“The outreach was really to indicate that he, Matthew, understands his mishap in terms of what he did, what he’s caused. He’s remorseful,” Briggs continued. “I took that as some form of apology, but that’s not something I think at this time amounts to a solid apology, from my perspective.
“I don’t think an apology, an ‘I’m sorry,’ makes this go away because there’s a lot of harm that was caused.” The damning footage from the graduation shows Eddy pushing Briggs aside as his daughter was receiving her diploma, saying “I don’t want her touching him.”
There’s 2 possible explanations here: he’s got deep-seated mental issues that lead to him interrupting the graduation ceremony of hundreds of students by aggressively pursuing a person who “rolled his eyes” at his daughter, or, and more likely in my opinion, he’s a blatant racist making excuses for his racist behavior in his town where half the boys of a graduating class took a picture in front of the school doing a Nazi salute.
Either way, the man needs therapy
I agree with the therapy but see 2 even worse explanations:
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He has such poor forecasting skills he didn’t envision his daughter interacting with the Superintendent at graduation and such little impulse control he couldn’t stop himself.
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He absolutely foresaw his daughter interacting with the Superintendent and chose the moment on state for the largest audience of his bigotry.
Both are horrible.
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Or a third.
Matthew Eddy told the Baraboo Police Department he had past issues with School District Superintendent Rainey Briggs. Because of the beef, Eddy said he didn’t want Rainey to have the “satisfaction” of shaking his daughter’s hand as she obtained her diploma.
he had past issues with School District Superintendent Rainey Briggs
“Past issues” such as Briggs having the wrong skin colour?
I dunno I’m just quoting. Guy is a nut job either way.
Oh yeah I know you were quoting, I just think it’s funny how it’s being reported like it was some sort of reasonable disagreement when by all appearances it probably wasn’t
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Correct, the “beef” they are referring to is “rolling his eyes” I’m talking about
That’s his problem? Disrespectful eye rolling?
Where’s the beef?
Evidently during a board meeting they were discussing the bullying of his daughter, and the superintendent “rolled his eyes” to something he said.
That’s it. That’s the supposed “beef” the guy had. Like it’s not even a good excuse.
Was his daughter being bullied?
It says further down in the article that his daughter was expelled. When they tried to point the daughter was being expelled for same thing the bully’s were doing to her, the super intendant rolled his eyes.
Well, if that part is true, it would be a little frustrating.
He claims that she was. And he claims that she did “the same thing her bullies did”. But we don’t have any other details. Assuming good intent on the part of the administration (in this case, specifically the principal), I would guess that she was actually the instigator. I mean, it could also be that they were athletes or other stuff that can happen in a small district. But given the actions of her father and the observation that the nut doesn’t usually fall far from the tree, I’m guessing she’s the cause.
Sounds like a bully student got bullied back
🙄
But he gave him the satisfaction of looking like an idiot to people all around the world, which I’m guessing is a lot more satisfying that shaking his daughter’s hand would have been.
And I gotta wonder wtf goes on in his head to even worry about someone getting “satisfaction” from shaking hands at a ceremony. I’m pretty sure that, if there is any satisfaction involved, it’s supposed to be on the student’s side where the diploma and handshake are an acknowledgment of the work they did to receive whatever award or certificate the ceremony is about.
And it should have been entirely up to his daughter whether or not she wanted to receive that handshake.
Dumb dad trying to protect daughter from being forced to shake hands with someone that might have caused daughter problems or hurt her
No one was forcing anyone to do anything until the unironically dumb dad forced the superintendent back.
That’s more in line with the “deep seated mental issues” and “making excuses” already mentioned.
Hahahah who believes this poor excuse?!?!!
The dude was shaking everyone’s hand and I’m pretty sure it’s his job.
“He rolled his eyes when I brought up the fact the same thing happened to her and it pissed me off. She was expelled for doing the same thing that was done to her, and nothing was done to the previous people.”
Sounds like a bullying situation, but she got expelled and the ones who did it to her didn’t. If that’s the case, it’s annoying that the media made him look like a racist. Or he’s a racist and now making this up.
If she didn’t want to shake his hand she could have just grabbed her diploma. There’s no requirement for a handshake there. The father didn’t want her to shake his hand, and he couldn’t convince her not to.
