Echoes from My Past Reinvigorate

This blog has (obviously) been on hiatus and you may have wondered why (or not). While nothing is really that simple, the simplest answer is that I found the current socio-political situation just too depressing, polarized, and entrenched to invest my increasingly limited energy into writing about it, feeling as though I’d either be preaching to the choir or screaming into a vacuum. Neither seemed worthwhile, plus, most of the time, I concluded that I had nothing of significance to add to my previous offerings.

So what has changed? Why emerge from hibernation now?

I arrived home Wednesday to a package, sent by my last high school girlfriend who had inexplicably saved all the letters I sent her through my first year of college. Inspired by an advice column in her local newspaper, she took the time to find my address and mail them to me (making sure to note that I wasn’t that special, she saved EVERYBODY’s letters!). While I’ve been wading through the 40+ epistles (she was right on target, I certainly wasn’t that special), I realized I wrote A LOT of letters (and, based on references in those missives, to a number of people).

As embarrassing as those letters are (Carolyn, thankfully, has shown zero interest in reading any of them; we long since concluded that my former self would not have been the least bit attractive to her.), what I quickly came to realize is that writing isn’t just something I do (obviously for fun, clearly not for profit), rather something I NEED. Looking back, I recognize that it was also something I did, regularly, throughout my teaching career (former colleagues will remember the union local’s most powerful weapon, TGIF), plus the occasional “Random Thoughts” memo after that newsletter disappeared (and, IMO, the local’s power went into decline).

While I always said that I wrote this blog for myself, that packet of letters from the past (I may have mentioned how embarrassing I find them now!) reminded me of the importance of continuing to write, not for the benefit of any particular audience (although I will not deny I do like having an audience, no matter how small, which may explain, at least to a certain extent, why I have a blog instead of a diary), but for my own mental health and well-being.

So, fair warning. Don’t Get Berndt is (probably) getting a re-boot. Whether it informs, entertains or (even) annoys you, this I do for me.

Annual Labor Day Post

Who will advocate for workers? The bigger the business, the less connected to the workers management becomes. And let’s recognize that the goal of a business is not to take care of workers but the investors (whether public or private); if that goal comes at the expense of workers, well, there are more workers out there, right? 

On my way out the door at Hancock, I was informed by the (then) superintendent, “I’ve got people who can do what you do.” I believe that was shortsighted and, in fact, inaccurate on more than one level. But then he didn’t really know what I brought to the party (honestly, it was a lot more than chips and dip, if I do say so myself) and building management only pretended to stand up for me while actually throwing me under the proverbial bus. But that seems the attitude of modern management in all fields.

(Note, as disappointing and hurtful as this was, it turns out they did me a favor, if perhaps not those students and teachers I might have benefitted by staying. But I landed in a great place to end (most of) my career, my four fantastic final years at Schechter/Mirowitz.)

So, in honor of Labor Day, I’m going to share a few paragraphs from previous articles on the topic:

From 2011:

• Child labor laws

• 40-hour work week

• Overtime

• Workmen's Compensation

• Non-discriminatory hiring practices

• Workplace safety laws

• Unemployment compensation

• Paid vacations

• Retirement pensions

This is just a partial list of gains for workers granted voluntarily through the generosity of businesses concerned for their employees. Oh, wait, no, these things that we now define as givens for a good job came as the result of decades of struggle by organized groups of workers known as unions.

From 2013:

I’ve previously written about the debt that most Americans, with the possible exception of those few whose families have always enjoyed prosperity, owe to labor unions. The growth of the middle class in the United States clearly parallels the growth of labor unions. The shrinking number of middle class households of the last couple decades follows that same trend of declining union households. While I understand the dangers of equating causation with correlation, I find the trend disturbing. I also find the charges of class warfare disingenuous, at best. I find it ironic that those concerns were nowhere to be found as the middle class shrank and income disparity grew, as unions were assaulted and vilified while CEOs saw their pay and prestige grow explosively.

