On conspiracy theories and public schools

Local attorneys Warren & Griffin kindly let me hang out in their booth at Pops in the Park earlier this month. Shockingly, their red-white-and-blue pinwheels, bubble wands, and slap wraps turned out to be a bigger draw than my campaign literature. So I grabbed some lit and began handing it out to folks waiting under trees and tents for the music to start.

 Talking to strangers in a crowd isn’t like knocking doors. You never know what to expect. I had some great conversations. But a few took a familiar turn.

There was the “What are ya?” from the guy who sat in his camp chair with his elbows on his knees, flipping my lit over in his hands. 

“Democrat,” I said.

Then there was the “Let me ask you this,” while he settled back in the chair, eyes narrowed, hands behind his head.

Andddd here we go.

“What do you think about kids identifying as furbabies using litter boxes in the classroom?”

He meant furries. They’re a thing. However, people in animal costumes are not in our public schools. Neither are litter boxes. I’ve confirmed this with multiple teachers, most of whom either laughed or sighed. But this man told me definitively that there are seventy-five litter boxes in Hamilton County Schools.

I heard a lot of that when I canvassed part of Soddy-Daisy with school board candidate Tammy Barnes. She’d talk about how our schools are underfunded and hemorrhaging teachers. Voters wanted to talk about litter boxes or government indoctrination. (As one teacher told me, “If I had that kind of influence over my middle schoolers, more of them would be wearing deodorant.”)

People who believe nefarious things about our neighborhood schools are more willing to vote for “school choice,” a billionaire-backed industry that donates to GOP governors and state legislators and feeds off our tax dollars.

Dark stuff. But I kept it light with the man in the camp chair.

“When politicians try to get you worked up about something that sounds crazy, you better keep your hand on your wallet,” I said conspiratorially, and I left it there.

Allison

All eyes are on the top of the ticket, but participating in local elections is critical to good government. Thursday, August 1, is the primary election in Tennessee for state and federal offices but the general election for positions like school board and circuit court judge. Early voting ends Saturday, July 27.