Hack Job

Last week I submitted a letter to the editor of The Gainesville Sun regarding how the school board chose to devote part of their meeting last week.  That letter was published this morning and can be found here: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120124/OPINION02/120129895/1017?p=2&tc=pg

For those who do not want to click on the link (and after you see how bad they butcher my letter and hide my argument, I would urge you not to), here is the text of what THEY chose to print.

Last Tuesday night the School Board agenda had an item restricting teachers from providing candy as an incentive in their classroom.

While most can understand the health benefits of this action, my frustration lies more with the fact that the School Board continues to micromanage; now all the way down to telling teachers what is an acceptable form of incentive to their students.

I wonder if the board, or the teachers who offer such incentives, know what the greatest reward to their students should be: Their education.

It is quite possible that living in the times of FCAT and teaching to the test, that may no longer be the case.

There needs to be a movement away from the “what's in it for me” mentality and more toward employing teachers who can provide the education necessary to their students without any added incentives.

Now I completely understand that letters need to be trimmed to fit and edited for grammatical reasons one way or the other, but I urge you to read my actual letter.  What you will find is a direct and purposeful attack on the state of education not only in our state, but our country.  The Gainesville Sun has chosen to cut it up and make it look like not only do I not know what I am talking about from personal experience, but that I do not know the first thing about education.  Here is my original letter:

The state of affairs within the educational system in our county was hurt once again Tuesday night when there was time on the school board agenda given to an immediate initiative forbidding teachers from providing candy as an incentive in their classroom.  While most can understand the health benefits of this action, my frustration lies more with the fact that the school board continues to micromanage; now all the way down to telling teachers what is an acceptable form of incentive to their students. Time is being devoted at board meetings to the harmful effects of candy while the greater issue, a reliance on incentives themselves in order to induce student performance, is not mentioned.

I wonder if the board or the teachers in the district who offer such incentives have ever mentioned what the greatest reward to their students should be, and that is their education.  It is quite possible that living in the times of FCAT and teaching to the test, that may no longer be the case.  In order for the country to continue to be competitive with the rest of the world, there needs to be a movement away from the “what’s in it for me” mentality instilled upon the current generation and more towards employing teachers able to provide the education necessary to their students without any added incentives.  

I should have known better than to trust a media outlet not to twist my words around to protect a failing institution, but I wanted to get my point out there and with only a few people reading my blog entries; the local newspaper seemed like a good place to start.  I cannot wait for someone to write in and defend the school board based on the fact that The Gainesville Sun left me vulnerable in this argument, instead of pinning the responsibility on those who run the system. 

America's Wake Up Call

For far too long, the United States of America has been enduring an era of gross bipartisanship that does not show any signs of stopping anytime soon.  The line has been drawn and far be it from either side to make an attempt, let alone have a desire, to cross it.  This was and continues to be the country that most are familiar with.  You are either a Democrat or a Republican and there is no gray area.  The days of patriotism are in the past.  Politicians today slander the good name of this country in order to gain popularity and respect amongst their party and with the hopes of drawing a few voters from the other side. 

When Jon Huntsman nobly bowed out of the race for the White House this morning, the hope and chance of a candidate willing to put party allegiance aside for the betterment of the country went with it.  The more I read about Governor Huntsman, the more I was excited that for the first time that I was going to vote for a candidate who had what it was going to take to restore the trust of the American people.  Having the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak to the voters was something special.  Being able to volunteer in New Hampshire and spreading the word and awareness amongst my friends on Facebook and Twitter has been an honor.  It is one I continue to look forward to doing in the future should he decide to run again.

With the candidate I was going to vote for out of the race, I am now where I started after the 2008 election.  I do not know who I am going to vote for in November.  I know that I do not like either of the candidates that the media is forcing us to choose from.  I understand that there is a focus and an agenda of the Republican party to want to vote for anyone as long as they are not Barack Obama.  That sentiment is why I feel that the political process has lost its mind and is no longer valid.  Americans on both sides are content to vote for someone because they have a letter next to their name, whether it be a “D” or “R”.  Americans are lazy and want things in the simplest form and for most, there is nothing more simple than the choice between Democrat and Republican. 

