And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Reply-To: "Alice Landwehr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: "Alice Landwehr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Fran Potter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Albert Running Wolf"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Editorial
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 23:34:15 -0700
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Dear Mr. Moskos and Mr. Hartman:
My husband and I recently saw your editorial cartoon published on January 3
regarding the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Seminoles prior to the
Fiesta Bowl played near our home here in Arizona. While we are aware that
the cartoon was meant to ridicule a sports team, it does, in fact, ridicule
a race of human beings. While we are also aware that you received feedback
from many of your readers as well as many others across the nation and that
you printed both seven of their letters and a brief retraction, we feel
that the retraction was grossly inadequate. You implied by your word
choice and sentence structure that the "some readers" who found the cartoon
offensive were oversensitive, overly-politically-correct, and didn't know
"team spirit" when they saw it. You also imply that you have received only
a small number of objections to the racist, repulsive, and hurtful image
you published in your newspaper.
It is clear that you need need to be chastized and reprimanded in a way
that will insure that not only does this never happen again, but that other
newspapers hear about the outrage created by this excessively insensitive
and stereotypical portrayal of Native people and so think twice about
publishing such trash in the future. It is also clear that you, R. Daniel
Proctor, and every member of your staff who either approved the inclusion
of the cartoon in your newspaper or who did not speak out against it must
be educated about the harmful effects such cartoons have on Native people
and about your moral responsibility not to perpetuate racism in any form.
As a first step, we strongly encourage you to terminate all use of Mr. R.
Daniel Proctor's work. As a second step, we suggest that you set your team
of reporters on gathering information about how racism and disrespect are
conveyed in seemingly innocuous venues such as cartoons, sports team
mascots, and the many, many other stereotypes that pervade our society.
Perhaps a good place to begin would be the newsgroup "alt.native"; pay
particular attention to the discussion entitled "Another Slap in the Face."
They and you will quickly learn the strong feelings engendered by such.
As a third step, we suggest that you report your findings to your entire
staff and to Mr. R. Daniel Proctor. As a fourth step, we suggest that you
make a commitment not to publish racist and stereotyping works in your
newspaper and to thereby encourage all other newspapers to commit to the same.
Always,
Alice Landwehr
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Randy Huffman
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Don't stop thinking, and demand that those around you
think, too." --Cheryl Edelen
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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