The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

     Now some of you may remember that I have defended Carranza, despite his awkwardly phrased and racially insensitive remarks. I have done so because I feel it is imperative to desegregate our public schools.  He has unfortunately marginalized many teachers and average New Yorkers against him. Many of these New Yorkers and teachers are White. They take his remarks, policies and the law suits against him as proof positive that he is indeed anti-White. They forget who he works for - Bill deBlasio. What’s he have to do with it?  First, remember Carranza was not deBlasio‘s first choice as chancellor. Perhaps the first guy figured out the stuff he’d have to do if he wanted to keep the job and split post haste.  DeBlasio sets the tone and the policies. Carranza, and there's no nice way to put this, is merely a puppet.  This couldn't become more evident, as additional racially charged lawsuits pop up in different city agencies. In the papers today, there are several articles concerning museums and cultural institutions that have been notified by the deBlasio administration of having too many white folks working for them. https://nypost.com/2019/07/31/cultural-institutions-workforces-are-too-white-city-report/?utm_campaign=iosapp&utm_source=pasteboard_app I guess some White heads will roll down those staid halls. There may be truth in Whites being overly represented in civil service positions, but using overt racism to combat it? Quotas should have been set up and adhered to before current employees were hired. Folks shouldn’t have to fear for their jobs because of the color of their skin.

     When I first went into teaching, many vocal intellectuals were bemoaning that White teachers could not interact and understand Black youth. (I always argued vehemently against such ideas, as I grew up in the Bronx without a silver spoon in my mouth.) I found such comments overtly racist. They were usually addressed to us from a White college professor or a high ranking White administrator.  These folks were also the ones that pushed the college for all philosophy that we see in place today. Basically vocational studies were thrown out as being racist, in that they had too many minorities in them. The idea was that these kids were somehow being siphoned off, so as not to go to college and have a better life.  Just the opposite has happened -minorities are going to college and not graduating in sufficient numbers and if they graduate are having a hard time finding jobs. If you look at the trades, there is no such difficulty for Whites or minorities. As for wages, the trade jobs are paying more than the white-collar jobs. Now I understand that race and the anger it instills has everything to do with the current state of politics. The troubling thing I see happening is that you  have folks who never thought about race now thinking about it all the time. Some of the most liberal guys I know, who happened to be white, are calling for Carranza’s head because they feel targeted.  Carranza will have to make a hard choice - do the right thing and go against deBlasio or continue following deBlasio‘s wishes and overtly and subtly target White (and Asian) parents and employees for the ills of the DOE. I think there’s a 50-50 chance that deBlasio will sacrifice Carranza at any given moment that his policies get a major backlash.

   I’ve always had mixed feelings about deBlasio.  I originally saw him as a henpecked buffoon who had good intentions and did some very good things. I support him on many of the things he has done including ending stop and frisk, decriminalizing marijuana, trying to desegregate the schools, and pre-K for all. His quest for a national audience, as a potential presidential candidate, seems to have emboldened him to step on another road.  There will come a time when the Uft will have to decide if supporting deBlasio, his increasingly race related policies and his terrible student and teacher directed policies (Danielson, FSF, overcrowding, Bloomberg autocrats, cell phones for all, no discipline policy, higher health care and interest free loan from teachers) incorporated into the school system is worth his one good stance against charter schools. I’d imagine the CSA is discussing the same thing. I should mention there is is one other place that Blacks and Hispanics are woefully underrepresented – the mayoralty of New York City.