California/Nevada Squaw Valley Name Change

[Jacques]

P.C. Valley!

 

[Paul Lutes]

Squirm Valley: saves $$$ on logo changes, etc.

Too edgy?

 

[Wasatchman]

Is there a "shaking my head" emoji?
If I wasn't such a woke person, I might be tempted to suggest renaming it Brave Valley. I would never suggest that though.

I will go on record and say many things are getting too politically correct for my taste.

But squaw has a historical usage of being a slur. Accordingly, I struggle with why some people are angry about the name change.

Edit: if you are angry that things are getting too pc, my personal recommendation is to save your ammunition for better examples to fight.

 

[crgildart]

I will go on record and say many things are getting too politically correct for my taste.

But squaw has a historical usage of being a slur. Accordingly, I struggle with why some people are angry about the name change.

Edit: if you are angry that things are getting too pc, my personal recommendation is to save your ammunition for better examples to fight.

It's inevitable. As the information is more widely distributed to wider audiences and those folks have mechanisms to provide feedback, we all become more aware of things that might be offensive or percieved differently by a more diverse audience.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Squallyworld?

 

[Tricia]

I will go on record and say many things are getting too politically correct for my taste.

But squaw has a historical usage of being a slur. Accordingly, I struggle with why some people are angry about the name change.

Edit: if you are angry that things are getting too pc, my personal recommendation is to save your ammunition for better examples to fight.

This.
Though I'm weary of cancel culture, I also realize that there are things that should be addressed.

If there is one thing I've learned over the past several months, its that I need to be flexible in my thinking and allow others to be flexible (people change, as does their thinking) or I'll waste a lot of energy being outraged at things that don't merit wasted energy. Save that for the things that I should really be outraged about.

 

[David Chaus]

Shane’sWorld

 

[Wasatchman]

This.
Though I'm weary of cancel culture, I also realize that there are things that should be addressed.

If there is one thing I've learned over the past several months, its that I need to be flexible in my thinking and allow others to be flexible (people change, as does their thinking) or I'll waste a lot of energy being outraged at things that don't merit wasted energy. Save that for the things that I should really be outraged about.

Refreshing to hear that.

My soapbox for the day is a lot of people seem to be purely all or nothing on a particular issue, when like anything in life there are lots of shades of gray and it doesn't have to be purely one or the other all the time.

 

[RiderRay]

I did.

How long has this bothered you? I didn't see a thread about it prior to this one. If there was one, please direct me to it.

 

[Alexzn]

Squaw has an established brand that is behind tons of history in the ski world and beyond. The 1960 Olympics were at Squaw Valley. While some people justifiably find the name offensive, I have not seen mass protests about it. Some people find fur and foie gra offensive too and are quite vocal in their beliefs. Olympic Valley name for the resort is OK, Washoe Valley will be just as good, but honestly, it does not really matter, because none of them will carry the visceral associations the name Squaw carries for any serious skier. In the vernacular, it has never been called Squaw Valley, it has been always just Squaw. I will miss that name, not because of what it means, but because of all the associations it carries. You could show up to any skiing destination in the world, tell the guide that you ski at Squaw and they would immediately relax about taking you into technical terrain. It will take a while for the new name to achieve the same status. And given how few people still call the West Face "Moseley's" (even considering how loved Jonny is at Squaw), you can bet that a new name will take some years to stick.

On the positive side, my daughters are excited about the name change because it would mean new coach uniforms, so they won't get the worn-out stuff they have been working in the last two seasons.

 

[S.H.]

How long has this bothered you? I didn't see a thread about it prior to this one. If there was one, please direct me to it.

California/Nevada - Squaw Valley to discuss removing slur against Native Americans from California resort’s name.

Excerpt: (Sacbee) The owners of Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe are inviting Native American leaders to discuss the use of the ethnic and sexist slur in its name, as the movement to remove symbols of colonialism and indigenous oppression has grown throughout the country. Christine Horvath, a...

www.pugski.com

 

[Wasatchman]

Squaw has an established brand that is behind tons of history in the ski world and beyond. The 1960 Olympics were at Squaw Valley. While some people justifiably find the name offensive, I have not seen mass protests about it. Some people find fur and foie gra offensive too and are quite vocal in their beliefs. Olympic Valley name for the resort is OK, Washoe Valley will be just as good, but honestly, it does not really matter, because none of them will carry the visceral associations the name Squaw carries for any serious skier. In the vernacular, it has never been called Squaw Valley, it has been always just Squaw. I will miss that name, not because of what it means, but because of all the associations it carries. You could show up to any skiing destination in the world, tell the guide that you ski at Squaw and they would immediately relax about taking you into technical terrain. It will take a while for the new name to achieve the same status. And given how few people still call the West Face "Moseley's" (even considering how loved Jonny is at Squaw), you can bet that a new name will take some years to stick.

On the positive side, my daughters are excited about the name change because it would mean new coach uniforms, so they won't get the worn-out stuff they have been working in the last two seasons.

You bring up a very fair point about an established brand with tons of history and the visceral associations the name brings. Your post is as eloquent of a reason to oppose the name change as I have heard.

I suspect there were a lot of people like me that were unaware Squaw was even a slur.

I too will miss the visceral feeling in me the brand name conjured, as I suspect most were like me unaware it had a historical context as a slur.