I agree, I don’t condone this guy making a scene like this. I just want to point out that it’s not necessarily a racist action.
It is absolutely not necessarily… But the odds aren’t great.
Please explain. Is it just because one of them is white and the other is black? Why do you think the odds are it’s racism?
There’s an update to the news article that gives more info on the motive: https://www.theroot.com/watch-white-father-pulls-a-karen-with-black-superinten-1851522863
The father and superintendent apparently had previous problems and the father planned to interfere in the graduation ceremony. I’m still not convinced it wasn’t racially motivated, but regardless the man needs help.
Again, that’s according to what the father told police. And if you listen to what his “beef” is, he would have objected to the principal shaking her hand as well, but didn’t seem to.
And the principal was granted a restraining order prior to this and is now been granted in no contact order against this guy.
We’ll never know the whole truth. But it is leaning toward the daughter thinks the principal is a good guy and the father of questionable reputation.
I feel so sorry for his daughter. That’s so humiliating. How do you come back from something like that. You probably have to move to a new city or something. I hope she’s going to college far away lol.
She’s probably just a racist too though haha
She’s probably just a racist too though haha
That’s not fair to assume. In fact your comment is quite the 180.
You saying stuff like that is exactly why everyone should feel sorry for her.
Her racist father is why ppl should feel sorry for her.
This guy was definitely a dick for shoving him. And I feel bad for the daughter.
But I have had my own issues with school administrators where I live, where a group of kids, boys and girls included, all had done something worthy of, at most, suspension — the girls had the book thrown at them (effective expulsion for at least a half-year), and the boys got off without so much as a warning.
I would never seek out the administrator in question, but if I ever saw the misogynist piece of shit again I’d likely deck him in the face.
Though I did get some satisfaction a year later, when that administrator got effectively demoted to a lower tier school.
Edit>> People need to actually read the article if they can’t correlate what I wrote here to it, assuming comprehension isn’t a roadblock for them.
I’m not sure what your point is? You had a bad experience with some completely different person and based on that it makes sense to you what this particular person did?
I’m simply stating that not all school administrators are saints. And I had a specific anecdote of one such person.
Of course the guy shouldn’t have shoved him in that venue. And if it’s about race, it’s even worse (though the article clearly tries to make it about race from its first sentence, so I don’t know either way).
But I know what it feels like to see one’s kid be unfairly treated by school systems and specific administrators. And in the article it states the parent sees it that way much in the same vein as my anecdote (his kid got the book thrown at her while others who violated the same policy got no punishment at all).
Hopefully that clears it up for you. But if not, not my problem.
I’m simply stating that not all school administrators are saints.
Literally no one is saying that . Simply by virtue of the fact that no group of any number of people will be all saints, whatever that means. So basically - cool story bro.
Ulkesh is simply stating that this story isn’t about just racism and ignorance. You know, offering a bit of depth and nuance to a public conversation.
You don’t have to be antagonistic about it.
cool story bro.
Thanks!
According to the father, the super intendant rolled his eyes at the daughter during disciplinary hearing when she tried explained her behavior, & then expelled the daughter for doing the same thing her bully’s did to her.
Given that, I can understand a proud father holding some measure of a grudge over that, but not enough of a grudge to attack the person.
I think the comment’s OP is expressing something similar, being protective of a youth over an administrator jeopardizing the youth’s future.
I don’t think OP is condoning the attack, just acknowledging there’s more going on here than ignorance & racism.
None of what you said justifies doing what the dad did.
Did I say it did? Not in any way. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I said that none of what happened justified the father’s behavior.
You know what I didn’t do? I didn’t try to reduce a complex story down into good vs bad, or start antagonizing anyone who disagrees with me.
That school administration can be passive aggressive and not act in the kids best interest over politics or personal pettiness. And get paid on the public dollar while they do.
I agree that the super might have been a jerk. But one of those other people on stage was the principal, who would have been far more responsible for day-to-day operations of the school. In most districts, an expulsion is recommended by the principal then rubber-stamped by the superintendent. Hell, in some districts the school board has to approve any expulsion.
So while I have no doubt there might have been some animosity between the father and the super, if that was seriously his grievance then he should have gone after the principal first. You know, the one that recommended the expulsion for his daughter and not “her bullies”.
