Kevin Hart went on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and was involved in a debate with Don Lemon regarding the term “Redskins”. The debate about whether or not the name is racist or not has been heating up for months. According to Hart the N-word and “Redskin” are not in the same category as far as racial slurs go.
Via Yahoo:
“It’s not in the same bar,” Hart said. “We don’t know how (Native Americans) feel personally because we’re not them, but this has existed for twenty years.”
“You mean Redskins?” Lemon said. “Yeah, they’ve been using it since the 1930s.”
“Now — to say it’s a problem, it’s a team name,” Hart said. “Nobody uses that word in a way to where it’s insulting, it’s celebrated, you have fans who celebrate the Washington Redskins, they rejoice, whether it’s win or lose, we love the Redskins.”
“What if they were called the Washington Blackfaces, Washington N-words?” Lemon asked.
“You can’t say it’s the same,” Hart said. “It’s not the same, Don.”
I have to disagree with Mr. Hart on this one. I think to say what is insulting to a specific race or ethnicity that you are not a part of is embarking on very dangerous territory. He also says it makes no sense for people to start making an issue out of the name now. The fact of the matter is that Native Americans have been taking action to have this name changed for decades. The media and the rest of the world have just now started paying attention.
If it’s offensive to them it should be changed. Period. Listen to the full audio below.