Ultimately, I can understand the decision knowing the word Squaw has a historical context of being a slur and was made in conjunction with consulting with tribal leaders.

But I won't lie, I will definitely miss the visceral association of the old branding that I don't think will quite exist with a new name for some time.

 

[Philpug]

Squaw has an established brand that is behind tons of history in the ski world and beyond. The 1960 Olympics were at Squaw Valley. While some people justifiably find the name offensive, I have not seen mass protests about it. Some people find fur and foie gra offensive too and are quite vocal in their beliefs. Olympic Valley name for the resort is OK, Washoe Valley will be just as good, but honestly, it does not really matter, because none of them will carry the visceral associations the name Squaw carries for any serious skier. In the vernacular, it has never been called Squaw Valley, it has been always just Squaw. I will miss that name, not because of what it means, but because of all the associations it carries. You could show up to any skiing destination in the world, tell the guide that you ski at Squaw and they would immediately relax about taking you into technical terrain. It will take a while for the new name to achieve the same status. And given how few people still call the West Face "Moseley's" (even considering how loved Jonny is at Squaw), you can bet that a new name will take some years to stick.

On the positive side, my daughters are excited about the name change because it would mean new coach uniforms, so they won't get the worn-out stuff they have been working in the last two seasons.

This can be said for many resorts, the Valley, Mountain, Meadows in the title is often dropped by the hardcore/local/"skier". It is Alpine, not Alpine Meadows. It is Blue, not Blue Mountain. It is Jay, not Jay Peak. the mountain to the locals will always be Squaw, that won't change and IMHO doesn't matter, it is the tourist that matters.

I don't see Washoe Valley as a serious candidate because it's association to Nevada and so much being Washoe...and Squaw is sooo California.

 

[Wasatchman]

This can be said for many resorts, the Valley, Mountain, Meadows in the title is often dropped by the hardcore/local/"skier". It is Alpine, not Alpine Meadows. It is Blue, not Blue Mountain. It is Jay, not Jay Peak. the mountain to the locals will always be Squaw, that won't change and IMHO doesn't matter, it is the tourist that matters.

I don't see Washoe Valley as a serious candidate because it's association to Nevada and so much being Washoe...and Squaw is sooo California.

I hope the new name keeps some Native American reference. To me that would serve as a connection and association to the old branding while still removing a word that had been historically used as a slur at one point in history.

 

[jmeb]

If anyone is interested....I imagine this topic will come up at the Q&A today after POW Movie night: https://protectourwinters.org/news-events/blog/pow-movie-nights/

The Q&A includes squaw local / minor ski celebrity Cody Townsend, and one of the few Native freeskiing pros Connor Ryan.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Private business, their right to name it as they wish. It doesn't matter if we like it or not. They are willing to suffer the consequences for tampering with their brand and I admire them for taking a risky, bold business move for the sake of issues they feel are greater than the inconvenience or their bottom line.

To me, the terms PC and Cancel Culture are weapons that are used against other's right of self-expression and the effort to right past wrongs while masquerading as a champion of free speech. For me, there is an Orwellian feel to these terms.

 

[Lauren]

Private business, their right to name it as they wish. It doesn't matter if we like it or not. They are willing to suffer the consequences for tampering with their brand and I admire them for taking a risky, bold business move for the sake of issues they feel are greater than the inconvenience or their bottom line.

IMO they risk more by not changing it. Anyone who is pissed that they're changing the name will get over it eventually. But if they choose to keep the current name, it will keep coming up in the future until it has caused them more damage than if they were to just change it in the first place.

 

[Pequenita]

It's inevitable. As the information is more widely distributed to wider audiences and those folks have mechanisms to provide feedback, we all become more aware of things that might be offensive or percieved differently by a more diverse audience.

This. Another reason some things didn't or don't seem offensive is because the public has been socialized to perceive them as acceptable. Even if the media once accepted certain terms, it doesn't mean they weren't derogatory; it just means that society allowed the derogatory terms to exist. The name of the Washington football team was never a positive term, for instance, but it was allowed to exist -- and generations of people believed the term was appropriate to use (it's probably used in westerns) -- because society allowed it until an inflection point was hit.

 

[fatbob]

I don't think this is about "cancel culture" though like "snowflake" or "MSM" I tend to have a certain perception of the type of people who use the word
It's about a corporation asking an appropriate question of the affected group and being big enough to do something about it when they get the non-easy answer. Your visceral associations are about the terrain and the people around and maybe the Chammy and Wildflour and the Cantina ( which has gone anyway). They could change it to Gnar Valley overnight and all the Squallywood culture would carry on without skipping a beat. So the challenge is to call it something not too bland and focus grouped.

 

[Philpug]

I don't think this is about "cancel culture" though like "snowflake" or "MSM" I tend to have a certain perception of the type of people who use the word
It's about a corporation asking an appropriate question of the affected group and being big enough to do something about it when they get the non-easy answer. Your visceral associations are about the terrain and the people around and maybe the Chammy and Wildflour and the Cantina ( which has gone anyway). They could change it to Gnar Valley overnight and all the Squallywood culture would carry on without skipping a beat. So the challenge is to call it something not too bland and focus grouped.

So, name it "Snowflake Valley" ?