The Hand of Blame

A Union Divided by Its Own Members

As a kid, my parents taught me a valuable lesson about accountability. It started with a simple question from my mother: "Now, who are you blaming?" If I pointed a finger at another child for a broken toy, she would then say, "Since you're pointing fingers, what three reasons would you have for doing this myself?" She would then explain that my three fingers pointing back at me represented my potential faults. For instance, maybe I was just as messy as the other kids and didn't want to admit it, or I was being careless and added to the mess after I originally cleaned the house, or perhaps I didn't want to admit I was the one who didn’t complete my chores today. It was a simple activity that helped me to place less blame on others and take more accountability for my actions. This lesson is particularly relevant to the recent summer school payment issues for paraprofessionals and the public finger-pointing that has followed.

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Misplaced Blame and a Questionable Record

Recently, a social media post authored by a woman who, in an odd and unsettling act of self-identification a couple of elections ago, changed her digital name to Marie Para (unless, of course, she was running from the law and needed an alias), criticized Priscilla Castro, the UFT Chair of the Paraprofessional Chapter, for summer school payment delays.

This is a classic case of misplaced blame. Priscilla is a union representative, not the employer. She doesn't process payroll or enter timekeeping; her role is to advocate for her members and assist with issues. The true culprit here is not an individual, but a systemic issue within the payroll process itself. This failure affects every member of the school's staff, including the secretaries who are also union members. They, too, are caught in the crossfire of an inefficient system.

This isn't the first time Marie Para has seemed more interested in finding fault than in finding solutions. She is the same person who appeared to post with a sense of excitement when it seemed that the para respect check bill might not make it to the Council Floor for discussion. As the saying goes, "one person's misfortune is another's joy," and it's a sad irony that someone who should be part of the group fighting for better pay is instead gleefully anticipating its failure.

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The Three Fingers Pointing Back at Marie

This situation brings us back to the finger. When Marie Para points a finger at Priscilla Castro, three fingers point back at her. The smallest of those fingers, the pinky, represents her misplaced blame, a blame she should have directed at herself for allowing this situation to fester within her circle without finding a solution.

We're left with two remaining reasons why Marie should be pointing at herself, and two remaining fingers. The first is the disunity expressed in the apparent joy in the wake of her colleagues' disappointment, and the second is her self-serving actions, as she's not posting to help members, but to serve her political caucus by misidentifying Unity as the problem, thereby lending more credibility to her slate…thereby “Frustrating Us.”

In no particular order, the remaining two fingers are the ring finger and the middle finger. In Western culture, the ring finger is associated with relationships and commitment. As for the middle finger, we all know its universal meaning of profound disregard.

You've read this far, so here's an assignment for you. Take the poll, matching one of the remaining two reasons with the middle finger.