Monday, August 29, 2005
Dear Editor:
As an expression of contempt for opponents of “Native American mascots,” Sara Garlick’s Aug. 19 column succeeds. As an argument, the column fails.
Garlick doesn’t prove what her title claims, “Ban criteria largely flawed,” because she gives no information about those criteria other than quoting the words “hostile” and “abusive.” Those words describe Garlick’s tone: the policy is “a waste of time for pretty much everyone involved...more important stories are out there.” We don’t learn what Garlick’s criteria for importance are, or how she earned the credibility to speak for so many people.
Garlick uses a “slippery slope” approach, which keeps her from having to refute the ban criteria she didn’t provide in the first place. If Garlick wants people to agree that eliminating Native American mascots leads inevitably to results she describes, she must provide evidence. Instead, she spins absurd scenarios to trivialize the NCAA policy.
Garlick’s conclusion is not just unsupported, it is laughable. She claims that schools with Native American mascots do “tribes” a favor by keeping their traditions alive for students who wouldn’t have known of the tribes’ existence without a “liaison” service.
Because this issue is such a time waster, perhaps Garlick should investigate the “important story” of why some people only care about “Indians” in terms of their presence, or non-presence, as sports mascots.
Ray Pence
Graduate student in American studies
Casper, Wyoming
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