New York City schools are being asked to add one more lesson to the packed weeks before the end of the school year: about bullying.
In light of recent bias-motivated violence, including the murder of a 32-year-old gay man in the West Village this weekend, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Chancellor Dennis Walcott said all schools would be asked to hold at least one event before the end of the school year to educate students about hate crimes and bullying.
I'm not minimizing the awful violence that took a man's life this weekend or any other bias-related violence or crime, but if Quinn and Walcott want to reduce bullying, they ought to start with themselves and their pal Bloomberg.
Christine Quinn is proud of her reputation for being a bully, which she sees more as "getting stuff done" rather than, you know, running roughshod over people.
Me, I think anybody who cancels a senior citizens program because the council person from that district didn't personally thank Christine Quinn in her press release is a bully.
Same goes with somebody who cancels the Vallone scholarship because she's pissed at Vallone's son.
Hard to characterize those kinds of actions as anything other than "bullying."
As Gothamist put it, Christine Quinn, thy middle name is "vengeance."
As for Walcott and his boss, Bloomberg, there is not one day that goes by where they don't bully their way through the school system.
That's been Bloomberg's education reform policies for the last 12 years.
If you want to see how many people think Bloomberg is a bully, then google the terms "Bloomberg" and "bully" and take a look.
I'll teach the bully lessons, but Christine Quinn, Michael Bloomberg and Dennis Walcott need to attend some bullying sessions too.
Just because you have twenty billion dollars or you work for a guy who has twenty billion dollars doesn't mean you get to bully your way through life.
Mr. Walcott,
ReplyDeleteI am going to use you , Mayor Bloomberg and Christine Quinn as exemplars of Bullying and mean spirited bullies.
Let us start: Mr. Bloomberg compared the UFT to the National Rifle Association right after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre. The comparison was absurd and mean spirited and was
used to bully. Mr . Bloomberg never apologized.
Mr. Bloomberg has threatened to fire teachers in order to achieve his warped education and testing culture.
Christine Quinn has admitted to her vile temper and frequent bullying of her employees.
The culture of the DOE with CEO principals stealing time and money from the DOE while harassing teachers is a vicious form of bullying. Mr. Walcott, you have condoned and sustained this bullying culture.
This is just a short list. You need a 12 step program in anti-bullying behavior before you start looking for you next job.
Great points - going to use these for a post.
DeleteI always thought the thugs from the streets who came from broken homes, raised in a dysfunctional family were bullies and that's only behavior that made them feel in control of their sad lives.
ReplyDeleteBut, I am wrong, wrong, completely wrong.
It is the rich, powerful, ego-centric maniacs that want to control the world and have no regards for society that are the true bullies.
Besides the billionaire and political bullies, you have the no-conscience bully followers such as Walcott.
Gates, Jobs, Bloomberg, Dimon, Blankfein et al. - these are the bullies and thugs.
DeleteBehind every great fortune is a crime - Balzac wrote that.
He was right.