RACIST CARICATURE

Shame on Barberitos for using the racist caricature of "Chief Too Burritos" in their ad last week, complete with feather headdress and stereotypical broken English. If the ad had depicted other cultural groups - African-Americans, for instance - in such a fashion, I doubt that Flagpole would have run it; why is it okay, then, when the ad in question contains hateful and insulting images of Native Americans?

Barberitos has lost my money; maybe Flagpole ought to consider whether or not advertising money is more important to them than basic human decency.

Martin Rogers

Athens

BARBERITOS REPLIES

[Downing Barber, Barberitos' owner, received the same letter printed above.]

Mr. Rogers, my grandmother is half Cherokee Indian, making me Cherokee Indian as well. I do not find the ad offensive. I will be glad not to run the ad, for I do not intend to hurt, make fun of or disrespect anyone and will never intend to. I am Native American, are you? This ad does not bother me nor anyone else but you, so I will not run the ad, in respect to a customer, so please calm down. Life is short; eat a burrito; enjoy it, and stop worrying! Thanks.

Downing

Athens

WHY NOT BLACKFACE?

Whatever, the "Indian" dude in the Barberitos advertisement in the last Flagpole bores me. The image itself smacks of the anti-PC '90s. Grow some balls, Barberitos, and go for "blackface" next time, that is, if General Beauregard's doesn't beat you to it. After all, an owner of that establishment, Daniel Simmons, says of his Dixie do, "We've heard nothing but positive feedback" (Red & Black, 9/04/03). And you know what? HE'S RIGHT! Go look at the lines at this place on a Saturday night. Barberitos, DON'T BE OUTDONE! I am sure the weirdoes at Heery's (yeah, the ones responsible for the "Clayton Street Is Not Bourbon Street" campaign) won't stop you. So, will we Southerners go on behaving like morons of the lowest order, continuing to educate ourselves about the past in "awesome" theme bars, rather than from history books (quoting "a white sophomore from Gainesville," ibid.)? Sure, it's your right to do so. And you have the right to remain ignorant. Will the Flagpole, once it learns that in public discourse "dude as savage" is tantamount to "dude as blackface minstrel," continue to accept money for advertisements like this? And will Barberitos, once it hears from FOX Broadcasting concerning a trademark violation in the same ad, compensate FOX for its illegal depiction of Homer Simpson chomping on a Fat D? Far be it from anyone to offend or misrepresent a big corporation. They have feelings, too, don't they FOX?!

Cane

Athens

PETA DECEPTIVE

Your report [City Dope, Sept. 24] on Lamar Outdoor and Fairway's decision to decline posting billboards sponsored by PETA that draw visual parallels between today's mass chicken domestication methods and the treatment of Jews in concentration camps by Nazis before and during World War II is appreciated, to a degree. I am glad to see that this story got reported, as the "crack" staff of our local daily newspaper apparently overlooked it.

However, I do not agree with your criticism of the decision by the billboard companies to decline PETA's request. The argument you attempt to make, based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's comparison of factory farming to Nazi concentration camps, is understandable. However, the PETA advertisement goes a step further, attempting to show that our consumption of meat (specifically, chicken) produced by mass domestication techniques is equal to genocide.

Had the advertisement used "concentration camps," instead of "genocide," I would understand PETA's effort, even though I still disagree with it. However, to post an ad trying to compare our use of livestock with past efforts by others to exterminate an entire ethnic group (the true meaning of "genocide," available at http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=genocide) is irresponsible.

PETA continues to find innovative methods to preach their sometimes-alarming gospel to the masses. I see how their in-your-face mentality would seek to plant roots here in the heart of chicken processing country. However, they need to make sure that their message does not confuse or seek to reach relative comparison with the extermination of humans. They will not draw people to their message this way, and the billboard companies were right to decline posting this deception.

Again, thank you for including this article in your paper.

Kenneth Hunter

Athens

VANDY ATHLETICS

There are those times when I agree with you [Pete McCommons], usually when you skip discussions on domestic politics and international affairs and stick closer-to-home. Your support [Pub Notes, Sept. 17] of Vanderbilt University's decision to "amalgamate" athletic operations into other student services, thus attempting to reduce or eliminate the athletic-academic disconnect, is one of them.

For clarification purposes, Vanderbilt has decided to "downsize" their athletic department, reassigning their athletic director and placing its sports-related operations under the control of their Dean of Students through a combined office that also includes their student recreation center and intramural activities. A move like this, while surprising, was not completely unexpected, as the University has been considering changes in order to reduce their intercollegiate athletics budget, which has run in the red for several years.

