Ask Less, Get More

Kevin Horrigan wrote a great article today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It was something I never thought of before.

I know we teachers used to (probably still do) complain loudly and often about how society was dumping all of its problems on our doorstep, that we were expected to be parent, social worker, spiritual advisor (non-sectarian, of course, although I’ve no doubt some strayed outside those lines), sex educator, counselor, etc., etc., as well as teacher. As much as we complained, though, we kind of knew it came with the territory, and we were, more or less, prepared for those aspects of the job. I like to think that the best of us (at least at The Place), for all our griping, embraced and even welcomed those challenges.

Until I read Horrigan’s column this morning, however, I had never even considered the possibility that something similar has been happening to our police officers for many years now. According to Horrigan, and I (obviously) agree, we are expecting police to not just enforce the laws and solve crimes, but to enforce social norms and solve social problems.

With no intended offense to those men and women who are doing a job that I couldn’t handle (I had enough trouble enforcing classroom discipline), I don’t think most of them are suited for the demands of social service in terms of the personality of people attracted to law enforcement vs. those attracted to education or social work. I might be wrong, but I would suggest those who want to do the (important) job of social service are not heading to the police academy but down a different educational path. I do know that when I took the Strong Interest Inventory as a college freshman, my scores for teacher (well, not industrial arts teacher) and police officer were at the opposite ends of the scale.

It is very easy to criticize police officers, but even if, as is true for some teachers, it is deserved, I refrain from doing so because no way could I do that demanding job. Add to the demands the element of risk that cannot be ignored, dumping the thorniest problems of modern society on our police departments is not only unfair but unwise.

Finally, adding a point emanating from my pragmatic bent, it is also economically inefficient. One of the reasons police departments are stretched so thin for money is because we’re asking, no forcing, them to spend their limited resources on tasks that are not, or at least should not be, in their purview.

If we want more, or better, from our law enforcement community, perhaps we should consider asking for less. (I would argue that the same holds true for education, as well.) If you have not read the article, I urge you to do so, and am adding the link again: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/horrigan-in-tribal-america-too-many-problems-are-dropped-on/article_e9e0523d-e6f9-53b8-9e4f-626c86136cbb.html

Cruise Diary 14: Days 8-11, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico

It would appear that the Pacific side of these countries is more affluent than the Caribbean side. Not that you will want to go house hunting any time soon, but still, not nearly as depressing as what we saw last year.

As noted previously, Costa Rica is proud of its accomplishments and heritage. However, the one constant on this trip is that every guide feels the same way about his (or her) country. It truly irks me when the drum-beaters for “American Exceptionalism” fail to realize that most people, or at least those with a sense of country, believe that their country, too, is exceptional. Those same loud voices are also critical of the trend to eliminate winners and losers, the trophies for all attitude. “We can’t all be winners.”

I get that, but comparing your country to mine isn’t even a parlor game and what rules there may be come from those who want to stack the deck so that their homeland becomes the winner. National pride can’t only be good when it’s ours. Who is to say that we’re better than anyone else? I’d suggest we’d be better off treating our attitude toward our country like golf, and working on just being the best that we can, knowing there is always room for improvement, without the need to “beat” some other country. In the unlikely event that I could beat you (or anyone) in a golf match, it still wouldn’t mean I was any good.

Being better than the competition doesn’t mean you’re good. Being louder than the other side doesn’t mean you’re right. Bob Dylan long ago got it right when he said, “Not to climb up any higher but rather drag you down the hole that he’s in.” We should be cheering these countries as they work to develop their economies, education, social services, etc., even if not always the same way we would prefer. Instead, the American Exceptionalists seem to want to put a ceiling on others’ ambition so that we can wave our foam fingers and shout, “We’re #1!” to justify any action we take. Let’s at least not be offended or surprised when we get a different finger in return.

On a slightly different note, I must admit it was a bit disconcerting to see all the soldiers with big guns on our last two stops. I know I’m in the minority here, but being surrounded by armed people, even if it’s obviously the military doing its job, does NOT make me feel safer. It only makes me wonder when they’re going to use them, and on whom. And if you’re a civilian toting a gun, well, hey, you may know you’re not crazy or a threat to me, but I sure as hell don’t. Quite frankly, your need to display your weaponry is enough to make me wonder.

But back to foreign travel, we remember seeing lots of guns and armed security in Europe, especially Italy, almost 40 years ago. Didn’t make us feel safer then, either.

In any case, we’re happy to be trading the snow at home for the 80+ degree temperatures here, at least temporarily. And now a few random pictures:

Cruise Diary 2014: Day 8, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is clearly several steps ahead of its Central American neighbors. It is a stable democracy with a higher standard of living than any we have seen. Free public education, K-12, is probably the backbone of its progress. Spanish and English are the required languages in school.

Let me digress here for a minute. I confess that the constant drumbeat of negativity towards education and teachers in the U.S. has discouraged me. But I’m starting to wonder where the symphony is coming from, because I have yet to meet, on these cruises, and we’re not talking the hoi polloi, or in my interactions with parents in any school with which I’ve been associated over the last 40+ years, almost anyone who has less than respect and admiration for teachers. Who are the politicians playing, to, exactly, besides themselves and a few well-heeled anti-public education donors? The election results on Proposition 3, which carried exactly zero (0, none, zilch, nada, etc.) counties across the state, indicate at least widespread general support for schools and teachers. Stand tall, my colleagues who continue the battle, and don’t get believe the negative propaganda.

