About six weeks ago I discovered sewers of caustic gossip, conjecture, stereotyping, scapegoating and mud slinging targeting the elementary school boundary changes in Eden Prairie. The stuff flowed though the mostly unmanaged Star Tribune, on-line reader comment trenches and two citizen groups: one calling itself “Yes for Neighborhood Schools” (website) and the other calling itself “Eden Prairie School Board Accountability” (Facebook).
There are numbers of good, respectful and reasoned parents in these groups, but their collectives have provided a safe harbor and stage for bullies who lob insults, misinformation and rumor at school officials, consultants and parents who support school boundary changes and our Spanish emersion school. They’re like adolescents who pout and scream when they don’t get their way. They want to flip the school board during Tuesday’s vote and then bully the new board to roll back the clock to the days when Eden Prairie didn’t have so many immigrants.
The scary thing is, these folks live down the block, shop at the same grocery stores and cheer for the Vikes and Twins just like I do. They walk among us — which is the title of my latest Timid Video satire. Enjoy Enjoy, but ask yourself this question: Is Strate pricking an expanding bubble of Eden Prairie bigotry or is he dissing a progressive’s horror fantasies?
You be the judge.
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