I think our founding fathers were on the right track when they incorporated a system of checks and balances into our governance, trying to establish a system whereby no one person, group or branch was able to accumulate too much power. I further believe that checks and balances must also apply to our economic system, and that unions are a key check to the unbridled power of corporations (people though they may be). Government also has a role, both as a defender of the checkers (both unions and businesses) and as an enforcer/check itself.

In the Spotlight

This is sort of a review of the (relatively) new film, Spotlight. Go see it (or wait for it in some other format, it doesn’t need to be seen on the big screen to be appreciated). I expect it to have more than a few nominations when it comes to awards season. That, however, is NOT why I’m writing this review.

The movie is the story of the Boston Globe’s coverage of the sex abuse scandal in the archdiocese of Boston. Although the abuse went back decades, the story itself plays out during 2001-02. The best journalism-based movie since All the President’s Men, with lots of good character actors, many recognizable from popular television shows, Spotlight is a compelling story that does a fine job of showing the nuts and bolts of investigative journalism, as well as clearly demonstrating the importance of those nuts and bolts. Finally, and most important in my view, the movie should sound an alarm.

That is my main point in writing this. The precipitous decline of print journalism, of the daily newspaper (and news magazine, RIP Newsweek) , almost ensures that we may never see this kind of reporting again. With print journalism being either a small “profit center” of a larger media conglomerate or a fragile independent entity that has almost no chance of remaining economically viable, stories like this will be more likely to stay in the shadows.

That worries me. I’m a dinosaur who continues to subscribe to my daily paper, at least in part because I think it’s important. There aren’t enough of us to sustain what Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan calls the “buggy whip factory.” I fear the print journalism industry has long-since reached critical mass, with declining readership requiring more cuts, resulting in skimpier product, resulting in even fewer readers and more cuts.

Add to that the seemingly increasing need of people to live in echo chambers, to only see and hear what they already believe. Disagree with an editorial position? Cancel the subscription. See an article critical of a pet politician or cause? Cancel the subscription. Think the paper has it in for people like you? Use that confirmation bias to cancel your subscription. Why entertain contrary points of view when you can limit yourself to Fox News or MSNBC?

But we all lose. As creepy as the Catholic Church abuse scandal was, it needed to be covered. That story needed resources (think reporters, time, and money) dedicated to unveiling the layers of secrecy. But that story, in and of itself, is not the point. The point is, there are more stories, at least equally important, out there, stories that remain shrouded because there is no more newspaper willing or able to help us see what’s behind the curtain. Instead we’re left with agenda-driven bloggers with questionable ethics and objectivity. As a former journalism teacher, this frightens me in terms of the future of information in this country.

Whenever and however you see it, take the time to view Spotlight so that you at least remember what you’re missing.

Trying to Teach Pigs to Sing

OR Why I Haven’t Been Writing

Regular readers and followers have probably noticed that I’ve been on an extended hiatus from this blog, as well as my others. 

The softball blog will actually pick up as we start to move into that season (really it’s already begun), but that’s a specialized project for a limited audience. I may also revisit my Hancock blog from time to time, but I need to generate more positive feelings for even that to happen.

You might wonder why. Or you might not care, but I’m going to share my reasons anyway. Actually, that’s not completely true. I have started several pieces, all of which sit as drafts, awaiting motivation to polish and publish. Others are percolating in my brain, as it drifts from one dark cloud to the next.

The fact is, that for some time now I have been consistently too depressed about the state of political and world affairs to add my thoughts to the increasing cacophony of certitude pervading social media. Maybe I should just give up Facebook, where people actually cheered the entrance of Donald Trump into the presidential race. That is just one of the thread topics I don’t add on to, because it wouldn’t do any good. I mean, if you take that bombastic buffoon seriously, what could I possibly say that would make you think (differently).

Now we have the posts about Charleston. Apparently there were insufficient victims victims to make some people consider that this tragedy is symptomatic of a problem worth solving, or worth at least discussing solutions. Even worse, many of those same people so resistant to recognizing that there IS a problem and that we need to actively search for a solution have also regularly offered posts suggesting that we have solved the problem of racism in this country, that racism is no more than an excuse for a lack of success.

