To the Editor:
I'm glad that attentions from The Dartmouth are finally being directed toward the very important issue of the "Indian mascot" ("Students share opinions on Indian mascot," Nov. 14). Time and time again, the issue of the "Indian mascot" has been raised, and time and time again, it has fallen upon deaf ears. I wanted to comment specifically on the reaction of one of the attendees at this panel discussion.
"Another student in the crowd asked whether any mascot that picks out a group of people is inherently wrong."
This statement/observation/question infuriates me beyond belief. First of all, how can you even use a group of people (i.e. human beings) as an interchange for the word mascot. That in and of itself is wrong. People are not mascots. That is the fundamental concept that people miss when entering into discussions about mascot issues. No group of people would like to see their face (or the face of someone that looks like them) plastered on a T-shirt, baseball cap, trading card, etc. I don't care who they are.
For those of you who do not understand this very simple, very basic concept, ask yourself how you would feel if I wore paraphernalia and danced around imitating what I thought to be behavior that characterized you as a person and you as a member of a specific ethnic group no matter how stereotypical it may be.
We live in a very sad world.
