Silly season—it is not just the transfer window during summer and January in professional futbol, when all forms of rumors of which players are transferring to what teams for how much are conceived, born and die. In political realms silly season is made up of the months that comprise a campaign, the days and nights that pass in a torrent of hot air passing along rumors, scandal and would-be drama most of which has the gravitas of a soap bubble. But it is not completely worthless.
The season does give us an opportunity for introspection and realization. A chance to discover who we are. Or who we think they are. Or they might be.
Take, for example, a recent mini-hullabaloo surrounding District 3 council candidate Jason Paguio.
A recent Star-News story reported the aide to Councilman Steve Miesen changed his job description on his ballot designation after a leader in the South San Diego Democratic Party took exception to his describing himself as an educator.
J
essica Hayes raised the point that Paguio’s use of the descriptor did not conform to the state’s education code nor did it accurately describe his primary profession.
Paguio, who already works at City Hall part-time and runs a small business, chose to remove the description and move on from the issue. But he did note that for a time he was an assistant band director at a local high school and he does provide music lessons and instruction on an informal basis. It is in that sense, he proposes, he is an educator.
Fair enough. The conclusion does present an opportunity to look at how we see ourselves and how we project that image to the world (and if the world in fact sees us how we want to be seen).
If Paguio, who at one time taught high school band students, sees himself as an educator who are we to argue? Putting aside the education code, college, advanced degrees and competency tests, aren’t we all educators of some sort?
If we are responsible parents are we not teaching our children important life lessons, day in and day out? If we coach a youth team, show a youngster how to tie his shoe or mentor an intern at our workplace aren’t we teachers and educators?
If, with all the real-world experience mentioned above, we write educator on our next job application is it stretching the truth? A lie? Or a genuine assessment of how we see ourselves and how we want the world to see us?
Who are we? And who does the world say we are? It reminds me of the joke that retells the story of a man bemoaning the fact that despite all of his noteworthy accomplishments he is known for a fleeting amorous episode with a goat.
We can present one face, our best, to the people around us but in the end it is our actions that define us. How is that for a silly season conclusion?
