Out of the Closet

For the last 5-10 years overt antipathy and bigotry toward members of the LGTBQ+ community had seemed to be steadily declining. To be sure, no one believed that it (like racism) has ceased to exist, but it became unacceptable in polite society to advertise such attitudes, and those who held such views found themselves, ironically, in the closet, so to speak.

Just as President Trump’s wink and nod to the neo-Nazis and white nationalists encouraged racists to crawl from their ratholes, so has Governor DeSantis’s plan to base his campaign on gay-bashing (to wit, the recent ad* from his campaign that essentially says, “No one hates the LGBTQ+ community more than me, especially that enabler Trump.”) encouraged his Ameristani acolytes, like the Taliban after the U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan, to come forth from their dark caves and reveal themselves. Not only are they openly and proudly proclaiming their bigotry, they’re advertising and reveling in it. I take no solace that the recent sign-burning in our purple dot of a community was done under the cover of darkness.

I’m a big fan of unintentional irony (and karma), so I’m not sure what to think about some right wing groups making Chick-fil-A a boycott target for having dared to create an EDI (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Office and then even hiring someone to lead it. DeSatan is trying to make such EDI programs illegal in what he hopes will become Floridistan. So much for “local control” and “free” enterprise.

Many people, me included, are bemoaning divisiveness in the United States. I’d like to be optimistic, hopeful that this is just part of the pendulum cycle. Instead, I’m afraid. Populist politicians encourage the rift because it suits their power-hungry purposes, but if someone you love is a member of the LGTBQ+ community, this is a fearful time. As the t-shirt slogan proclaims, “Be careful who you hate. It may be someone you love.”

*Finding the actual ad link is beyond my skill set, but just click HERE and you'll get the picture.

Zero Tolerance for Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance implies a black and white solution for a problem shaded in variations of grey. It is currently being used by the Trump administration to the (worldwide*) problem of immigration, but this latest incarnation has been applied before to many problems with limited success, at least in part because it is almost always trumped (no pun intended) by the Law of Unintended Consequences.

Zero tolerance has been used to try to make schools safer, with minimal, at best, (perhaps even counterproductive) results. ¹ (Here’s an irony: many of those favoring zero tolerance re: immigration oppose zero-tolerance re: guns in schools, and vice versa.)

Companies are starting to re-think their zero tolerance policies toward employee drug use and testing as they are increasingly struggling to fill vacancies in a time of low unemployment. ²

I’m guessing very few of us want a zero-tolerance enforcement by police officers when we get pulled over on a minor traffic violation.

How many of us raised our children with a zero-tolerance approach? How did that work out for you when you tried?

How many of your best teachers had a zero-tolerance policy (s)he fanatically enforced? What was your opinion of those teachers who never made exceptions for anyone or anything? Be honest.

It seems to me that we all recognize the limitations of zero tolerance, except perhaps when it doesn’t seem to impact us personally.

    It’s a complex world and while laser sharp black and white rules might look attractively clean and simple, under closer examination, even those are pixilated. (Also see Rule #42: Most rules written in crisp, dark black print on starkly white paper may be clear but are also fragile and easily broken. )

Jimmy Buffet got it right when he sang, Simply Complicated.

* Immigration is a worldwide problem, replete with shades of gray. It is, in fact, the one issue where citizens we have met from all corners of the globe** agree is problematical for their country. Problematical, but not the same problem. Canadian concerns are not English concerns are not Swiss concerns are not Aussie concerns are not Kiwi concerns are not American concerns. You get the idea. We share the issue in general, but not the problems it generates, and certainly not the solutions required.

¹ The [APA] task force reviewed 10 years of research on the effects of zero tolerance policies in middle and secondary schools and concluded that such policies not only fail to make schools safe or more effective in handling student behavior, they can actually increase the instances of problem behavior and dropout rates.

The research also showed that zero tolerance policies failed to increase the consistency of discipline across student groups and failed to decrease uneven enforcement of punishment across racial lines.)

²  Desperate to fill open positions, some employers are beginning to soften zero-tolerance drug policies, particularly for jobs where safety is not an essential function.

