I always liked Land O’Lakes butter, but I refuse to buy it because the brand dumped the lovely Indian maiden that was its logo (a logo painted by a Native American artist). I’d boycott the Washington “Commanders” (the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins), too, but the fact is that I’ve never watched them before, so I can’t boycott them now. However, the Native American Guardian Association (“NAGA”) is threatening a boycott powered by Native Americans angry that they’ve been erased in true Orwellian fashion.

When it comes to team names and mascots, for more than one hundred years, many American high school and college teams used to use tribal names to designate themselves. This was not a sign of disrespect. It was, instead, a sign of respect for the Native Americans’ martial prowess.

In other words, it was the opposite of “blackface,” which was meant to demean and denigrate blacks. Instead, by giving itself a Native American name—such as the Stanford Indians (now the Stanford Cardinals) or the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders), the team was loudly announcing its strength, power, courage, and fortitude.

Image: A Redskin’s helmet by All-Pro Reels. CC BY 2.0.

The Washington football team’s decision to abandon its name was very controversial. The brand commanded a great deal of respect and had a fanatically loyal following. But in today’s world, the woke cadre is always the one screaming most loudly and, certainly, most hysterically. So, the “Redskins” name that had galvanized fans since 1937 was dropped in favor of the boring “Commanders.”

Among those objecting most loudly to the change were…Native Americans. They felt disrespected to see dropped so cavalierly a designation that respected their historic prowess. Indeed, some still feel so strongly that they’re proposing the same kind of boycott that has brought Bud Light to its knees.

The boycott threat appears in a letter that NAGA sent to the team’s ownership. This is part of a “Reclaim the Name” campaign which has, at its back, a petition with over 60,000 signatures. That is not an insignificant number.

The threatened boycott comes about because the team has simply refused to discuss the matter with NAGA. Secure in its paternal wokeness, the team is satisfied with its offensive decision:

“In terms of changing the name Redskins, the Native American community was never asked how they felt about it,” [NAGA’s President of Global Impact Campaigns, Healy] Baumgardner said. “Once again, we are met by closed doors and no open dialogue with the Commanders leadership or the executives.”

In its three-page letter, NAGA cites lawsuits, polls and general sentiment supporting their argument that Native Americans do not find “Redskin” to be a derogatory term. To close its message, the organization punctuated its meeting invitation by threatening to push for a boycott if their requests continued to go unheard.

Should we need to encourage a national boycott similar to what happened with Anheuser Busch which is now down $27 billion (note, not one brick thrown, not one highway blocked, not one bridge burned) - WE WILL DO JUST THAT," the letter reads.

I say, go for it! And I wish I could join you in the boycott effort, but I can’t boycott a product I’ve never bought, used, or watched in the first place.

Less facetiously, it’s time to bring corporate America to heel. Its management is filled with young college grads who lack wisdom, knowledge, and life experience but who are arrogantly and hysterically determined to remake America, even if they destroy the corporations (and their shareholders) in the process.