Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Who Is Zooming Who

I couldn't figure out exactly why Kenneth Whalum Jr., is always making guest appearances on Mike Flemming's radio show. Mike is one of the most vocal voices against the school board, in this entire city. Largely because he commands the local airwaves three hours a day, five days a week. He suggests that they do away with the city school board altogether. Why this sudden meeting of the minds with Kenneth Whalum Jr.? Since he is part of that body too. Then I saw a cable program that featured the school board members and their latest developments. As much as Whalum seems to like the camera. He was suspiciously not there. I guess he is only interested in conducting news conferences by himself.

In the midst of the trouble this city is experiencing in the schools right now. The last thing we need is some renegade board member. Adding fuel to all these random wildfires. He himself is part of the board that Mike wants to do away with. How do you expect the children to do better when the adults are in error? His last two positions have been outlandish to say the least. His suggestion to shut the schools completely down was unrealistic and wouldn't have solved anything. I guess then crime would increase in the malls. The students spend more time at home than they do at school. As if that outburst wasn't enough. Saying only a black can serve as school superintendent is racist statement. Which, I notice Mike didn't take him to task about. The job should be filled by the best qualified candidate.

When these two are together they see eye to eye. When they're apart, they're fundamentally different. That's why I closely scrutinize anything they say. Both of them know the truth, even if they keep it to themselves. I think they use each other for their respective agendas. Who is zooming who? If you listen to everything these guys say. It might be you.

7 Comments:

Blogger Kelvin Oliver said...

Kenneth Whalum Jr. should rethink what he says out loud. Everything is not to be meant to be said to the citizens of this city. I do agree with we need not to have a board member going against the district officials. Let me say this: Kenneth Whalum should be apart of the solution and be the problem. What might be the truth that the two guys may know if they are trying to hide it? I do not fully understand the question "who is zooming who?" What does that suppose to mean?

5:42 PM  
Blogger Common said...

Kelvin,

I so enjoy your questions. "Who is zooming who" is the title of an old Aretha Franklin song about deceit. The truth that these two may be hiding is this. There is little if anything the school board can do about violence. It's just a sign of the times. Mike Flemming is using it to criticize Memphis. Kenneth Whalum is using it to further publicize his name. The school board dropped the ball when it came to corporal punishment. How can we expect them to deal with criminal acts?

9:09 PM  
Blogger Kelvin Oliver said...

I think that as a compliment. I enjoy reading your posts and mentioning a few on my blog and the comments or interaction that is going on here. As I stated before, be apart of the solution and see what we can do for the school system. In the mist of everything that is going on, I am not hearing anything of such from Shelby Count Schools. That is an interesting case. I'm tired of hearing people criticizing memphis. If Mike does not like Memphis, then he should go to another city with his career.

I graduated from MCS last year and I know that the school system is terrible and school I graduated from was a pretty nice school. When I attended elementary and middle schools, I never thought how terrible the district is until I started being passionate about it. Something must be done. I hope they find a good leader for the school system.

11:24 AM  
Blogger Common said...

It is a compliment. I consider it a compliment as well, to have my blog visited by young U of M students on a regular basis.

7:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that Fleming was likely sounding off on an article that appeared recently in The Atlantic Monthly called "First Kill All the School Boards." It contained some really interesting arguments in favor of eliminating local control of school systems.

I'm very grateful that you engage with my students. You definitely help me prove my point that their voices matter, and that they are not writing (or thinking) in a vacuum. Thanks!

3:12 PM  
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