Roy Exum: Never Write When Angry

  • Saturday, February 18, 2017
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

There are two truisms that I have wrestled with since I was insulted and affronted by an angry group of parents and supporters on Thursday night at the monthly meeting of the Hamilton County School Board. I was incensed by the behavior of those representing the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA) and, yes, I thought it was the most foolish display of arrogance I can remember in a long while. The goal is to build a new school, not tear down CSLA’s sterling reputation. Yet by allowing my anger to cloud my thought process, I was a party to that and am deeply sorry.

My first life-fact is that “you can never un-ring a bell.” I should have let my emotions cool considerably before confronting CSLA’s behavior with worse. I now regret I used some poor terminology and unfortunate comparisons. Yesterday my emails ran about 60 percent in favor of the CSLA bunch, and again I regret that I allowed their catcalls to influence my feelings.

The second great truth is that there are two ways to do things. One is the “right way” and the other is “try again.” Yesterday I did it the “wrong way.” To be fair and completely honest allow me to try again. In the first place, I strongly believe CSLA is long overdue a school befitting the way the magnet school has so wonderfully excelled and succeeded. It will only get better and what a thrill to learn it will be three times bigger.

I am fortunate to know there is some “heavy lifting” being done already by our county’s elected officials, members of the school board and the “central office” to meet CSLA’s needs. It will not happen overnight but there isn’t a person who has an interest in education who doesn’t know CSLA has been slighted in recent years. My problem is that I can’t write all I know without risking the apple cart and when these “activists” pitch tantrums when they can’t see the forest for the trees, my fuse is too short. Again, if they could only know outside people are trying hard to help so why hurt feelings?

My view of Chattanooga is far different than most; I always try to look at the whole picture. When I watched “Chattanooga Proud” when our sailors and Marines were attacked by the terrorist, I have never been as heartened for people everywhere in our area. It all came back to me when I watched hundreds of thousands raised – from every part of town – after the Woodmore tragedy.

The school district studies on Signal Mountain, Red Bank and elsewhere worry me. While I can sense the frustration and dissatisfaction with HCDE, I really believe there are huge strides being made by the current “central office” administrators to turn the ship around. We need each other so badly, yet the CSLA crowd doesn’t share the vision. We need to change that.

But we also must quell a bigger threat right now. This community wasn’t built on whistles, interrupting speakers, or shout-downs. I have never once seen what I saw Thursday night. In the half-century I have been in the news business, I can’t ever remember seeing an elected official treated the way the CSLA pack did to Rhonda Thurman. The behavior that was exhibited ruined our civil process … had a county sheriff been present I would have screamed over the fact I was watching “the peace being disturbed.”

What I now fear is that I’ll brawl again when any elected official in our community is hampered by foolish emotion. That’s unacceptable but is it the new norm? On Wednesday two state legislators in Nashville were attacked by goons at a press conference and literally had to be escorted to safety by highway patrol officers. I will guarantee anyone I will not stand idly and let that stuff get rooted here. Not one of us should dare allow Chattanooga or its environs fall prey to the rowdies without arrests and fines.

Protests? I’m all for it – it is the American way. But with the right to “resist” comes the responsibility to do it legally, lawfully, and “the right way.” Any persons who think their beliefs allow them to hiss and whistle and shout “liar” as an elected official speaks is clearly in the wrong. That is why anyone is welcome to speak at the school board and should be given every courtesy.

Have you noticed what Republican lawmakers are facing at “town meetings.” It is obscene that protesters can disrupt attempts towards common discourse. Our nation didn’t have any of this five years ago, and I’ll be darned if it is going to start in a place where Chattanooga’s civility is nationally recognized every time we have a challenge.

Kindness costs nothing but is more valuable than gold. I’ll try to do better at spreading it. Thanks so much for Friday’s emails, both pro and con, for I savored each of them.

royexum@aol.com

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