NJ-Art professor suspended over his daughter's Game of Thrones t-shirt.

[Anti Federalist]

Ugh...


Bergen Community College professor suspended over 'Game of Thrones' quote on daughter's T-shirt

http://www.northjersey.com/news/berg...98396?page=all



No one has lost a head or slain a dragon or staged a purple wedding. Not yet, anyway.

Francis Schmidt, a professor of arts and animation, posted a picture on Google+ of his daughter doing yoga in a shirt reading, "I will take what is mine in fire and blood," the tagline for the new season of the HBO show.

But a bloodless modern-day version of “Game of Thrones” may be afoot this semester at Bergen Community College, where a quote from the dark and wildly popular HBO TV fantasy series has ignited a bizarre controversy involving a teacher suspension and allegations of payback against the backdrop of a protracted labor dispute.

It began Jan. 12 when Francis Schmidt, an art and 3-D animation professor, shared a photograph on Google+ with his social media contacts: It was his 7-year-old daughter Sophia in a yoga pose wearing a T-shirt that read, “I will take what is mine with fire & blood.”

One of those contacts was a dean at the college. The next day, Schmidt said, he was called before college officials, who questioned him as to whether the photo represented a threat against the dean.

As “Game of Thrones” fans will tell you, the quote comes from a character named Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) who uttered that line during the second season of the show, which is based on the writing of Bayonne-born fantasy writer George R.R. Martin.

Schmidt said the Human Resources and security officials who interviewed him seemed unfamiliar with the show, so he searched for the quote on Google and came up with 30.8 million hits.

He said the interview, however, led to his suspension without pay and a trip to a psychiatrist before he was cleared to return to campus.

Schmidt said he asked the officials why they thought the slogan was threatening, and one said “when you see the word fire, then someone shows up with an AK-47 here shooting everybody,” he said.

“I had no idea what to say to that. For God’s sake, I’m a middle-aged art professor,” Schmidt said. “I don’t own any firearms.”

[tod evans]

First they came for the art professors...........Oh-wait...

[Dr.3D]

That reminds me of the time my mother said, "Don't make me mad. You wouldn't like me when I'm mad."
Well, she said that to my dad and he had never seen the Hulk TV series so he took her seriously and became upset with her.

[phill4paul]

They will eat their own. Oh, yes, they will.

[pcosmar]

They will eat their own. Oh, yes, they will.

Well I'm not really worried about "them".

They will piss themselves over words on a shirt.. while patriots walk unarmed toward loaded guns and make their demands,

[Thor]

Schmidt said he asked the officials why they thought the slogan was threatening, and one said “when you see the word fire, then someone shows up with an AK-47 here shooting everybody,” he said.

And "Go blow yourself" could be construed as blowing things up....

[phill4paul]

And "Go blow yourself" could be construed as blowing things up....

And "F*ck you" is verbal rape. Lol.

[aGameOfThrones]

Francis Schmidt, a professor of arts and animation, posted a picture on Google+ of his daughter doing yoga in a shirt reading, "I will take what is mine in fire and blood," the tagline for the new season of the HBO show.

Idiots, that was S2 tagline. "They shall live in my new world, or they'll die in the old one," is dany's new tagline.

Schmidt said he asked the officials why they thought the slogan was threatening, and one said “when you see the word fire, then someone shows up with an AK-47 here shooting everybody,” he said.

How the $#@! didn't that person win a trip to a psychiatrist office?


If you see a "Fire truck" with the words "Fire truck" I should expect a shooting?

[Fox McCloud]

I wouldn't be surprised, at all, if there's something deeper than this here; ie--they wanted him out for other reasons, and capitalized on this to the nth degree just to make sure he was gone.

Could be wrong...but not understanding the term "fire" on that T-shirt is borderline intentional misunderstanding.

[pcosmar]

Could be wrong...but not understanding the term "fire" on that T-shirt is borderline intentional misunderstanding.

You mistakenly attribute rational thought to their actions.

[Henry Rogue]

Culture of fear. Phobia of words, in this case.

[Occam's Banana]

Sounds like some of the folks at Bergen Community College need to be given the option of taking the black ...

[Anti Federalist]

I wouldn't be surprised, at all, if there's something deeper than this here; ie--they wanted him out for other reasons, and capitalized on this to the nth degree just to make sure he was gone.

Could be wrong...but not understanding the term "fire" on that T-shirt is borderline intentional misunderstanding.

From the OP:

But a bloodless modern-day version of “Game of Thrones” may be afoot this semester at Bergen Community College, where a quote from the dark and wildly popular HBO TV fantasy series has ignited a bizarre controversy involving a teacher suspension and allegations of payback against the backdrop of a protracted labor dispute.

[jkr]

you know, fire, that thing that is hot and keeps us warm...

this is clearly an agenda

[phill4paul]

From the OP:

And I can bet what it is. The administrators, bureaucrats, make a $#@! ton more than the people actually doing the teaching. And those that are teaching are getting vocal, read uppity, about this disparity.