Sometimes I wonder if J. Paul Brown has time-traveled to us from the 1880s.

Take his recent comments on the House floor questioning why we should concern ourselves with public schools using racially denigrating mascots.

A white, male homesteader of 100 years ago might not have seen anything wrong with calling Native Americans “redskins,” but surely, a state representative in 2015 should. Whites have used the term “redskin” for hundreds of years to denote racial inferiority (the same with the word “savage”).

It was and is derogatory. There may be a few Native Americans who aren’t bothered by hearing it, but there are many who find it offensive – and that should be enough.

Brown turned a deaf ear to the throngs of Native Americans who testified at the capitol, making it crystal clear they found the use of such terms and accompanying symbols deeply offensive. Brown suggests these individuals are being too sensitive since his “Native American friends and employees” aren’t bothered by the word “redskin.”

It would be interesting to see what Brown’s experience would be if he started calling these friends and employees “redskins” to their faces. I suspect Brown leaped up to make his comments on the House floor because the no-to-big-government synapse fired inside his head.

But while it is a pity to see state funds spent on convincing a few school districts to resolve this self-evident problem, those school districts, supported by state funds, haven’t acted. Thus the need for some – measured – state action. This should be obvious to an American legislator living in the 21st century.

Herbert D. Bowman

Durango