Costa Rica was, and still is, way ahead of the curve on environmental issues. Recycling containers are everywhere, the country generates no carbon-based electricity, they work to protect their environment, and the people seem committed to the process. Who figured this out so far in advance of the rest deserves a medal.

They are proud of the fact that they abolished their army in 1948. I’m guessing they’re counting on us to defend them should someone get frisky, but that cost would almost certainly be less than what we’ve spent on some of the other hot spots in Central America over the past decades.

Costa Ricans also brag about their socialized medicine. If you’re sick, if you need medical attention, you get it. Built into those costs are a pension system. Now I have not done a lot of research, don’t know if it’s sustainable, but it seems as if the country is happy with its direction, and has probably generated fewer protests and riots than even our own.

Their taxes are not low, exactly, but seemingly are lower than Europe and perhaps even ours, in some places. If the information was accurate, you don’t pay income tax until you hit $70,000, and the minimum wage is based on two-weeks wages, about $600, not an hourly minimum. Our guide was stunned when I shared with him McDonald’s advice to its full-time employees: “You’re going to need another job to make a living wage.” Oh, and Wal-Mart is definitely here, but in disguise, running stores under different names.

Draw your own conclusions. I’m not suggesting a utopia – most of the houses, even those that are obviously less than affluent, have bars on the windows and doors to keep out thieves and robbers. But that, at least according to our guide, is generally the extent of crime in the country.

Our excursion was to an active volcano. There are nine of them in Costa Rica, all interconnected as part of the Ring of Fire (not the Johnny Cash song). Only one is conical; not the one we saw. These volcanoes don’t spew lava, like Hawaii and other places, but do emit gasses and even stones when they erupt. Geothermal energy provides about 10% of Costa Rica’s electricity. Lots of earthquakes and tremors, about 500 per year, on average. But a beautiful country.

The last couple pictures show the creativity of their wood-carving artisans. The first is the world’s largest oxcart, beautifully painted and decorated. The last, well, just whimsy on their part and mine.

Ought to be a no-brainer

Collateral damage: “Unintended damage, injuries, or deaths caused by an action, especially unintended civilian casualties caused by a military operation.”

I am not a veteran. I dodged that literal and figurative bullet during the Vietnam conflict thanks to my incredibly poor eyesight. I am, however, the son and grandson of veterans. I also taught numerous young men and women who are either still serving or who served, at least one of whom paid the ultimate price, a fact about which I’m still angry and heart-broken to this day. Important friends served, as well. We owe these men and women our support, not only during their service, but after it, as well. We also owe their families our support, no matter the cost.

General Sherman famously noted, “War is hell!” What he failed to add was that, for some soldiers, it is a “hell” which can remain an ongoing part of their lives long after their service has ended. They represent a minority, albeit a significant one, of our veterans. Our support for them is, at best, minimal, and, at worst, criminally negligent. If that’s not enough to make your blood boil, consider what CBS Sunday Morning called “Collateral Damage” in a story broadcast on March 16. You should watch the linked story, but the gist is that children of servicemen and women are not entitled to any kind of counseling or treatment unless such counseling or treatment will directly benefit the serviceperson. So not only are we failing our service personnel, we’re failing their families.

For reasons I don’t understand, empathy has become a dirty word in some circles, but imagine that it’s your father or mother (or spouse or sibling), away for months at a time, perhaps even for multiple tours, experiencing the stresses of combat. Whether or not (s)he comes back damaged or unscathed from deployment in a combat zone, it is at least possible, if not likely, that you would need support, if not help, in dealing with that both during his/her absence and perhaps even after his/her return.

I think it is a fair assumption that most of the men and women who experience combat will change, some dramatically. That change won’t occur in a vacuum and will impact those closest to the veteran. The family dynamic will almost certainly change, and too often not for the better. Yet we ignore that collateral damage to the people closest to the veteran.

You would think that everyone would agree that those men and women who have served us deserve our support and respect. (Sadly, we’re not doing that great a job even for them, either.) That support must, to my mind, include the soldier’s* family, because they’re not only an integral part of the process of assimilating back into “normal” life, but they, too, must find their own new normal, both during and after deployment. 

The commercials and news stories showing the tearful reunions, parades, school assemblies, stadium reunions, etc. do exactly what they’re intended: tug at our heartstrings, make us feel good. They also mask the ongoing commitment we owe these men and women, because when the cameras are gone, when all that is left of the parade is confetti on the street, what do we do about the detritus that is the result of the deployment, the fragile family ties that must be rewoven? Those are costs we need to consider – and budget for, as well. 

I have zero hope that our political “leaders” will put aside their political and party ambitions (They’d rather point fingers, an activity that exercises only one muscle and accomplishes nothing.) to offer the kind of tribute our veterans truly deserve by adding this issue to the agenda of improving how we support our returning servicemen and women. I’m not at all optimistic but, on this Memorial Day of 2014, that would be truly memorable.

* refers to all service branch members