial slur.
4) change your fucking name.

#NotYourMascot https://twitter.com/EdmontonEsks/status/1279117801240707072

https://twitter.com/EdmontonEsks/status/1279117801240707072

Ok! This will now be a mini thread on @EdmontonEsks and the E-slur.

For those who don’t know me, ullâkut! Amyvunga. My name is Amy and I’m Inuk (which is the singular form of Inuit)!

Let’s dive into this, shall we?
#ChangeTheName #NotYourMascot

Let’s look at some dictionary definitions of the word.

@MerriamWebster, @Dictionarycom, and Wiktionary all agree: the e-slur is, indeed, a slur!

They all have “usage notes” that highlight that it is especially offensive in Canada.

Guess where Edmonton is, y’all?

The @CdnEncyclopedia has a good article that dives into the etymology of the word, if you’re into that kind of thing.

TL;DR? It’s unclear where it originates. We have some theories. It’s now considered a slur.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eskimo

“The use of this exonym (a name given to a group of people by another group) perpetuates harmful stereotypes of the Inuit as remote and politically insignificant, while also romanticizing the Arctic...”

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eskimo

“The reason for this persistence may be benign ignorance, or indifference to the implied cultural superiority and disrespect exhibited by its use.”

Calling us the e-slur is offensive, discriminatory, disrespectful, and outdated. #ChangeTheName

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eskimo

But don’t just take my word for it!

(...or the several dictionaries and encyclopedias linked above...)

Inuit have been speaking on this for years!!

@ITK_CanadaInuit President Natan Obed wrote this in 2015 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/attention-edmonton-eskimos-inuit-are-not-mascots/article27512855/

Attention Edmonton Eskimos: Inuit are not mascots

I reject any arguments that the name is benign and has positive intent to align the Edmonton football team culture with Inuit strength or spirit.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/attention-edmonton-eskimos-inuit-are-not-mascots/article27512855/

Inuk scholar Norma Dunning wrote this in 2017! https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2017/11/20/edmonton-eskimos-is-a-racial-slur-and-its-time-to-stop-using-it.html

Edmonton Eskimos is a racial slur and it’s time to stop using it

By using the word Eskimos, they are perpetuating ideas that go along with the word. Firstly, Eskimo is not used by my peoples, and secondly, they are ...

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2017/11/20/edmonton-eskimos-is-a-racial-slur-and-its-time-to-stop-using-it.html

Nunavut MP (and all-around badass) @MumilaaqQaqqaq has been vocal on this issue too! https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/edmonton-eskimos-team-name-nunavut-mp-1.5593518

'Start by changing your team name': Inuk MP responds to Edmonton Eskimos post referencing racism |...

A social media post by the Edmonton Eskimos referencing racism drew criticism over the weekend given the ongoing controversy over the team's name, which is widely considered a racial slur.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/edmonton-eskimos-team-name-nunavut-mp-1.5593518

in this ~current political climate~

(aka time when folks are actually talking antiracism because of decades of organizing by Black & Indigenous ppls)

all kinds of companies are changing their names. INCLUDING THIS RACIST ICE CREAM THAT USES THE E-SLUR! https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/20/business/eskimo-pie-ice-cream-name-change-trnd/index.html

Eskimo Pie no more: Ice cream owners will drop 'derogatory' name

After nearly 100 years, Eskimo Pie ice cream will get a new name.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/20/business/eskimo-pie-ice-cream-name-change-trnd/index.html

Boosting this important point because it’s not just Inuit impacted by the e-slur

https://twitter.com/wenschw/status/1279161785241591809?s=21 https://twitter.com/WenSchw/status/1279161785241591809

https://twitter.com/wenschw/status/1279161785241591809?s=21

So to summarize:

@EdmontonEsks your name is a slur. You should change it. We, as Inuit, have been asking for years. If the racist ice cream can do it, so can you!

Here’s a suggestion on a new name! I even made a graphic for you!!

https://twitter.com/amybeatrice/status/1279151426309062660?s=21 https://twitter.com/amybeatrice/status/1279151426309062660

https://twitter.com/amybeatrice/status/1279151426309062660?s=21

Hey @TheBrick think of the sponsorship opportunities!! Go, Sectionals!! @EdmontonEsks

https://twitter.com/davecournoyer/status/1279164003831255041?s=21 https://twitter.com/davecournoyer/status/1279164003831255041

https://twitter.com/davecournoyer/status/1279164003831255041?s=21

It’s almost like they know it’s offensive...

https://twitter.com/karoribee/status/1279164754301349889?s=21 https://twitter.com/karoribee/status/1279164754301349889

https://twitter.com/karoribee/status/1279164754301349889?s=21

If you enjoyed this thread, please consider donating to the @protectlabrador fundraiser for our legal fees.

My charges were dropped but I still have to pay off legal fees for simply protecting my homelands and my culture. Nakummek! http://fundrazr.com/labradorlandprotectors

Labrador Land Protectors - Legal Fund

We are the Labrador Land Protectors, a group of concerned citizens fighting against the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam. Our fundraising will go towards our legal fees as dozens of land protects face...

http://fundrazr.com/labradorlandprotectors

And if you want to take action and help get @EdmontonEsks to change their name, start by contacting their sponsors! Great thread below

Nakummek @JohnnyKasudluak

https://twitter.com/johnnykasudluak/status/1279470022641868800?s=21 https://twitter.com/johnnykasudluak/status/1279470022641868800