Missing in Action: Civility and Common Sense

Here's another "Stop The Madness Moment".

Can you believe that this illustration was given to an eighth grade math class as part of an assignment? The picture, featuring a black man wearing a straw hat, shirt, and suspenders, with a toothless wide mouth grin, has the caption “Solving Equations Using Multiplication and Division. Under the black face photo are the words "no wai".

Matthew Curan, the teacher apologized, saying he “had no idea that I might offend anyone” with the picture. He said he got the illustration off the Internet and chose to use it because the term no wai “is a comment my students make when I require them to show each calculation.”

The mother of the only Black student in the eight-grade pre-algebra class at Lenape Middle School and NAACP leaders met with the principal to discuss the incident. The student was teased by the other students and was asked by other students "is that your father?" The Bucks County, PA NAACP is calling for disciplinary action for the teacher and sensitivity training throughout the Central Bucks School District.

How could this teacher not have thought this image was offensive? Well, we know that's bull, but in today's climate, civility and common sense are missing in action. Think about the negative slurs from the McCain-Palin political campaign. What about the images from the "Tea Party" gatherings? Yes, in today's climate, some politicans are even talking withdrawing from the Union. Remember the Obama bucks and other disrespectful racist gadgets? Listen to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. There are the "Birthers" and the "Death Camps" and talk of pulling the plug on Grandma. You can even interrupt the president's remarks to a joint session of Congress, shouting out "You Lie".

When there's no consequences for bad behavior, chaos rules. We need to "Stop the Madness".