Carpinteria Warriors harm children

Here's part 2 of my rebuttal to Scott Braithwaite's response to Marcia Perez's arguments against the Carpinteria Warriors.

Braithwaite's line about Native children disagreeing with Perez--"ethnic studies masters degree or no"--refers to the many studies done by experts proving the harm of stereotypes. Let's see how badly Braithwaite's feeble response misses the mark.

1) The people conducting these studies are generally psychologists who have no vested interested in making a case against mascots. They're objective social scientists, not "ethnic studies" advocates. So Braithwaite's dismissive comment is a straw-man argument. It means he can't or won't address the actual issue.

2) The harm of Native stereotyping, like that of almost everything that doesn't cause physical injuries, is cumulative. It's not going to affect Native children until later--perhaps not until they're adults. So asking children if they've been harmed is irrelevant--a worthless dodge of the actual issue.

3) As I said in Carpinteria Warriors by the Numbers, we can be pretty sure that Braithwaite is dissembling when he implies he's talked to Native children. He'd have to conduct a semi-rigorous survey of their reactions to Native stereotypes to know how they feel. So go ahead and post the evidence of your contacts with these children, Scott. Or admit your claims about them are lies.

4) In the unlikely event that Braithwaite has actually surveyed Carpinteria's Native children, we need to know what questions he asked and what answers they gave. Because children aren't known for giving clear, consistent answers to complex questions. We'd have to interpret their answers and I have no faith in Braithwaite's ability to do that.

To reiterate, they're children, which means:

a) They don't fully understand stereotyping or its implications.

b) They may tell an authority figure like a pastor whatever he wants to hear.

c) They may lie about the harm of something if it's enjoyable at the time. Imagine asking children if it hurts them to eat candy, skip their homework, or stay up past their bedtime. In cases like these, it's ridiculous to think they'll admit the harm even if they recognize it.

For all these reasons, Braithwaite's answer on this point is patently absurd. It amounts to: "Marcia Perez delivered a telling blow to my arguments, so I'd better change the subject and hope nobody notices." Oops, we noticed. Since you failed to dodge the issue, Scott, try addressing it this time.

For more on the subject, see Carpinteria Warriors by the Numbers and Team Names and Mascots.

Below:  You're shifty-eyed devils, Native children, but don't worry. You'll grow up to be as well-adjusted as our Founding Fathers."