Letters

Association can’t be taken away

Mitra Ebadolahi ("Anti-gay ban, rhetoric
warp constitution," Viewpoint 7/17) doesn’t seem to get
the point of the Supreme Court’s decision on gays in the Boy
Scouts. The point is that freedom of association means freedom of
association.

The Boy Scouts is a private association, not a business (and is
thus not affected by anti-discrimination laws against companies).
As a private association they have the power to decide who will
associate with them or not. They have the same power as any other
private association. The freedom of association, protected by the
First Amendment, protects groups from the government telling them
who they can and can not have involved.

This is one of the most important freedoms we have, so
let’s keep it that way.

Daniel B. Rego
Graduate, Class of 2000

View of U.S. is presumptuous

The ideal concept that America is great and free (as referred to
by Brian Fishman in “United States has
shallow reputation abroad,” Viewpoint 7/24) was gone by
the 1950s. Anyone who believes America is a land of opportunity
sees that available all over the western world, namely in America
and Western and Central Europe. The problem with American
commentators attempting to ascertain perceptions of America in
other countries is that no matter how hard they try, they start
from an arrogant point of view: anybody outside of America
particularly cares about America.

The fact that movie stars appear in commercials is because they
are stars. The phenomenon of celebrity, though rampant in America,
is no longer a distinctly American phenomenon. It cannot be used as
evidence of this U.S. idolatry to which you all seem so convinced
that we all subscribe.

I don’t want to be too hard on Fishman, who most
definitely set out to write a balanced column; it just strikes me
that his attempts to be unbiased miss the point. Talk of ultimatums
and the American dollar assume that U.S. influence stems beyond its
sheer material strength and wealth. Although I am sure that Fishman
believes he stated such, his comments to this effect are tainted by
a critical and rather sad error. Sad, because it seems to be
against what you would have America be.

The fact is that America is still growing up. Ideologies such as
being the leader of free speech and human rights are out of date.
They are not led by the dynamic young state in the face of the
establishment as it was 50 to 100 years ago, but monopolized by a
nation that personifies the aging hipster. The American century is
over.

Sean Arbor
Second-year
History

Misrepresentation goes unnoticed

I agree with the perspective that Jon Chang presents
(“First
minority basketball player to integrate goes
unrecognized,” Viewpoint 7/24).

Furthermore, it is important to understand that there are
increasingly more levels of prejudice and misrepresentation this
country refuses to reveal.

It’s the job of individuals like Mr. Chang to expose the
discrimination and racism that still hold a tight grip over the
American society today.

Great job Jon!!

Akachi Azu
First-year