The Washington "R Word"

I will never again use the "R word" after the second quarter of last night's Monday Night Football. Yesterday I finished working out at a sports club and was heading toward the door. The front desk person was watching the Philadadelphia-Washington game on TV, we'll call him Martin. Martin's a Navajo currently enrolled in grad school studying engineering, I've known him for years and he's an all round good guy. He works at the club on four afternoons a week to help pay for schooling.

Most days, he doesn't bother to check my membership card and just waves me through. When I forgot my locker he's the guy I trust with my watch or smart phone. Unlike most health club professionals, he's not in the greatest shape as he doesn't always work out at the club--he's either working at another job or studying.

I lived in DC for a year and a half when I was twenty-six, and the fans there are even more passionate than Denver fans, if that's possible. I don't particularly like the Eagles and tend to cheer for Washington teams when I can. Dan Shepard the "me character" in Rattlesnake Lawyer refers to himself as a big fan of the team as well. Speaking of R words, I am impressed by RGIII.

I was about to ask Martin the score of the game by referring to name of the Washington team, and I just froze. I just couldn't say the R word to him without sounding like another R word, a racist. When I think of Native Americans, I don't think of a stereotype, I think about Martin, I think of  the judge I'm going before on Friday, I think of the mother of one of my clients who is a school principal, I think of the woman who ran the museum where I lectured. I think of the man who made the sculpture in my mom's living room that if she sold it could pay off my credit card debt.

I remember that when I went to the Acoma reservation,up to Sky City, many of the tribal members were Cowboys fans, but that's another story.

Chris Rock did a routine on when people could use the n word. He said that it can be used at four in the morning on Christmas Eve. Well, I don't see any reason to use the R word.