Low unemployment and increasing use of illegal drugs are narrowing the pool of qualified workers in many regions and industries. State laws allowing medical and recreational use of marijuana are complicating recruiters' efforts to find drug-free employees, as is the continued abuse of prescription opioids. [SHRM]

** Now there’s an expression that makes no sense, but I decided to use the cliché anyway.

Books That Changed Me

In the most recent issue of the Webster-Kirkwood Times, the publisher ran a column about the influential books of his youth. Along with the surge of interest in George Orwell’s 1984, it got me thinking. So I am going to list my Top 20 (in alpha order; my youth lasted a little longer than normal, so this list goes into my first few years of teaching) and challenge you to list yours, as well, either annotated or not, as you choose. Just the list is on Facebook (and the chart above), but if you’re interested in why (I think) I made these choices, the reasons are annotated below.

1984............................................................... Geroge Orwell

This dystopian fiction seemed like Sci-Fi when I first read it in the ‘60s. It was my first real introduction to the importance of language and history.

A Doll’s House.............................................. Henrik Ibsen

Other Ibsen plays also resonated, but this one about breaking the (in this case) female stereotype grabbed me.

All Quiet on the Western Front............ Erich Maria Remarque

Oh, the irony and horrors of war.

Candide......................................................... Voltaire

“All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” Not so much.

Crime and Punishment............................. Fyodor Dostoyevsky

We all want to think we’re exceptional…. An existential classic.

Hitler: A Study in Tyranny........................... Alan Bullock

I thought it was great history, a brilliant psychological profile of an evil mind.

I’m Okay, You’re Okay................................. Thomas Harris

Pop psychology (a cognitive therapy). Less important in and of itself, but for where the books we read afterwards on transactional analysis (Games People Play, Eric Berne; Born to Win, James and Jongeward) that changed the way we reacted to each other and our daughter. TA has fallen out of favor, and cognitive therapies don’t work for everyone, but they sure helped us navigate some tough years. Still works, IMO.

Invisible Man................................................. Ralph Ellison

Brilliant tale on what it’s like to live outside the norms. Dramatically altered my views on life and race. Life changing.

J.B............................................................. Archibald Macleish

A play, the story of Job, told in verse. Although probably not many churches would approve. “If God is God, he is not good; if God is good, he is not God....” Made me think. A lot. Still.

Les Misérables................................................ Victor Hugo

Yes, we also love the musical, but read the book for its take on social injustice.

Man and Superman........................................ George Bernard Shaw

And many, many other plays by Shaw. Don’t skip the stage directions. The “Don Juan in Hell” scene is worth a read all by itself. If there is a heaven and/or hell, I like Shaw’s take.

Manchild in the Promised Land.................... Claude Brown

Harlem and heroin (Brown described its power that we’re witnessing today) 50 years ago. More insight on race.

Red Badge of Courage.................................... Stephen Crane

The horrors of war and combat. What we think we will do and what we do seldom jibe.

Skin of Our Teeth.......................................... Thorton Wilder

I like all of Wilder’s plays, but this is my favorite. History and future of human-kind. Still works.

Stranger in a Strange Land............................ Robert Heinlein

The sci-fi classic is more about society than science. This is one I want to revisit.

Sybil............................................................... Flora Schreiber

Although an extreme case, taught me that not all mothers are deserving of love and honor. We must recognize them as the flawed beings they sometimes are.

The Crucible.................................................. Arthur Miller

This allegory of the McCarthy Communist Witchhunt still gives pause. Could it happen again? You betcha!

The Martian Chronicles................................. Ray Bradbury

Especially “The Martian.” Find this if nothing else. What happens when you try to please everyone.

The Ugly American................................. Burdick and Lederer

As a teen-aged expat, this book about our diplomatic failures in Vietnam offered lessons on how we were being perceived by others. Given credit for being an impetus to the founding of the Peace Corps. First introduction to the Law of Unintended Consequences.

The Way It Spozed To Be............................. James Herndon

Should still be required reading for every young teacher and teacher to be. You have to teach who you are, not who you’re “spozed to be.” Also hilarious.

To Kill a Mockingbird................................... Harper Lee

Because it was the first “real” piece of literature that I read on my own (chalk this one up as an example of positive peer pressure). Fortunately, I liked it.

Yes, I know there are 21 here. I had to add one as I wrote this and didn’t want to take any out. Bonus points if you can figure out which one is the interloper.