I do not normally comment on letters attacking me, the Lord Jeff mascot, but after recent disparaging arguments from Ryan Yeung ("Time to eject Lord Jeff," Aug. 31) and from John Furbish ("Amherst should find new mascot," Sept. 19), I think that I will make an exception. Lord Jeff's actions against the Native Americans can, and have been, debated on this campus for many years. Whether he was a calculating general or a nasty warrior is not truly pertinent. Moreover, whether or not he was a truly "nice guy" is beside the point. The purpose, or even the job, of a college mascot is to bring a certain heightened level of school spirit to athletic contests; it is not to politicize sporting events.
I cannot fully express the wonderful support and hearty cheers which I have received from young and aging alums and their families as well as from athletes and students in general. The first and, dare I say, the visceral response from spectators has been to smile, to wave or to cheer. I wonder if Mr. Furbish would encourage fans to cry "Begone Lord Jeff" if he could see the gleeful smiles on the faces of parents and alums, of every color, as they sing "The Lord Jeffery Amherst" after each touchdown.
By its very nature, my Lord Jeff costume is not threatening or caustic in any way-Athletic Director Peter Gooding made sure of that. Rather, it has a big goofy smile on an oversized head. Mr. Furbish claims that I more closely resemble a "transvestite" than a soldier. Perhaps, then, the John Harvard, the UVA Cavalier, and the Tennessee Volunteer also lack the masculinity which Mr. Furbish desires in his mascots.
In closing, I would invite both Mr. Yeung and Mr. Furbish to understand what I am and to understand what I am not. I am a jovial mascot, hoping to heighten the sense of school spirit at athletic contests and at alumni gatherings (and I have successfully taken part in many such happy gatherings). I am not a menacing, politicized specter, looming like a pall on the sidelines; I think Amherst's athletes and alums can attest to that.
Tripp Whitbeck '03Lord Jeff of Amherst College
Conversations must continue
Consistently through a time of crisis, and methodically during times less inflamed, it is for some people more gratifying and within their limited capacity to take as targets people who simply do not exist. In all the reactionary and frightened cries maligning those who reputedly think that "we Americans had it coming to us," never has there been a calm quotation nearly approaching evidence or concern. This inference is not due to close and intelligent analysis of the expressions of many, but to the ignorance of a few. You may rest assured, those in fear of a corrupt citizenry, that such opinions, particularly on this campus, do not circulate. It is unfortunate that so many students on this campus have been trained not to ask for clarification, or even to demand it, from those they do not understand, but to make nonsensical and dishonest assumptions about them, inventing cruel fantasies at will. I hope conversations will continue.
Ryan Senser '02E