No Surprise

I confess. This posting is the same as that on my other blog. I feel it says it all.

Nothing surprises me anymore. At least that’s what I said when the news about Elliot Spitzer hit the airwaves. As a teacher, it's IMPOSSIBLE to suggest any semblance of ethics or morals when our leaders, on all levels, keep either screwing up, screwing us or just plain screwing. My students were not surprised, not even the youngest or, what I hoped would be, the most innocent. And in fact, other than feeling bad for his family, a lot of them really didn't see what all the fuss was about. What was I supposed to say? If anyone, anyone, dares complain about the youth of our country and any improper, illegal or immoral behavior they produce, I just laugh. Who the hell are their role models? Parents and teachers are not enough. We don't make the news. (Well, I was on NY1)
I tried to downplay the news in my classroom, which was impossible with all of the headlines glaring from newspapers and online websites. Nothing, truly, nothing surprises my students. They expect the worst of people and, I have to say, are more forgiving than I am. They have become accustomed to those in positions of power screwing up, screwing off or just screwing. Some thought the governor was a jerk, a louse, a loser, a cheat, a liar for doing what he did and most hoped that he didn't use the taxpayer’s money for his trysts. They did not think about it any more than that. The chances of teaching the importance of knowing right from wrong or anything relating to a moral imperative is rough—wrongdoing, cheating, lying, hypocrisy, stealing—it is all around us. I guess none of us were surprised, after all.

Not surprised that is, until the crane crashed and crushed an entire building. This building sits (sat) right across the street from the bodega where my students shop for their cigarettes (gag) and gum. The crane, sitting at the foot of the new condominiums on 2nd Avenue at 51st Street fell and broke right through all of the buildings on 2nd Avenue resting, finally, on (and crushing) a smaller building on 50th Street. Our school is on 50th Street, not far from this tragedy. Too close for comfort. Everybody was surprised by this…or were they? The neighborhood has been complaining about the size and scope of this building since day one. Many of them have called 311 and the police, worried, complaining about the crane-- watching as it flapped around in the wind. Greed has taken over the City. What else could it be? What else would entice local officials and building inspectors not to recognize that the block can’t house a project of this size? The structure sits on lots where two small buildings once sat, so they built up, not out. It’s just too big.

I’m surprised more people weren’t killed.

Lying, cheating, stealing, screwing our youth out of a life they should be having. Instead, they are jaded, insensitive, and impossible to surprise. This is not to say they aren’t compassionate or caring—most of them are, but most of them aren’t ’t shocked by falls from grace, airplanes or cranes crashing into buildings, death and dying. We are forcing them to grow up too fast. My cheeks redden and tears spring to my eyes when I hear about stabbings and bathtub drownings and dead babies found in dumpsters. Most of my students think it comes with the territory of living. What have we done?