Wake up America because this is how we ended up in the situation we are in now.  For too long the country idly voted based along party lines without doing any real homework into who the candidates were and what they actually stood for.  This happens every election and it is going to take a movement, a revolution of thinking, in order to change the ways of the past.  Before I strongly endorsed Jon Huntsman, I made sure I read everything I could about him.  Then I wanted to see him in person and judge for myself whether or not he was being a politician or if he was being himself.  From what I gathered and one of the reasons I liked him so much was because he was as real as one could hope for. 

I know, unfortunately more than most, that this country is not functioning properly.  I am a recent college graduate who is now unemployed thanks to a system that rewards tenure.  The education system in this country is broken and needs to be fixed.  Not only are the lives of hardworking Americans being effected, the future of this country is in jeopardy when tenured teachers, who are only still teaching in order to make it to their retirement, are being favored over someone who could be more qualified to inspire the kids to want to make their lives better than what they see.  The United States is raising a generation based on an either/or system and they will see it at its worst over the next eleven months.

Between now and November I will do the responsible thing and listen, research, and make an informed decision on my own.  I am not going to bow to a will of a political party just because they do not like the other guy.  That being said, everyone in Washington needs to go.  Nothing is being accomplished for the American people anymore and we need leaders willing to do what is necessary to bring this country back to the level of greatness that the founders had in mind when they decided the status quo way of doing things had run its course. 

...so close

I really don't have the words right now.  The post below that I made somewhat secretly (really not publicizing it) is not irrelevant to those who were around this team as much and more than I was this season.

It was heartbreaking tonight...this team was something special to me and something special to the Gator Nation. Be proud and use this year as a stepping stone for that next level.

Go Gators...

For the Gators...

This is the year.

From where I sat for more than two thirds of the matches this season, I was privileged enough to witness a transformation.  I watched a team grow up right before my eyes and I do not think they know it just yet.  The message all season was to be better in December than in September.  Deep down, this team took that message to heart.

This is the year.

Sunday night was more bitter than sweet on many different levels.  While I personally realized that my 2011 radio campaign was in the books, the team I was fortunate enough to work found out they were going to be traveling for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.  In my experiences of watching collegiate athletics, I have never seen a team get bent over like this team was Sunday night.  The more I reflected, the more I knew it was not going to be an issue.  At this point it does not matter where the match is being played, this team will be there.

This is the year.

The last month of volleyball was one for the ages and I had a front row seat.  I saw seniors taking leadership roles on and off the court, motivating and willing their team to victory.  I saw something that had not been done in over ten years at this school.  I saw comeback after comeback, followed by sheer and utter domination of opponents.  By the time the regular season I ended, I saw a group ready for the next level.

This is the year.

What I hope this team realizes and my humble message to them is that no matter who the opponent, they have what it takes to win six in a row.  I have watched you all at your highest highs and lowest lows.  When you play with the intensity that you have over the last month, there is a fire that surrounds this team that nobody is going to be able to put out.  Go and play like the bad asses I know you are and show the country what Florida Volleyball is all about.  Do not focus on the possibility that each match could be the last but rather how each match is still making you better for the next.  Dig deep and remember how it felt in Baton Rouge to finally break through and win a match after dropping the first set.  Go even deeper and bring back the feelings of the insane comeback in Fayetteville.  Play with the intensity and drive that you brought back into the O'Connell Center for Georgia, Auburn and South Carolina. 

This is the year.

Not winning the SEC was the best thing to ever happen to this team.  You all started playing with more guts and determination once the focus was on being where you are right now.  While you travel to another team's campus and gym, remember that the Gator Nation is everywhere.  Summon the strength of those who walked onto the court before you and leave behind a legacy of memories for those that will follow you when your time at Florida is through. 

Six matches...this is the year.

What next?

For nearly five days, the media has run amok with the story out of State College and for five days, I have done my best to try and digest the information that has been brought forth.  I am sick.  I am not physically ill but I am emotionally drained over an event that I had no part in.  I have looked to humor to try and ease the pain felt inside but it has not done the same as it once did in the past.  It is just not funny anymore.  It was funny for a little while when Jim Tressel was caught lying about knowing his players were given tattoos for clothing and championship merchandise.  It was practically hilarious when Nevin Shapiro decided to own up to all of his misdoings at the University of Miami AFTER he was incarcerated.  But this is just not funny.  Lives have seriously been ruined over the cover up at State College and they are continuing to be ruined minute by minute as this story develops.  I will close the introduction to this by saying what has been said by many, including my own father, EVERYONE is to blame. 

