Figure 1: Asshole
For people who aren’t from the Washington D.C. area, Zema Williams (a.k.a. Chief Zee) is the racist asshole who throws on a warbonnet and beaded warshirt at Washington Redskins games and proceeds to dance around like an unmitigated fucktard. He has become the unofficial de facto mascot of the Redskins, despite the fact that he’s basically Native America’s Al Jolson in blackface.
There isn’t enough space on this blog to list everything that’s wrong with what he’s doing, nor is there enough space to explain how offended Native people and I, as a Native person, are offended by this assclown. What possibly sticks in the craw the most is the fact that November 7, 1985 was declared ‘Chief Zee’ day in Washington D.C. - right smack in the middle of American Indian Heritage Month. Fuck you very much whoever’s idea that was.
Now on to the much shorter and more easily explained reason why this, and indeed the very fact that a team called the ‘Redskins‘ is even allowed to exist, bothers me as a black man:
Black people are next.
Figure 2: Coming in 2012
Remember the 80’s? I sure as hell do, and I remember that back then any non-black person who hung a noose or used the word ‘nigger’ was pretty much good as dead. Now nooses are being hung all over the country. Thanks greatly in part to Dave Chappelle and Comedy Central, suddenly it’s OK for anyone to use the word ‘nigger’ (remember back in the day when ‘nigger’ was bleeped out in TV shows on network television and most cable programming? Not anymore.)
It’s clearly only a matter of time before the Detroit Redwings are renamed the Detroit Darkies and some Vietnamese dude in blackface doing the Soulja Boy dance becomes their unofficial mascot. What does Chief Zee have to do with this? Simple - he’s convincing everyone that there’s nothing wrong with it. If it’s OK to do it to Indians, what’s wrong with doing it to black people? And the resounding answer in Detroit will be “not a damn thing!”
I’ve heard that Chief Zee suffered an aneurysm and a clot in his leg, and on a basic human level, I feel a little sorry for him. I’d feel even sorrier for him if he was truly ignorant and didn’t know what he was doing was offensive, but that went out the window when security as a ‘Skins game intercepted a bunch of real live Indians descending the stadium stairs to smack him down like he was in Philly in ‘83. As such, he knows what he’s doing is wrong, he’s a racist fucking asshole, and I have to say that in all honesty - deep down, I’m laughing at his plight.
Get well Zee, but get a fucking clue while you’re at it.
stuffeducatedblackpeoplelike.wordpress.com
if you google zema williams this is on the first page
$
This post is so dead on. I went to a Redskins game for the first time in my last last year and was absolutely apalled by the racism disguised as entertainment during the pre-game and halftime festivities. This ish has got to stop.
My high school’s football team was also the Redskins, and my senior year a bunch of students started a push to change the name of the team because it is so blatantly offensive. This resulted in a lot of backlash from white Americans in the community, who said incredibly ignorant things like “I’m a Redskin and you can’t change that; my son will be a Redskin too!” and completely failed to recognize the irony or offensiveness of the statement.
I always wondered why it was considered ok to use ‘redskin’ even in conversation, let alone as a team name. I have to admit though, as far as sheer racism I think the trademark image of the Cleveland Indians is more obnoxious. There was a push at one point in time to render the trademark on this image invalid due to offensiveness (which is an archaic but still existing bar to trademark registration in this country). Sadly, it did not work, and the rest of us are still stuck looking at it.
I hate to “disrespect my elders” but I think Zema here is a coon. And he cant stop, wont stop. Its gotten so bad, I cant even bear to watch the Eastern Motors commercial hes in (ok, thats a lie, I cant watch the commercials without him either). He really makes Black folks look bad.
L
That commercial w/ Zema must be hilariously stupid!
I was in Maryland last year this time and was both horrified and exhilirated by the Eastern Motors Commercial that played their remix of “Sexy Lady.” It was like soft-core porn!
You are a much more enlightened man than I, Mr. Chris. I have no basic human level needed to feel sorry for this “chingon”. The fact that he was a stupid black man dressed up in Native garb and acting like a jackass only to be struck with an aneurysm and a leg clot proves to me that God exists or that the Hindu and Buddhist traditions were right about the concept of karma.
In short, he got what he deserved. Fuck him.