Moral Bankruptcy (video link updated)

 

    I've been reading excerpts from Michael Eric Dyson's book, What Truth Sounds Like. Dyson's book looks not only at the views of the leading Black intellectuals (that were sought out by the likes of Robert Kennedy), but interestly references the anger of ordinary Black citizens during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. I also recently saw Dyson on Bill Maher. https://youtu.be/PEwqkcjYsWsHe brought up some interesting points concerning Trump and those during the 60s that tried to initiate lasting change. Trump is an amazing manipulator in that he will meet with the disaffected individual and offer them specific recourse. 'What do you want?' 'Who do you want me to see set free?' Trump set Alice Marie Johnson free. That's great, it shows up his predecessor, who could have done the same thing and didn't. This is a grand action, but does nothing to change the systemic problems and the cemented structures that cause inequality and discrimination. I immediately thought of the UFT. ATRs have been pulled from their positions as teachers for over thirteen years and have been forced to babysit. We are ostracized from all staffs in regards to governance and respect. This has happened inside our temporary schools and has been extended to the union we support. We have been continually denied a chapter to facilitate our unique needs and wants. Not only hasn't the UFT attempted to repair its corrupt structure and the absence of mechanisms towards change, but it hasn't made the effort to listen to our concerns.

      What we currently have seen and heard from the UFT, concerning change, is nothing. Ignoring the problems of  the disaffected fuels greater anger. We now have a means to show our rage via Janus. I want a real union that represents all of us. I don't want to hear from some guy that touts Manchester United's weekly scores to tell us that 99% of the membership will remain in the UFT. If the UFT ultimately refuses to acknowledge us, then we should start a separate union. If any of the caucuses, or all of them, joined together to try to facilitate a separate high school union, I believe they would achieve great success. I believe many would help, as ATRs are not the only disaffected group. Again, I don't want to drop out of the union, I want to drop in - but I am prepared to leave. I am not in the least concerned with the bogeymen Koch brothers - Bloomberg and Weingarten did a lot more damage than those two could ever dream up. I, and many of us are giving the UFT the benefit of the doubt. Next fall, if we are again collectively ignored, many of us will exercise our right to stop paying dues to the corrupt entity that is the UFT.