They all knew about the incidents and they did nothing.  First and foremost, Jerry Sandusky, followed by the State of Pennsylvania and their legal teams, namely then-Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar for letting Sandusky off the hook after he promised not to shower with Victim 6 again, the janitors who kept silent for fear of losing their jobs in 2000, Mike McQueary, former Athtletic Director Tim Curley, former University VP Gary Schultz, whoever was appointed to run Second Mile and was running it when the 2002 incident was reported, (still current as of this writing) University President Graham Spanier, and Football Coach Joe Paterno are ALL to blame.   There is no punishment for this crime that could ever be worse than what the victims of Sandusky's predatory ways have to live with. 

Why was it hard to write that paragraph, especially the last name on the list?  It seems pretty cut and dry, right?  The names of the above are the names in the grand jury report and the timelines all over the internet today.  But it is that last name that leaves some with a gross feeling of betrayal. 

The name of Joe Paterno was revered in the state of Pennsylvania and among the college football world.  Growing up I can remember that the second college football game I ever attended was the University of Southern California vs. Penn State in 1992. It was Penn State's first year in the Big Ten and it was my first trip to Happy Valley.  I got to see an amazing campus, visit the Creamery, and then watch the great Joe Paterno pace the sidelines against then USC coach John Robinson.  The final score that day was 21-20 in favor of the Nittany Lions and I was immediately hooked on college football.  Two years later, we moved to Gainesville, Florida and I was introduced to another kind of legend and a different brand of football.  Steve Spurrier was the coach who came back to his Alma Mater and at the time he was in the process of revolutionizing not only college football at the University of Florida but throughout the Southeastern Conference as well.  It was not hard to take what I experienced at Beaver Stadium and transition it to being a fan sitting in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. 

Living in Gainesville and hearing the stories eventually start to grow regarding coaching contracts, I was always drawn back to the stories of my grandfather and my father about Joe Paterno.  I knew the number was low, but I checked to see and Paterno made just over half a million dollars a year for the first time in 2007.  2007?!?  The man was a head coach for 41 years before he cleared half a million dollars.  Well he must have kept all of that money for himself all those years, right? 

Anyone who knows anything about Joe Paterno knows that he is one of the biggest philanthropists and believers in college athletics throughout the NCAA.  He has donated over $4 million to Penn State over the years. If you watched the video that aired last night where Paterno emerged from his house like Willy Wonka from the Chocolate Factory, you saw that he does not live a lavish lifestyle.  It has been publicized for years that the man loves college football and he loves being a coach.  To me, Joe Paterno was what was good about college football and collegiate athletics.  In a world where winning is the only answer, Paterno stood the test of time and rode the highs and lows with dignity and class. 

The legacy of Joe Paterno remains to be known but everything stated previously about the man happened.  It happened and because of a major misjudgement of what he thought was right, it has all gone away.  It saddens me beyond words to say that but Joe Paterno was someone to look up to in the game of college football.  He was someone to look up to if you have ever coached anything.  That is no longer the case.  When the children of our society are not being protected from the predators, the number of accolades you have accomplished are all meaningless.  No matter what Joe Paterno can say from here on out, it does not erase the fact that his name is right there in the grand jury report saying that he knew about the events that took place in his locker room showers and that he WAITED to tell someone.

Again, this is not just on Joe Paterno.  A piece of this caliber can and probably will be written about everyone involved at some point if it has not been already.  It is almost a sure bet that Law and Order: SVU is paying someone to write the script for this two hour season finale.  The media will not and they should not let this story go.  It does not end with Joe Paterno.  He will ride off into a jaded sunset as one of the greatest coaches the game of college football will ever see.  He is no longer the greatest.  What we do in our lives outside of the professions we carry has to come into play.  Nobody is absolved because of their status. 

