In the recent article I read in USA Today, “Alonzo Mourning beats Janet Reno as school name,” it discussed what I thought was the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. I really thought this was some kind of mistake or forward someone had sent out, but it is true. A new North Miami high school will be named after former NBA basketball star Alonzo Mourning, and not the first female U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno.
Where has this country gone? One could sit their and ask themselves this for a year, and still not get a good answer. We have become society that praises athletics more then academic achievement. We are a country that just voted in our first black president, have never had a women serve a term, and we are naming schools after famous athletes. Unbelievable! When I see this, it makes me wonder what is next in store for us, are we going to rename George Washington University maybe Allen Iverson University, or maybe we can even rename all of our Hospitals after famous baseball players like Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire. They all were helped out immensely by pharmaceuticals.
Janet Reno had her ups and downs as Attorney General; one of the downs was when she angered a large Cuban-American population for returning 6 year old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba. I didn’t really care for her politics either, but the fact still remains, she was our first ever women Attorney General. Her reward for crashing down a huge barrier is a simple, oh yeah, she was that lady that Will Ferrell made fun of on Saturday Night Live. Wow, you almost have to take a step back and just go what!!
Now don’t get me wrong, Alonzo Mourning was a great basketball player, and his charitable work he has done in the communities he has lived in is huge, but that is his job. As much as we don’t want to say, “Pro athletes are role models,” they are. Their job is one that will have young kids looking up to them, so if they have to donate a couple thousand dollars out of their million dollar contracts, it should be considered the norm. How is that more deserving of a schools name, then being the first women Attorney General. That’s like saying because Bill Gates donates a lot of money we should give him a holiday rather then Martin Luther King J.R. It’s absolutely Ludicrous.
I think we need to get back to the basics in our country. Celebrate the person who is the true role model. The one who knocks down barriers and helps our country move forward, not the one that takes far more then they give. We as educators should be furious that a school board would even consider voting for this. Schools should be named after teachers and leaders of our country. It’s not right that someone who just played a game could be remembered far longer then a person that helped break down a huge wall. It shows you the type of people that are making decisions in this world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Today's news is dominated by the revelation that South Carolina's governor has been having an affair with a woman from Argentina. Little has been said about the fact that we are officially withdrawing our troops from Iraq in six days.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mother Theresa died, the media spent little time recalling her life since it happened a few days after Princess Diana's death. It does seem as if we tend to glorify pop culture and the scandalous.
Janet Reno probably made her share of mistakes, but it is so true that as the first woman Attorney General, she probably deserved the recognition more than Mourning. Of course, in this media-driven culture a basketball star can trump a national public servant.
While I see what you are saying, I actually disagree with naming schools after either of these people. Are either of them connected to the school? Mourning played in Miami, did he give them money or something? I feel schools should return to the days of being named after neighborhoods or towns. I feel this unites the community better than a random person that will never visit the school or quite possibly is deceased and has been for years. We need to create a sense of community and belonging in our schools where students of different races and religions can feel comfortable. This is far more important than the name of the school. What were the choices that Mourning and Reno beat out to become the final two?
ReplyDeleteWestley,
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that we now name our schools based on money contributed or celebrity status. What happened to naming schools after pioneers that paved the way for the school? Or people that made an impact on the students who live in the community.
I love sports but am opposed to the almost worship status that our society puts on people because they can shoot a ball or throw a touchdown. Many people place professional athletes and celebrities on pedestals. Even though professional athletes and celebrities do many good things for our society, I am in favor of naming schools after people in the community who directly impact the kids and community around the school.
Chad
It sounds like this got you fired up a little bit. I like it. I agree that this sounds like one of those times where all we can do is shake our heads. Unless there is some major thing we are missing out on, like there is already a Janet Reno school or he saved the lives of a bunch of the students, it is rediculous that they do not honor Janet Reno with this. What kind of message does it send the kids of that school? Basketball is great and some people make a great living doing it but what situation would you rather see, more students aspiring to become pro basketball players or more aspiring to become lawyers? When society does something like this it definately send the wrong impression about priorities to our youth.
ReplyDelete