Response in Nashville to the decision has been mostly negative. Most of the sports writing elite believe that this is Vanderbilt's angle into a "cop-out" on football, choosing instead to focus on those "smart" sports where it fields consistently good programs (like its tennis program). Of course, they have been chiming on Vanderbilt's lack of football interest since they hired their current coach from Furman, who made his biggest wave last year by banning swearing by any of his players.

Vanderbilt does provide us with an opportunity not only to see if eliminating the athletic-academic disconnect will or will not lead to poorer performance on the playing field, but also if it may lead to improvement. If nothing happens to the quality of the athletic program, no big deal. However, if this decision leads to improved results (say, a win or two a year for football in the SEC, or actually winning a women's basketball national championship), then it is an example for others. Without greater success, observers will write it off as a unique situation involving, and rightly so, a unique school.

Thanks for writing something I can agree with. I hope the additional perspective (from a native of middle Tennessee) is appreciated.

Kenneth Hunter

Athens

DOOLEY FOR PREZ

There is only one way that the University of Georgia can ever dismantle the Athletic Association and make academics prevail over football [Pub Notes, Sept. 17]: make Vince Dooley president of UGA. Pete McCommons suggested earlier this year [Pub Notes, June 11] that Vince would make a damn good President of this august institution, and I agree. Vince is a good man and a smart man, and he can be trusted to have the best interests of UGA - and especially UGA football players - at heart.

If Vince were the Prez and got behind this idea, he could make this happen for any number of reasons.

First, who is gonna say "no" to Dooley? He is the best-known and best-loved figure at UGA. Three generations of Georgia fans would give him a fair hearing, as would the rest of the administration and the Athletic Association. Second, UGA is a rising academic star. It is being recognized around the country for the academically excellent (not to mention cool) school that it has become. Taking back football would only add to its reputation.

Third, nobody knows football players better than Vince. If anyone can find a way to strengthen the academics of student athletes while maintaining the Dawgs performance on the field, Vince can.

Fourth, after all the hard work that Vince Dooley has put into building the UGA football program, taking back football would be his enduring legacy to the UGA players, their fellow students, and the alumni. It would take courage and vision to lead UGA and proclaim to the world that UGA is no longer a school for professional party people, but a place where students, faculty and administration come together to work hard and play hard.

Vince could do it.

Every time I have met a UGA athlete since I moved back here in 1994, it has been in the context of the athlete contributing his or her time and talents to the community. My most recent example: two of the UGA football players and three members of the UGA women's softball team played softball for Playing for a Cure in July of this year. These are fine folks and they, along with all the other UGA students, deserve to be given the best well-rounded education that this institution can offer.

Dooley for President! And, oh, er, yeah, "GO DAWGS!"

Maureen McGinley

Athens

ACADEMICS FIRST

Mr. McCommons, you deserve, as it has been said, "mad props," for your Pub Notes column [Sept. 17]. Although I usually find myself so repulsed by your hyper-liberal way of thinking that I want to puke my delicious processed meat products which I enjoy every day, your most recent editorial causes me to side with you on at least this one issue. Thank you, THANK YOU, for saying what has been on the minds of many academically minded people in the UGA "community" for many years. Yes, football is a great tradition, and I see nothing wrong with school spirit and an educational institution which also emphasizes students' physical well-being as well as their intellect. At some point, however, this good and decent tradition was corrupted by avarice and unrationalized zeal.

In the state's top school, why is it that academics is placed on the back burner to support athletes, the more popular of whom are constantly being berated for their lack of academic skills? Why are students pushed out of parking spaces and Athens put on "lock down" so hoards of drunken alumni can come to our fine town and show their respect for the campus by littering all over the place? Why is it that my professors are always having to look for a piece of chalk or have students copy or print things on their own when new seats and luxury skyboxes are poured at an alarming rate into Sanford Stadium (also children in Ethiopia and other places are still starving). If UGA has been around since 1785 (really 1801), then the football tradition can just barely lay claim to half of the entire legacy of this institution, which, you may remember, was started so that people could learn things. If the argument is to be made that the Athletics Association operates on separate funds, then this is known as a private, professional sports club and should have no affiliation with an institution supposedly dedicated to learning. By all means, keep football, just don't make it the sole purpose of attending an institute of higher learning. Mr. McCommons, thank you again for saying what needed to be said.

Jay Barnes

Athens