The hurt that is felt for me is all in the letdown.  If you asked me to write a list of people whom I admired, my parents would be at the top for following their dreams, taking the chances they did, and for always supporting my sister and I in whatever we chose to do.  Beyond that I could name a handful of historical figures whom I have researched their stories and admire the way they dealt with adversity.  Abraham Lincoln is near the top of that list.  It is hard to imagine taking on the task of keeping a country together amidst the differing opinions of those around you while still standing up for what you believe in.  The Carter family, Mississippi sharecroppers who became the first black family to send their children into an all-white school district in Drew, Mississippi in 1964 are another set of people whom I admire.  They stood for what they believed in and paved the way for generations after (see the book Silver Rights by Constance Curry for their story). 

Out of the folks still alive, Joe Paterno was one of those people I admired for a long time.  I knew it was going to be a sad day when he left college football. No fan in their right mind could  have ever imagined this would be the way he made his exit.  Which finally leads me to the title of this blog entry: What next?  Who do we have to look up to besides our parents (and not everyone has parents good enough to look up to)?  

We live in a world where information is flying by faster than we can read it.  Within seconds of someone famous dying, they have become a trending topic on Twitter.  The second any information of any value to anyone is available, millions of people are on it.  It was not long ago, 2002 to pinpoint a date of validity, when people still picked up the phone to call one another to share their information. Now, information is sent with a push of the button and within seconds, the court of public opinion INSTANTLY renders a verdict..  Jerry Sandusky did not rape these kids yesterday, but on November 5 when the grand jury report was released to the public and the spread was worse than any wildfire, he was guilty along with everyone else who failed to report his behaviors.  He can claim his innocence until he is blue in the face.  He might even walk away from this if the court of law does not find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  It has happened all too often before.  Casey Anthony was guilty...nope.  OJ was guilty...nope.  Bill Clinton was guilty...nope.  Would it honestly surprise anyone if they read this a year from now and Jerry Sandusky was a free man? 

What does not go away, whether Sandusky is guilty or not guilty, is the fact still that there is no court of law for the people like Joe Paterno.  And sometimes, the moral guilt one has to live with can far outweigh a guilty conviction within the legal system.  I hope that society learns from this horrific set of incidents if only to prevent anything like this from EVER happening again.

The Pyramid of Comedic Tolerance

Comedy, like most things in life, is subjective and everyone's idea of what is funny or not varies from person to person. As an adult, I have become quite cynical and have lost faith in society, especially when it comes to things that comedians say that either get taken out of context or blown out of proportion. Most recently, Hank Williams Jr. says some things that most did not understand when he compared a golf match to Hitler and the Nazis and he loses his weekly shot at people remembering he is still alive.

This incident, along with some conversations with friends over the past week, got me thinking about what is tolerable anymore. The simplest way to break it down is to imagine a pyramid. Comedy can be broken up into levels and while the first amendment should protect everything the comedy world encompasses, society still answers to a corporate master who does not want to offend anyone causing them not to buy their products. Case in point, to this day and going forward, you will never see Leno, Letterman or Kimmel do any material related to 9/11. That statement should tell you that for me, nothing is off limits. If you are trying to make a point or tell a joke, funny is funny, even when it is "wrong."

Onto the pyramid...Each level will be based on a great comedy movie. Once again, great is subjective and all my own personal opinion.

Level 1: The bottom level of the pyramid: The Truman Show

These jokes are the innocent of the innocent. They are as naive as Truman Burbank and unaware of anything that may or may not be harmful to the human psyche. Unfortunately, a little bit of awareness can lead to the upper levels of the pyramid. Typical jokes in this level are knock-knock jokes, blonde jokes, and jokes involving the bathing habits of farm animals.




Level 2: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This level still roams in the area of PG material but tends to add onto the jokes in level one. British humor generally is fairly innocent and the jokes consist of tongue-in-cheek material, unless of course you watch a Jim Jeffries special (I know he's Australian but wow, that guy has a level all to himself). Level 2 starts to get into political material similar to the conversation in the movie about who "voted" for Arthur to be King. Typical jokes in the second level are political and religious based (not including catholic pedophilia).


Level 3: Dumb and Dumber

Again, as you climb up the pyramid, you continue to combine the lower levels but start to add some more choice material. The third level includes the naivety of the first level with minor touches of the second but begins to add just STUPIDITY to the comedy world. All I can think of with respect to this is Jim Carrey walking out of the bar and thinking we just landed on the moon. As you can see in the picture, toilet humor is now in play.


