To those hiding behind fictitious screen names in the vast shallow hollowness that the Internet has become, don’t bother reading further.
To be clear, this does not apply to those that use witty words instead of their real names to mask against the infectious disease emitting from the bowels of the World Wide Web.
It is about those that use the equivalent of screen face masks for the same reasons as wannabe anarchists masquerading as protestors.
Before going further, a round of applause and a thousand apologizes to Sarah Haskett.
There are no emojis from the often faceless Facebook et al realm that can begin to express either sentiment.
Appreciation is in order.
However, given Haskett’s response to the reptilian spiel sent her way, no apologizes are likely needed.
Haskett knows what she — as well as her students and the “real world” — are up against.
Haskett is a Manteca High English teacher.
She was featured in an article reported and written by Simar Mann in an assignment for “The Tower.”
It’s a website where the Manteca High journalism class, led by James Burns, uploads articles and photos to throughout the school year.
The article was reproduced in the Sept. 3 edition of the Bulletin with the headline, “Open door policy: Popular MHS English teacher keeps safe, inclusive classroom.”
On the Bulletin’s Facebook page, it was peppered with responses worthy of the dark days of Salem circa 1692-1693.
They were delivered by a twisted tech version of a Greek chorus offering a narrative that — instead of offering insight to the words crafted to tell a story — only mirrored the glaring holes in their collective hearts, souls, and minds.
The postings were in the genre of a flash mob of Stepford commenters offering predictable slams that reflect the docile and submissive nature of a pack of robotic followers who drink the Kool-Aid by the gallon.
With apologizes to Kraft Heinz, the Kool-Aid is a mixture of homophobia mixed with fear of those that are different laced with hate.
It is difficult to figure the “trigger” that inspired the Kool-Aid drinkers to spring into action to mindlessly repeat predictable attack lines.
Was it the word “inclusive?”
One might want to question their American birthright or citizenship if they don’t believe that is the bottom line ultimately of the rare experiment in the annals of civilization that was launched in a humid Philadelphia hall on a July Fourth 248 years ago.
Perhaps they have a flag phobia?
The first reference that this particular Internet mob was drawn like moths to the enlightenment — oops, that should have been light — was likely the following quote from Haskett.
“That is why I put up so many flags, so as soon as they walk through that door, they know that this is a safe place for them.”
It was never stated whether they were flags of countries of origin, representing a segment of society based on gender, or orientation, or even NASCAR flags.
It doesn’t matter.
In the culture war, you shoot first.
And you don’t even bother to ask questions later because the self-righteous are always right.
Was it the reference to her ability to stay positive?
Can’t have that.
One doesn’t troll the Internet looking for victims to attack with a series of screen taps to deliver positive, let alone uplighting, comments.
You can’t spread fear, distrust, and hatred without being the Anti Mary Poppins.
After all, a spoonful of negativism makes the world go down.
Maybe it’s the fact, based on the portrait Mann painted using words to describe Haskett as a teacher, she treats students as individuals and not robots to be programmed.
One can’t have teens learn their personal potential given the unique cards life has handed them and what they have absorbed or developed along the road that runs through high school before it splits into infinite directions.
Slam the American education system all you want, but the preordained paths often handed out by some countries’ school system based on economic status and intellect as an eighth grader are often used to determine who will be a field worker breaking their back picking lettuce, and who will be a world renowned brain surgeon.
Assuming one might want to be enlightened about just how “bad” the American public education system is, perhaps you might want to read the book, “Dr. Q: My Journey from Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon.”
Spoiler alert. It is an autobiography of an illegal immigrant from Mexico who ended up in the fields of San Joaquin County as well as doing dangerous manual labor cleaning out large chemical tanks.
He ended up leveraging an education at Delta College in Stockton — the same community college that has a facilities bond on the Nov. 5 ballot — into even higher education.
Besides saving lives with arguably the highest level of surgery possible, he is now leading research into advancing the treatment of brain tumors at the Mayo Clinic.
See what horrible things can happen when the American concept of inclusivity embraces all students.
Pardon the satirical stab.
No one ever questions the gender, sexual orientation, or country or origin of someone who is saving their life.
Or perhaps it’s the fact Haskett identified herself as a feminist.
There are many shades of feminism just as there is of conservatism and liberalism.
Is a woman whose husband abandoned her for the bottle and left her with seven kids to raise and a working cattle ranch to run during the depths of the Great Depression a feminist?
Especially because she got the job done without remarrying?
And is a woman a feminist whose husband died at an early age leaving her with four young kids and a mortgage and devotes her life to raising them by working seven days a week?
If so, I’m proud to refer to both my grandmother and mother as feminists.
The truth is, women have been carrying their own weight in non-traditional roles for years.
And if you think feminism is about “burning bras” and channeling Gloria Steinem on steroids, then you need to cut back on chugging the Kool-Aid.
This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
