Laurels & lances: Winning, losing and playing by the rules
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Laurel: To a spectacular run. Victory Brinker’s parents knew what they were doing when they named her. The pint-sized opera singer with a voice as big as all outdoors showed “America’s Got Talent” exactly what kind of talent resides in Unity with her months of appearances culminating in Wednesday night’s prime-time finale.
Did she win the top honors? No. But she absolutely did not lose, either.
In a reality show that is frequently dominated by things as popular as dancing “Star Wars” stormtroopers or as offbeat as a magician like the one who walked away with first place this time, Brinker made people cheer for opera — an art form that is often seen to be as stuffy as it is challenging. Singing in Italian, she got people to care about words they couldn’t understand.
“It’s difficult to define with (the X Factor) is, but you absolutely have it,” judge Simon Cowell told her in a nod to his other reality series.
Cowell can be brutal but he is rarely out-and-out wrong, and in tagging Victory as a real winner who just didn’t happen to get the trophy this time, he is 100% right.
Lance: To bucking the rules. Kids are sent to school to do more than learn to read and write and multiply fractions. A big part is about learning how to function in social settings and working together. They learn to line up to change classes, to raise hands to ask questions so the class doesn’t devolve into chaotic shouting and to turn in homework so they don’t have to deal with the disciplinary consequences.
It is just as important for parents and others in the community to do their part by showing respect for the rules.
Does that mean that you have to agree with them? No. Plenty of people don’t agree with the mask policies at schools. But let us keep in mind that some of those that don’t agree are also on the board or in the administration. The mandate in place right now was not passed by the schools but is in place at the order of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Protesting near schools as a demonstration of free speech is one thing. Protesting aimed at the school boards and the administrations is misplaced.
And episodes like the Norwin School Board being forced to adjourn its meeting because of people refusing to wear masks helps no one. Indeed, it forces districts to do what was done a year ago, taking meetings online to comply with the rules.