Level 4: National Lampoon's Animal House

Level 4 shows almost a graduation from high school to college, but not quite. Just like the naive freshman of Delta House, the collegiate mind still can find the humor in situations they are not necessarily familiar with. I chose Animal House because it was a movie that exposed race as another tool for humorists and comedians. Race is touchy but if it is done in a way where it is not malicious, it can be really funny. Louis C.K. has a line where he "loathes the people who use 'The N-Word', not Nigger, actually saying 'The N-Word.' Because now everyone knows what you meant." (I paraphrased but the point gets across. I think white guilt plays into some people's fear of telling racially motivated jokes but, again, if it is done in a way similar to Otter recognizing an all black bar and saying "We are going to die," then the comedy comes through and people are laughing at the situation more than anything.



Level 5: Superbad

Level 5 does a great job of combining the previous two levels and taking things to an even further level. Underage drinking and the teenage quest to provide booze for a party proves to be a highly humorous situation. Now, is underage drinking funny? No, of course not, but most are guilty of it at some point or another. Some of the areas where level 5 expands on the previous levels are in the sheer treatment of human beings. Out and out sexist humor, coupled with a neglect for anyone's feelings is where we start to see the pyramid start to divide itself in two. The upper three levels of humor are those that take no prisoners. It all just depends on how far you are willing to go and who you are making fun of in the process.

Level 6: Clerks

Ahhh yes, Clerks. Who will ever forget the classic Kevin Smith line, "Try not to suck any dicks on your way through the parking lot." The entire movie begins to draw lines with the sole purpose of crossing them and that is what level 6 is all about. Level 6 is the intentional laugh. Draw the line of cultural acceptance as the setup, and then cross it with the punchline. Very little is off limits in this level, but there are still some boundaries that are not crossed. It is hard to define level 6 from level 7, but the line is there.

Level 7: THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID: The Aristocrats

This is 100% no holds barred. In the smallest of levels and with the greatest chance of offending someone, you can talk about anything and everything. This encompasses all six levels below it and expounds on the unthinkable. Draw the line, pour gasoline on it, set it on fire and then jump over the motherfucker as fast as you can because once you reach level 7, there is no turning back. Allowing yourself to see the humor in the some of the most outlandish of situations can do permanent damage. Trust me. I have never been the same after seeing Gilbert Gottfried perform this joke live at The Gotham Comedy Club shortly after Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette started filming the feature film. Incest, Rape, Bestiality, and S&M are just the tip of the iceberg. I'll say it again, absolutely nothing is off limits in this realm of comedic material.

I wrote this in two sittings and I hope that it comes across making as much sense as it did in my head when I started it. I loved to be challenged when it comes to humor and I love to challenge others to think outside the box and to try and see the humor in most situations. One line that always sticks in my head when it comes to comedy and lines that get crossed belongs to none other than the late, great George Carlin: "They'll say, "you can't joke about rape. Rape's not funny." I say, "fuck you, I think it's hilarious. How do you like that?" I can prove to you that rape is funny. Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd." Carlin challenged the status quo and to me created a partial generation of free thinkers who are capable of finding humor in most of the 7 levels of the comedic period. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Insomnia

I really don't have much to say and probably won't be posting this for people to read right away but if you happen to stumble upon it, you are reading what I am writing in the midst of another bout with insomnia.

I've had a really hard time sleeping on a normal schedule lately and I refuse to resort to vices such as alcohol to aide in the process. I know they work because I was able to sleep on the road this past weekend after I drank for awhile. It was nice to sleep but not a habit I want to get into.

My mind races when I am awake. I literally am jumping all over the place trying to come up with something. I am bored most of the day and have been fortunate enough to plug myself into local sports deals that keep me surrounded by good people. And I have great people at home who understand that this whole situation is not easy and that I may not be the most pleasant person to be around.

I have gone to the extreme lately. I was told that I take certain situations and I cross the line. It's been fun but I also recognize that this could be volatile. One little slip in the wrong crowd and someone might misunderstand my sick sense of humor. To me it is all about context and without giving people my life story, I wish people understood that you'll know when I am being serious. It's rare, but I am capable. One of the few things I have left is my sense of humor and I need to laugh. It keeps me sane...