Give Peace a Chance

I had an interesting and needed conversation with Big Time Army today. I emailed him about Baloo and the torture I endured. I wasn't as descriptive in my email as in my blog, but I didn't sugar coat anything. BTA responded quickly and in an efficient form. He said "What course are you taking? When is your next class?" I answered both questions and got another immediate response. He said "What is a number I can reach you at?" Within a few seconds of my response, my phone rang.

Me: Hello?
BTA: When I told you that you could call me for help, I didn't really mean it.
Me: Well, you know me, I live to annoy you.
BTA: And apparently this new guy too.
Me: Okay, come at me. What do I do?
BTA: Well, first, because I just have to know, what is his name?
Me: Baloo. Tall, probably taller than you. Looks kind of like....
BTA: Kind of like the guy from Everybody Loves Raymond.
Me: That's the guy.
BTA: YEah, I don't remember liking him, much, or at all.
Me: This doesn't surprise me.
BTA: Okay, here's what we do. I will have a conversation with our department chair and you, well I don't want to tell you to shut up and color...but...
Me: But shit up and color.
BTA: Just don't engage. It sounds like he wants a fight, so don't give it to him. Trust me, I'll take care of it.

There was more, but I'll skip ahead to tonight. He handled it alright. Our department chair came to visit class and also The Warden (a previous instructor and department 2IC) has been with us since class started. I guess it pays to have good relationships with instructors who don't suck. The Warden loves me. He gave me a hug when he came in and said "I'm here." "To save the day?" I replied. He just smiled and winked. Baloo is going down.

He's already gone at me. I chose a case for my current event presentation that was sure to draw his ire. I chose to talk about the lawsuit filed by one Janet Jenkins of Vermont. Janet was married to Lisa Miller and they had a child together. One day, Lisa decided she wasn't gay and kidnapped the child and fled to Vermont, the to Canada, and eventually Nicaragua. A church that is part of Jerry Falwell's organization helped make this happen. There are warrants out for Lisa's arrest but we don't have an extradition treaty with Nicaragua. So Janet has filed a RICO lawsuit against the church, Lisa, the law school that funds the church, the pastor, and a few others demanding the return of the child and actual and punitive damages. It's genius. Bankrupt the fuck out of them so they give up Lisa. I explained that this is perhaps the first time RICO has been used against a religious organization. He held in his contempt for it because of The Warden, but brought up some ridiculous 1st Amendment argument. The 1st Amendment doesn't protect kidnappers.

He then powered through the first couple of slides of the PP in the same fashion as last week. He started with Semper Fucking Idiot reading and would cut him off, then the next person and the next person. He would nervously laugh and glance at The Warden who looked none too pleased.

During lunch I showed Katniss a paper that I agreed to proofread for Juarez Teenager Female. JTF texted me last night and asked if I could proofread her paper because Baloo left feedback on her last paper (that she got 9/10 on) that she needed "fresh eyes" on it. Who's fresher than me? It was awful. No references, horrible spelling, atrocious grammar...honestly, the worst paper I have ever seen. I lit it the fuck up with corrections. It was red from top to bottom. She thanked me and said "No one has every had a problems with it before, so I just lefts it."

I've been relatively quite for most of the night. More than a few times Baloo has said "Tiffany, you're always so vocal and opinionated, what do you think?" followed by his lecherous laugh. And every time, I politely respond through a forced smile. I will not engage. I will not engage. I want to engage so fucking bad. Semper Fucking Idiot is certainly filling the void my silence has left. Not well, but he's giddily trying to answer everything and stares me down after each outburst. He doesn't get shushed or mocked. Maybe I need a dick and a baby Gap T-shirt.

We've been listening to Baloo ramble on about how much better the Bronx is than Sun City. He talked about how Sun City only has Mexican food restaurants and mariachi bands. Somehow this is crucial information to a course on criminal organizations. He randomly asks "Are people inherently good or inherently evil?" This caused Doppelganger Housewife to say that they're good because her kids never lied to her. I stated that you have to teach children right from wrong, you have to teach them to not lie and that that would imply that they are inherently evil but can be taught goodness. For once, I was not shushed by Baloo...oh wait, yes I was. He started talking to Semper Fucking Idiot instead of letting me finish.

Then, it happened. I got kicked out of class. No lie. I got thrown out. Here's what went down.

Katniss answered a question that Baloo answered. He completely ignored her speaking and started up with Semper Fucking Idiot. Semper Fucking Idiot says "Well she's dancing around the question so I'll just say it." Katniss tells me "But I didn't dance around it, that's the answer I gave first." Again, Semper Fucking Idiot says she danced around it, that everyone was and puts his hand up and shushes us and says "Whatever."

I said "Excuse me, but you don't get to interrupt and be dismissive. She was talking and YOU interrupted her. She said the answer and you're trying to say that..." I was cut off by Baloo. He said "That's not what happened." I said, "Yes, that is what happened. You do it too. He can interrupt whomever he wants but when it's our turn we get told to be quiet." Baloo said "Don't take offense for someone else." I said, "I'm not taking offense for anyone else. I'm taking offense for me. You were both disrespectful to me and last week too. I pay the same amount as everyone else to go here. I'm not going to talk to me that way."

That did it. He said "Well if you're not going to calm down and stop being hysterical, you can leave," then paused and said "Get out. Leave. Now!"

I calmly gathered my things and left. Now I burst into tears the second I left the building. When I'm angry, I cry. I think what really bothered me was the evil smile he had on his face when he said it. Like "Hahaha I won." I went over to the resource center (thank goodness it was open) and after crying for what seemed like ever at the front desk, I was finally able to tell the guy what happened. He and the other employee gave me a few "It's okay mija's" and "Ay, what a dick" and then told me who I needed to call. One of them even sent an email to the head faculty member telling him a synopsis and that I would be contacting him tomorrow. I left a message for my advisor, emailed Big Time Army, blew my nose and drove home.

I'm embarrassed that I cried and that someone saw it. But I'm more embarrassed by the way I was treated. He went out of his way to humiliate me, and not just tonight. The only time I remember feeling this low was after last week's class. Okay, tonight is lower. This fat, pompous waste of my tax-payer's dollars (who makes less money than I pay to go there) intentionally belittled and picked at me until I was forced to stand up for myself.

Katniss said he told the class that they would probably have to give a statement about what happened and that they should just be honest and tell them what happened...and then followed that up with his version of events. Katniss called him out on it but she didn't get the boot. She said that he actually tried to teach about the course after that and said the only reason he threw me out is because he knew I wouldn't be able to calm down after that and I wouldn't be able to contribute to the class. Um, I'm not allowed to contribute as it is. He can cover his ass all he wants, it doesn't negate the fact that he said and did what he said and did.

That's all I got tonight. I'm drained. My eyes are puffy. My head is pounding. I need some sleep, so I can be well rested and alert when I go to the campus to file a complaint. I'll fill you all in tomorrow.