Many times—more than I’d actually like to count—people have asked me if I was ever going to review the legendary Eskimo Joe’s in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Usually, I’ll try to change the subject because I didn’t feel like getting raked over the coals that day, but the truth is I’ve always had a problem with the name and never felt right about going there.
Sure, they’re an Oklahoma staple, mostly for their world-famous shirts and other merchandise featuring a Native Alaskan and his husky that’s had a home on every local’s chest for over forty years now, but the truth is the corporate mascot of a stereotyped "Eskimo" with overly-caricatured features, not to mention the name, is damaging to all Indigenous peoples.