One common meaning of a "magician" in any standard dictionary is an individual who is skilled in the art of causing illusions as entertainment by sleight of hand. Sound familiar? Thomas Gregor and Daniel Gross are to be admired for their skill as magicians as displayed in their December 2004 article in the American Anthropologist titled “Guilt by Association: The Culture of Accusation and The American Anthropological Association’s Investigation of Darkness in El Dorado” (volume 106, pp. 687-698).

First, they point out that the AAA code of ethics states that the Association does not adjudicate.... Then they accuse the Task Force (TF) on Darkness in El Dorado of attempting adjudication without due process. They conflate ethics and law. The TF set out to inquire about the breach of the code of ethics of the Association in the case of some of the more serious violations alleged by Tierney. The TF did not involve a judge, jury, prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, police, or any other legal institutions and processes. Here the slight of hand by Gregor and Gross involves accusing the TF of engaging in a legal process when it did not. Its inquiry concerned only ethics. It was a truth commission.

Second, Gregor and Gross accuse the TF members of being postmodernists in the sense of applying a postmodernist framework to their inquiry and report. Surely that must come as a surprise to the members of the TF such as Raymond Hames who were not previously known as postmodernists as well as to those who are familiar with their previous publications. The fact that there were serious differences among the members of the TF and that these led to the issuing of different statements on some matters does not automatically render the members postmodernists. There were differences of opinion among the Yanomami as Gregor and Gross observe, but surely they are not accusing the Yanomami of being postmodernists. In any case, debating modernism versus postmodernism is besides the main point of the controversy and yet another attempt at distraction. The main point is ethics.

Third, Gregor and Gross assert in their article and the March 2005 Referendum that they will not make any judgement about the guilt or innocence of Chagnon and the others with respect to the allegations made by Patrick Tierney in his book. However, Gregor and Gross do not hesitate to accuse the AAA, TF, and various others of wrong doing. To avoid any judgement in the case of Chagnon and his collaborators, but render judgement in the case of the TF and others is a double standard at best. But it is also another magical trick; that is, yet another way to distract attention from the lingering ethical questions surrounding the conduct of Chagnon and collaborators. In short, Gregor and Gross are involved in moralizing, a culture of accusation, and the like as much as any one else in this controversy. If one were to accept the “reasoning” of Gregor and Gross, then they are also postmodernists.

Fourth, as apologists for Chagnon, Gregor and Gross claim that the AAA and anthropology in general have become carried away with self-accusatory moralizing. However, this controversy was ignited by Patrick Tierney’s allegations. Tierney is not an insider, not a trained and professional anthropologist, and not a member of the AAA. Focusing on the TF exclusively is simply another way avoiding confronting his allegations.

Finally, there is the matter of the Turner-Sponsel memo. Gregor was informed about the facts of this memo when he called Sponsel soon after the controversy exploded. He was informed that the co-authors of the memo intended only to summarize some of the more serious allegations of Tierney, and not to make any claims of our own. He was informed that the co-authors of the memo only sent it to the top leaders of the AAA as a private communcation in confidence, and never intended it to go any further let alone become public. He was informed that because of our previous work with the AAA, human rights, professional ethics, and the Yanomami, we felt obligated to alert the AAA leadership of the impending explosion of scandal. Gregor has repeatedly ignored these facts in his public and printed statements, this in spite of being repeatedly challenged with these facts. He persists in the false claims that the co-authors disseminated the memo on the internet and that the co-authors were making the allegations. Gregor is disingenuous in this regard to put it mildly.

The controversy exploded in late 2000. After nearly five years Gregor, Gross, and other partisans have yet to honestly face Tierney’s allegations of ethical misconduct by Chagnon and some of his associates. They have yet to admit that Chagnon ever did anything wrong. Their silence on this matter speaks volumes. They may be skilled magicians, but they are not very entertaining any more. Moreover, they are not advancing science, anthropology, and ethics with their foolish magic acts.