| TOMALES
ISSUES
Published on Saturday, February 24, 2001
© 2001 The Press Democrat
JIM LOVE
Shoreline Unified School District Trustee
Pt. Reyes Station
EDITOR:
In regards to the Tomales High School Braves mascot
issue, the point of changing the mascot is that a public
educational institution has a responsibility to teach young people to
get along in their community and the world.
The practice of objectifying human beings makes
those being objectified less than human. Thinking of people as things or
using them as symbols can set up a pattern of stereotyping,
misunderstanding and prejudice. Even though today's objectification
might be positive, next week's might be negative.
Here's an example to illustrate the point: If
the administration decided that because a majority of the female
athletes, their parents and alumni thought that being sexy was a
positive attribute, therefore the team's mascot could
now be called ``The Sexpots,'' would that be OK?
One of the things schools are trying to teach
our students to be perceptive critical thinkers -- to learn the skill of
understanding issues from all sides before forming an emotional opinion
and acting on that opinion. If we can teach students to think critically
now, their lifelong quest to understand this world and find a satisfying
place in it may be easier.
JIM LOVE
Shoreline Unified School District Trustee
Pt. Reyes Station
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