I refuse to swim in those threads either. What would be the point? People with that mindset truly have set minds. Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their mind cannot change anything. — George Bernard Shaw

I remember a button we peddled back in the day to raise money for political candidates; of course, that was before we had solved sexism and sex discrimination, like we’ve solved racism. The button read: Don’t try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Sales were brisk, but back in those younger, still idealistic days, I confess that I nevertheless DID keep trying to teach pigs to sing. Today, as I read the proud displays of ignorance on Facebook and elsewhere, I realize that I also did, indeed, waste my time and (probably) annoy the pigs.

For any number of reasons, I have narrowed my focus. The most important reason? I have a granddaughter (thus the Fathers Day hook for this piece) for whom I would throw myself in front of a train. She is my focus now. Because she will need her family and would be negatively impacted by the loss of any of those people who are, and will continue to be, her safety net, I will do whatever I can for them, as well. Not that this represents any sacrifice on my part, because I also love them.

But I’m done trying to teach pigs to sing, so don’t expect a whole lot of new content from this space, at least until I become less disheartened. I don’t know when that will be. I may be sporadically and randomly inspired to throw in a thought or two, but only if it doesn’t take away from the (increasingly limited) energy that I’m saving for one little girl.

New Memories Under Construction

Forgive the over-long hiatus. It’s embarrassing to admit just how quickly I forgot how much work is the art of teaching. I’m currently filling in on a maternity leave at Lindbergh High School (where Hancock connections show up almost daily). I will then resume more regular posts, assuming I have think I have something relevant to say.

Thanks for your patience.

Happy Holidays to One and All

You may have to zoom in on the "picture" below to read the words. 

Writing for Fun, Not Profit

A friend loaned me a copy of a magazine for writers marked with a couple articles detailing ways to monetize my efforts in that sphere. Flattering, but I need to get it back to him. I write because I like it, because it keeps my brain working, because I think I may offer a more or less unique perspective. I like money, too, enjoy spending it, but don’t want to be obligated to write for it, in the same way I didn’t want to be obligated to teach for it.

I mention that because I haven’t written (well, published) anything for over two weeks. True bloggers, both news and opinion, tend to publish something almost daily, even if they have nothing to say. Even worse are those who refuse to let the fact they don’t know what they’re talking about slow them down in their quest to take full and frequent advantage of the First Amendment, but, hey, this is America, where loud ignorance often masquerades as authority.

According to Kathleen Parker, whom I enjoy reading even when I don’t agree with her, columnists have the luxury of taking more time to ensure a quality product, but they still have deadlines. Deadlines force you to write artificially, at least sometimes, because, well, it’s your job. Back in the day I did write under deadline for TGIF, the HPCTA union newsletter. However, I was also, at the same time, a true-believer congregant worshipping at Our Lady of Righteous Indignation. Nothing like believing you have all the answers for changing the world to create a cornucopia of available topics. Not that anyone has offered me a paying columnist gig in any case, not even HuffPost. 

Because I now mostly write for me, I can, and clearly do, take my time, constantly revising, but without any real deadline pressure. Right now I have eight drafts (this makes nine until I publish) of pieces, but drafts they remain because whatever hook existed has faded into the background, I’ve lost interest, or I just don’t think they’re good enough yet.

I admit that having “followers” feeds my ego (closing in on 10,000 page views since moving to blogger.com, well over that if you count my WGHS softball blog), especially when they mention reading my stuff in a conversation with me, as happened a couple times last night, but, at a minimum, I owe whatever readers I have, and myself, the belief, even if it’s delusional, that what I put out there has some value and quality. I’m not sure this piece can claim either, but because recently nothing visible has come out of the word factory that is my brain, I decided to make sure the machinery is oiled and continues to function.

A piece I started earlier, but condensed to a single topic, has me thinking about a series of Hancock memoirs based on my career at The Place. Lots of stories from that unique little universe. I have to decide whether to start a separate blog for that or just make it a part of this one. No hurry though, because I have started writing those pieces only in my mind. An article’s road to a life (albeit a virtual life) on my blog is not a speedy one. Later....