Do any of these studies go into any detail on the mechanism of how exactly that harm occurs?
Is it just self report or demonstrable findings? Otherwise harm isn't quantified in any way. Its just the perception of harm, which of course is entirely subjective.
What indication that something as spurious as changing names of sporting teams will bring about significant or even detectable change in any of what the studies cite above?
What indication is there in any of these of some sort of control. i.e. Native American groups not exposed to the names being any different than those exposed to the names.
Probably all the studies show is that a minority group told by certain influencers that they are all impacted and harmed by all these things start believing they are all impacted and harmed by these things. Which could raise a question whether the invocation of harm is due to the names, or due to the rancor about the names.
The prior point is not specious either. The local changing of the Eskimos name, had little to do with the Eskimos name itself. Activism was spurred by a combination of the mob Floyd protests followed by a Sexist comment by an Eskimo player who was promptly fired. Thats what brought about the recent protest and name change. Apparentlly some hot button issue overboiling on the burner was harming people more this time...
My own take would be that its blatantly unhealthy if not irresponsible to be telling groups of people that such innocuous influence is harming them. This harm narrative produces generations of eggshell individuals with no reslience, perseverence, self autonomy that are harmed by essentially anything. Like breathing air.
The narrative that people are harmed so easily, so readily, is damaging destructive influence and is the polar opposite of working on resilience.
I could write a book on how harmful it is to be telling people that the locus of their own life and self control lies external to them. Preach that all day and you are seeding massive failure and lack of individual autonomy. Why make positive self change when its possible to sit back and just be angry throughout life about whatever perceived external forces have done to you.
