Hello, I am featuring this story here NOT to make more "drama" about
these two schools where I work as a Professor In Residence or because I
advocate violence or hatred or evil acts.
I am placing it here because I truly feel and know in my gut that the words and deed of 45 and our current political climate are sowing GINORMOUS seeds of despair, anger, and powerlessness in many parts of our society. (Not just in urban school districts). However I feel these places are surely cultural barometers and yes, I happen to work there too.
It does not take a rocket scientist to understand this. And it does not take take a genius to understand that students and the poor and all the "others" will always be the easy scapegoats of the powers that be because these powers that be face so LITTLE blow-back when they profess their many hatreds and accusations. Hatred has become popular in our culture in fact. Hatred is trying to become the new "normal".
And it does not take an art educator to realize that the reactions of A FEW (not the majority by any stretch of any imagination) of these targeted young people in these situations who see and hear and FEEL these cultural hatreds will turn away form rational behaviors and instead issue a warning of their own in their own powerless voice/s in order to try and and have a 'voice' in a culture gone mad. In other words, they emulate the constant bullying and the hatred spewed at them from the powers that be. You see?
Such young people are also excellent "students' after all. But they are learning NOT from the passionate and teachers and administrators and all the many others in the building who are trying so desperately hard to make a difference in these students' lives daily. Nope. Such students are actually learning from their cell phones and their internet culture and all the visual culture and media culture with the blatant and cleverly disguised, constant daily messages of RACISM and and SEXISM and ALL the "ism's based on hate including: TERRORISM now disguised as 'News" and endorsed by the now ruling party.
And if anyone is dumb enough to think that this violent behavior will begin and end in an "urban" public school district, full of many so many "others" (and it is not a problem for ALL SOCIETY) oh, what a YUGE learning curve you now face have to get yourself to any truth. Our culture is in YUGE trouble.
Isn't it time for ALL OF USE to demand a better country and a better world?
Triada Samaras
http://abc7ny.com/news/paterson-students-over-alleged-columbine-like-threat/1823998/
PS
And where is Governor Christie in the public education mess in his state and especially in the Paterson School District that is under control of his state? (And that just lost funding for "school security"? I guess Mr. Christie has some other fish to fry http://www.nydailynews.com/.../ally-n-gov-christie...before his hoped for WH drug czar ? appointment....
I am placing it here because I truly feel and know in my gut that the words and deed of 45 and our current political climate are sowing GINORMOUS seeds of despair, anger, and powerlessness in many parts of our society. (Not just in urban school districts). However I feel these places are surely cultural barometers and yes, I happen to work there too.
It does not take a rocket scientist to understand this. And it does not take take a genius to understand that students and the poor and all the "others" will always be the easy scapegoats of the powers that be because these powers that be face so LITTLE blow-back when they profess their many hatreds and accusations. Hatred has become popular in our culture in fact. Hatred is trying to become the new "normal".
And it does not take an art educator to realize that the reactions of A FEW (not the majority by any stretch of any imagination) of these targeted young people in these situations who see and hear and FEEL these cultural hatreds will turn away form rational behaviors and instead issue a warning of their own in their own powerless voice/s in order to try and and have a 'voice' in a culture gone mad. In other words, they emulate the constant bullying and the hatred spewed at them from the powers that be. You see?
Such young people are also excellent "students' after all. But they are learning NOT from the passionate and teachers and administrators and all the many others in the building who are trying so desperately hard to make a difference in these students' lives daily. Nope. Such students are actually learning from their cell phones and their internet culture and all the visual culture and media culture with the blatant and cleverly disguised, constant daily messages of RACISM and and SEXISM and ALL the "ism's based on hate including: TERRORISM now disguised as 'News" and endorsed by the now ruling party.
And if anyone is dumb enough to think that this violent behavior will begin and end in an "urban" public school district, full of many so many "others" (and it is not a problem for ALL SOCIETY) oh, what a YUGE learning curve you now face have to get yourself to any truth. Our culture is in YUGE trouble.
Isn't it time for ALL OF USE to demand a better country and a better world?
Triada Samaras
http://abc7ny.com/news/paterson-students-over-alleged-columbine-like-threat/1823998/
PS
And where is Governor Christie in the public education mess in his state and especially in the Paterson School District that is under control of his state? (And that just lost funding for "school security"? I guess Mr. Christie has some other fish to fry http://www.nydailynews.com/.../ally-n-gov-christie...before his hoped for WH drug czar ? appointment....
