It’s that time of year when folks dress up and pretend to be all manner of people or things. This holiday must surely be the most hallowed time of year for the administration at MTSA. It must be revered above all others because the administration pretends so well; better than anyone else. And they’ve been doing it for so long! Sadly, pretense is a way of life for the administration. Many of the commenters on this blog have used a very fitting word when describing the administration – hypocrite. This author must admit, that is a word well suited for the administration. And it certainly fits the holiday. The word is derived from the Greek and literally means, “I play a part”. That being the case, “hypocrite” is indeed the correct word.
The administration of the school wears the mask of educational and spiritual integrity. The truth, however, is that they manipulate the interview/admission process in order to allow those they favor to gain admittance to the school. They pretend to be fair and honest in all matters regarding discipline. The truth is that when students sprayed graffiti on the walls of a building destined for demolition, scrawling words that depicted the administration in an unfavorable light, the administration punctuated their disfavor and displeasure by disciplining these students in a harsh and severe manner. These students were threatened with termination and expulsion and some were not allowed to graduate with their class. However, a student allegedly caught soliciting a prostitute and allegedly possessing narcotics from a clinical rotation barely gets slapped on the wrist. The administration pretends that they are the reflection of Christ Himself. However, when those arise who might threaten their power, challenge their methods, or question their integrity, they seek to deal with them by fabricating canards and lies in an attempt to ruin their reputation and lessen their credibility. They proclaim their zeal for God, throw on their meretricious cloak of religiosity, bellow and bleat about their love for the school and its need to “reflect Christ” – all this is nothing more than a pretense to cover their desire for control and self-aggrandizement. They have well hidden their true character; concealed it by heavy subterfuge. Few would ever imagine that persons claiming to “reflect Christ” and espousing the virtues of their religion could be capable of the heinous deeds that they commit. Their design truly is most clever and the disguise is very difficult to detect. The acts of the administration are the exact opposite of the façade they daily wear. What a burden this must have become over the years; continually trying to squelch those who would dare to remove their mask; those who would reveal their true identity. The duplicity necessary for such treachery requires Herculean effort. But when it comes to pretense, they are masters. Kudos.
Even to this author, this all sounds a bit like some grand conspiracy theory. Sometimes the truth IS very strange. The irony and paradox of stating the truth about them is that it makes the person tugging at their mask seem, to those who think they know them, every bit as depraved! This seems unavoidable because of their vigorously proclaimed religiosity and because of a firm presumption by many that the administration will do and is doing what is in the best interests of the school. No one wants to give credence to the suggestion that the administration is self-serving, that they have hidden agendas, that they have long ago jettisoned their fiduciary responsibilities in favor of promoting “religious principles” which only serve to further hide their personal agendas. No one wants to have to admit that the administration mostly operates with a the-end-justifies-the-means mentality. In a way, it’s the same sort of situation that exists when living with an abusive spouse. Sometimes those closest never suspect a thing until they see the black eye, the bruised lip, the scars, etc. Even then, it’s difficult to believe that a spouse could do such things. And yet, it happens.
Experience has taught me that individuals cannot perpetuate this particular brand of dualism, self-deception, and lunacy ad infinitum. Sooner or later, someone or something, will rip away these fig leaves they wear and everyone will see the administration for what they really are – treacherous charlatans. Their comeuppance will arrive and when it does The Blogger will take no glory in it. There will be no delight in seeing the shame and misery that ultimately follows such an exposition. There surely must be many, however, who will breath deep and easy in the fresh air of vindication and exoneration. It is for this reason alone that I look forward to that day and to the day when their leadership, feckless as it is, will be regarded by all as ephemera; an ancien régime long forgotten.
If these words seem harsh to the reader it can only be because you have not experienced the mean-spirited, duplicitous, self-serving actions of the administration first-hand. The truth IS sometimes harsh. No one wanted to believe that the religious leaders in Christ’s day were a “brood of vipers”. No need to mince words – it was the truth. I’m guessing you might have had a hard time convincing the other 11 disciples that Judas was a betrayer; until he kissed Him on the cheek. This brand of deceit and wrong-doing within the administration cannot be dealt with effectively by simply saying “Please” and “Thank you”. It will only end when those having sufficient backbone are willing to stand up and say, “No more. The craziness ends here”.
Given that the Halloween holiday is upon us, I will leave you with a fitting fairy tale. Who might the old woman represent?
“Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: “Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you." She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven. The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: "I have them and they shall not escape me again!"
BOO! Happy Halloween!
The Blogger
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