7mo ago

White Dad Apologized to the Black Superintendent He Pushed On Stage, But It Didn't Go As He Expected

www.theroot.com White Dad Apologized to the Black Superintendent He Pushed On Stage, But It Didn't Go As He Expected

“An apology just doesn’t make things go away,” Dr. Rainey Briggs stated Tuesday.

“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.”

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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:
  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.
  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.
- 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
  
  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
  
  🙄
  
  Mfer... you will not have the satisfaction of again my daughter's hand at her graduation.
  
  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?
  
  Yeah he's gonna need receipts for that beef
  
  Bitter is an ingredient.
  
  A cup of salt
- 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.

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