Fuck you, Mr. Rosewater

"A place where the majority is going for self
With an agenda not far beyond personal wealth"
-GZA, Columbian Ties

One of the most disturbing things I've discovered working on the public internets is the complete disregard and disrespect some have for those who serve the public good. Or should I say, public servants who don't have guns or money. That's not to say people respect cops e.g. for who they are. There is just a certain amount of respect someone with common sense gives those who are trained to use a gun to put a bullet in things.

No, the first best example of how public servants are devalued and derided is public school teachers. In the past year newspapers and websites in which I am involved have been covering an ongoing teacher's strike and contract negotiations. The pillars of the community who comment on the stories have enlightening things to say like "greedy, whiny teachers holding our kids hostage." That's some good hyperbole right there.

The adults at PS 310 are entrusted with educating the leaders of tomorrow. Fact. There's not a lot of money in it. Teaching leans toward altruism, so when someone uses a word like "greedy" to describe someone who has to deal with a snot-nose snowflake all day every day I just shake it off as cognitive dissonance. Teachers don't get to plop their kids down in front of the PS3 when they have to make some e-trades or bang the gardener or whatever it is that rich people do. Although there are some educational DVDs out there.


Call it humanistic if you want, but there has to be some inherent value in helping others lift themselves up, beyond seeing the smiles of orphans. But in 2008 charity work is looked down on by some. There are countless other examples of this, besides teachers. Garbagemen for instance. Or people who go to Africa to cure diseases, only to become carriers of some horrible new monkey disease that causes the zombie apocalypse.

Whats not really clear is where the line is drawn to define benefiting the public good? I mean, what about government employees? I guess they are defined as public servants, but I have a nagging suspicion that some of those clowns in Washington and Harrisburg and the local zoning hearing board may have some sort of ulterior selfish motive to changing the law.


Bet you thought I was going bring up the maligning of working journalists didn't you? Nope. While derided and lowly paid, we're certainly not goodhearted. It's pretty simple actually: Everyone is out to get everyone, everywhere. Deceit and lies are my trade.