Today, Gary Babad, the brilliant parodist for our blog, was profiled in the NY Times.One of the reasons Patrick Sullivan and I founded this blog back in March 2007 was to give a permanent home for Gary's amazing satires, which he had started writing for our NYC education list serv months before. (The other reason was to get the word out that that NYC parents were not uniformly thrilled with the arrogant, dismissive, and often destructive policies of the Bloomberg/Klein administration.)
But let's get back to Gary. Who would have thought that this mild-mannered social worker from Queens had such a wicked and barbed wit, that could so adeptly skewer the high-handed pretentious nonsense that constantly seems to issue from the land of Tweed?
Who can forget Gary's ingenious "Children First: A Game Of Irony”, in which the Chancellor gets to change the rules of the game as he goes along, or the “Children First” Game Gets Long-Awaited Update?
What about his reporting of the Mayor Defending DOE Blackwater Security Contract , or his scoop when the DOE ANNOUNCES BAN ON COMMON SENSE ? How about his announcement that Bloomberg Expands Congestion Pricing Plan to Schools?
Then there's the recent press release revealing that the DOE, in partnership with Microsoft and Blackwater USA, will engage in a $500 million expansion of the ARIS computer system to "personalize" instruction for every NYC student? Or his exclusive, revealing the plans of the Broad Foundation to Fund “High Stakes” Degree Program ? And what about his discovery that Secret Papers Reveal Klein Power Grab?
There are too many brilliant bits to list here. Just put GBN news into the search function above, and enjoy!
And please, Gary, when the Onion or Comedy Central come calling, don't forget the little folks who gave you your start.
2 comments:
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The Latest New York Times "Ed Story" Reflects Just How "Ba-Bad" Things Have Become
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One of the 20th Century's most brutal dictators once very correctly observed:
"If you kill one man it is called 'murder'. But if you kill one million people it simply becomes a 'statistic'."
The NY Times certainly deserves a special award in Journalism for having so mastered the art of avoiding reporting real and important news issues, that the Times is clearly in a class by itself.
Via the tactic of injecting the element of humor into news that already conveniently contains the element of humor, the NY Times continues to pretend that it is "on top" of what is going on in the New York City Schools system under the "reign" of Chancellor (by Special State Waiver) Joel Klein, Esq.
At the same time, such exercises in non-reporting, allow the Times to give the impression that they do not shy away from "controversy" and fulfilling their fiduciary journalistic responsibility to keep the public "informed" with "All the News That's Fit to Print".
I have every respect for Mr. Gary Babad's clearly immense gifts as a humorist and extraordinary talent at satire and parody. I have even more respect for this gentleman for having chosen to devote his life to the field of Social Work, perhaps, along with teaching, one of the most demanding, exhausting and important occupations in urban settings today.
The true tragedy, and in fact a journalistic crime, is that the NY Times uses the opportunity to report on Mr. Babad's brilliant sense of satire, to totally avoid covering the real issues that are the sources of his satire.
In short, the ongoing vicious war against New York City's long term, dedicated UFT member/teachers, via "teacher cleansing", whereby the NYC DOE uses every conceivable and flimsy, trumped up excuse they can conjure up to banish educators who they deem "trouble makers/not with the new DOE program", to Joel Klein's Rubber Room gulags.
Once there, a teacher can languish for months, sometimes even years, until they finally have their "day in 3020a Teacher Court" which is generally speaking, little more than the most grotesque mockery of Justice under the Sun.
Joel Klein, Esq. and his armies of mindless stooges, obedient lackeys, willing flunkies, boot licking lapdogs and humorless hatchet men and women will not be satisfied until the only teachers left remaining in the public schools are all under 28 years old, untenured, walking, talking automatons.
The fact that any one who speaks out regarding Dept of Education wrongdoing, whether of a Civil or Ciminal nature, is exiled faster than a speeding bullet to the growing number of NYC DOE "Rubber Rooms" is not considered worthy of being deemed even a small part of "All the News That's Fit to Print" by the NY Times.
But a "newspaper" that went to the most extensive and egregious efforts to downplay reporting of the Holocaust by burying reports of the murders of hundreds of thousands of victims deep inside its inner pages until as late as 1943 and 1944, to avoid "ruffling feathers", could hardly be expected to have much sympathy or interest in the fates of teacher Whistle-blowers and/or other educators of conscience who risk their careers and livelihoods to report "All the News That's Fit to Print".
The New York Times has time and time again made clear where their allegiances are to be found.
And it is certainly not with the dedicated men and women who year after year devote their lives and give their all, to educate, nurture and protect more than one million NYC public school children.
Thank you New York Times for absolutely nothing. You have not changed a bit in 60 years.
Should we not all say together:
"BeDee, BeDee, Bebad- that's all folks"
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David Pakter, M.A., M.F.A.
Once a "Teacher of the Year"
Still Standing
David@OldMasterPortraits.com
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The line between farce and Tweed gets so thin.... there was a post, don't recall which, maybe a year ago?
When I realized it was not serious, I left a comment here, annoyed. It was just so hard to tell!
Congratulations on bothering some powerful people! Keep up the good work.
Jonathan
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