Those who think the continuing movement to change the name of the local pro football team is a waste of time and trivial were clearly not at the recent Art All Night event here in the District. Secreted in one corner of the venue was local Indigenous artist Gregg Deal. His project, “Redskin,” took on the racial overtones of the team moniker and projected it at his audience.
The name change debate continues to rage in the area. Every day, it seems, someone else stands up and says the obvious – the name is racist, needs to go. And every day, the Washington football team’s PR generator tries to deflect the issue, spouting words of “honor” and “respect” without realizing what those actually mean. In the wings, however, are those who have already resolved the debate in their minds and are moving forward into the next step. People like Brian Thurber, founder of DskinDC.org.
I first ran across Destiny over a year ago. A new game universe promised by the creators of the Halo franchise? Featuring player-v-player (PvP) as well as co-play options? And a strong storyline threaded throughout, giving you solo play? All against an intriguing science fiction backdrop of humanity’s last stand?
It piqued my interest.
Data and research now shows that the use of such racist and derogatory team names (and by association, ‘traditions’ and fan antics) have real and detrimental effects on Native youth today. With fifty percent of the Native population being of 25 years of age or younger, the danger of perpetuating this practice and continuing the cycle of defeatism, hostile learning environments, and poor self-esteem is all too real.
So after a decently long hiatus, I’ve restarted work on IlClan.
Changing the name would be a step in the right direction.
Lego. Star Wars. Individually, these are great brands. Together? A phenomenal experience. And when you blend them together into a video game, you get the introduction of Lego as a game series and a revitalization of the company.
In trying to get back into the swing of things, this latest installment of Three Things focuses on one of my favorite card games from my college era. Illuminati, from Steve Jackson Games (SJG), was a favorite midnight pastime in my dorm and quickly became the go-to game whenever a bunch of us needed a study break. It was common for a resident to wander into the commons room at any hour and find a group of players attempting to rule the world through a network of conspiracy.
So inevitably, the question posed to me and my wife at some point – alone or together – is just how we met. Because to know us is to know two fiercely independent-dependent people. How in the world did all this collide, fusing together into a nearly nineteen-year long love affair and marriage?
Having collected Lego for just about a year now, and having played Borderlands 2 regularly with my co-op partners for about 15 months, it was inevitable I’d mush the two together. So while a Lego Borderlands set/video game isn’t likely, at least I can indulge the fancy from time to time.