Swiss Army Knife of Sex Toys, Anyone?
Originally published 12-7-06
An innocent mistake by Carter
Sparks may fly at tonight's school board meeting centering on the joke that Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter unveiled at an administrative meeting last week.
At the meeting of 65 administrators, Carter showed a picture of something purported to be the "Swiss Army knife of sex toys." It featured a sex toy that could be used as a cell phone, lipstick, nail file and even delivered a tampon. Carter intended it to be a humorous icebreaker. But in the aftermath, it seems it broke ice like the Titanic.
Carter has since apologized to anyone offended by the picture.
Fliers featuring the picture and calling for Carter's dismissal have been distributed throughout the community. Who knows how many outraged (or feigning outrage) teachers and parents will show up at the meeting?
I look at it like this: Almost every day most of us receive forwarded e-mails with humorous content. We often forward these e-mails to people in our online address books. If the content is risquĊ½, then we carefully select who we forward the mail to. I think this case is similar to that.
Mr. Carter, in essence, "forwarded" this joke to a roomful of administrators when it would've probably been more prudent to show it in private to people he knew wouldn't be offended.
The calls for his dismissal have little to do with this joke, however. Teacher contract negotiations are ongoing. And Carter's administrative style has rubbed many the wrong way. Given that backdrop, anything even remotely inappropriate Woodrow Carter does will be seized upon by his critics.
City Councilman and frequent Carter critic Frank Kardos was quoted in this paper saying he thought this incident reflects on the superintendent's judgment "or a lack thereof." He says an apology isn't enough and that schools help set societal standards of behavior and Carter failed to do that.
That would sound better if it wasn't coming from Frank Kardos, who's had a personal grudge match with Carter for a long while now. Carter had Kardos removed from his position of district coordinator of post secondary education.
I wasn't there when Carter unveiled the picture, but I have seen it. It's amusing and I wasn't offended, but I'm sure some people would be. Still, Carter could've come up with a more innocuous icebreaker for such a setting. "Locker room humor" both describes the humor and the venue where it should be disseminated. My mother always told me there's a time and a place for everything.
If someone could demonstrate that the superintendent has a pattern of offensive behavior, then I'd understand calls for his dismissal. And if you look at it this way, Carter is on notice that any recurrence of this type of thing would constitute a pattern. However, with his chastened apology, I think the chance of the superintendent showing another picture like that at a meeting is slim to none. People make mistakes. He's apologized. Let's move on to the real issues in the district.
Finally, for Mr. Carter, a little bit of advice. When people are out to string you up, don't hand them any rope.
Carter has since apologized to anyone offended by the picture.
Fliers featuring the picture and calling for Carter's dismissal have been distributed throughout the community. Who knows how many outraged (or feigning outrage) teachers and parents will show up at the meeting?
I look at it like this: Almost every day most of us receive forwarded e-mails with humorous content. We often forward these e-mails to people in our online address books. If the content is risquĊ½, then we carefully select who we forward the mail to. I think this case is similar to that.
Mr. Carter, in essence, "forwarded" this joke to a roomful of administrators when it would've probably been more prudent to show it in private to people he knew wouldn't be offended.
The calls for his dismissal have little to do with this joke, however. Teacher contract negotiations are ongoing. And Carter's administrative style has rubbed many the wrong way. Given that backdrop, anything even remotely inappropriate Woodrow Carter does will be seized upon by his critics.
City Councilman and frequent Carter critic Frank Kardos was quoted in this paper saying he thought this incident reflects on the superintendent's judgment "or a lack thereof." He says an apology isn't enough and that schools help set societal standards of behavior and Carter failed to do that.
That would sound better if it wasn't coming from Frank Kardos, who's had a personal grudge match with Carter for a long while now. Carter had Kardos removed from his position of district coordinator of post secondary education.
I wasn't there when Carter unveiled the picture, but I have seen it. It's amusing and I wasn't offended, but I'm sure some people would be. Still, Carter could've come up with a more innocuous icebreaker for such a setting. "Locker room humor" both describes the humor and the venue where it should be disseminated. My mother always told me there's a time and a place for everything.
If someone could demonstrate that the superintendent has a pattern of offensive behavior, then I'd understand calls for his dismissal. And if you look at it this way, Carter is on notice that any recurrence of this type of thing would constitute a pattern. However, with his chastened apology, I think the chance of the superintendent showing another picture like that at a meeting is slim to none. People make mistakes. He's apologized. Let's move on to the real issues in the district.
Finally, for Mr. Carter, a little bit of advice. When people are out to string you up, don't hand them any rope.
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