Teacher removed from classroom over racist rhetoric claims it was satire

[mcar]

Crystal River Middle School social studies teacher Dayanna Volitich has been removed from the classroom as part of a Citrus County School District investigation following the revelation that she espoused racist views in a podcast and on social media under the alias Tiana Dalichov.

Her removal was announced in a statement released by the district on Sunday, which was followed by the release of a statement on her behalf in which she denied holding racist views....

Volitich did not respond Friday evening to an email request for comment by a Chronicle reporter. In a statement obtained by television station News Channel 8 on Sunday, however, she claimed her actions were satire.

“None of the statements released about my being a white nationalist or white supremacist have any truth to them, nor are my political beliefs injected into my teaching of social studies curriculum. While operating under the Russian pseudonym ‘Tiana Dalichov’ on social media and the Unapologetic Podcast, I employed political satire and exaggeration, mainly to the end of attracting listeners and followers, and generating conversation about the content discussed between myself and my guests. The views ‘Tiana Dalichov’ espouses do not pervade my professional career. As an adult, my decisions are my own, and my family has nothing whatsoever to do with my social media accounts or my podcast. From them, I humbly ask for forgiveness, as it was never my intention to cause them grief while engaging in a hobby on my personal time. All future questions about the current situation should be directed to my attorney. I cannot comment further, due to the ongoing school board investigation,” the statement reads.

http://www.chronicleonline.com/news/local/teacher-removed-from-classroom-over-racist-rhetoric-claims-it-was/article_4ed2339c-1f5b-11e8-bd0c-b32312c02415.html

Sure it was.

[Siwsan]

1. So when her job is on the line, the courage of her convictions goes out the window

Somehow this doesn't surprise me, in the least.

[mcar]

4. The old " it was just a joke" excuse

How many times have we heard that before?

[Siwsan]

9. They are gob-smackingly predictable

And that does seem to be the rationalization-du-jour.

[Fullduplexxx]

16. Next is the god has forgiven me cycle

[mcar]

18. You know that's coming

[brush]

33. And not too smart, as if parading that racist crap online wasn't going to be traced.

The stupidity of the trumps is echoed in his supporters.

[underpants]

2. I guess she did nazi this coming

Fuck. Nazis.

[mcar]

5. Ha!

A 25YO Nazi.

[Blue_Tires]

24. Can we turn back the clock to a time when

Nazi rhetoric was openly shunned and embarrassed instead of being tragically hip and fashionable??

[mcar]

43. I am all for those "good old days"

This person teaches in my school district. I am sickened by this.

[Bettie]

3. Yeah, a lying liar will lie about anything

she doesn't belong in a classroom.

[mcar]

6. Nor anywhere near children

[beachbum bob]

7. so she acted like a whjte supremist, she talked and walked like one and now busted....

it was all fucking satire...well, we will send her our prayers and thoughts.

and give her a BIG FUCK YOU

[SummerSnow]

8. and they want to arm teachers? Racist teachers will be dangerous

[dalton99a]

10. She already admitted to have a history of lying about her actions and intents.

[Docreed2003]

11. I was just joking

Sorry...but your posts were no laughing matter and you were awfully proud of yourself when you could hide behind that screen. Good luck ever getting another job in public education...racist moron.

[bullwinkle428]

12. This is the Alex Jones defense - "I was playing a character!!"

Yet that ass-clown continues to do his show every day, and his slack-jawed, mouth-breather disciples continue to hang on his every word, even though the jig was up a year ago.

[Oneironaut]

27. The deep state made him say that! Etc. Etc.

[Lee-Lee]

13. Yeah, so sorry, too bad

Let’s take your lies trying to save your career and assume they are true.

Even if true, you engaged in “satire” that discussed in an unflattering terms your employees, your job, your students.

So, even if she is to be believed (and of course she is not) because she involved her job in the satire that was still a violation of any government employers social media policy, a violation of sound judgement and common sense, and has done damage in the ability of students and staff to trust her.

So even if we believe her bullshit story it’s still enough to justify firing her.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. Pretty sure that someone whose "hobby" is "exaggerating" white supremacist views for "satire"

shouldn't be a teacher.

[IluvPitties]

15. Satire? Sure...

You have no place in a classroom, you Nazi POS!

[mopinko]

17. dont think she thought this through.

so her defense is "i was just stirring up hate and division for fun"?
i dont think that is gonna help.

[mcar]

19. How did she not think she would be caught?

I guess she'd been tweeting and on you tube spewing filth under her pseudonym for a while so figured she could go to the next step.

Idiot.

[liberalhistorian]

21. She probably figured that when she did get

caught, she could just parlay it into a nice, fat, juicy position at Faux News where she would be, of course, quite at home.

[Cha]

41. Not very smart in the first place to be a

stupid white supremacist.

[mcar]

44. Such arrogance, Cha

And typical of the Trumpistas and all RWers.



my friend!

[Initech]

20. Sure, right, we'll believe anything you say!

Oh wait, there's video of it!

[ismnotwasm]

22. Fuck you Dayanna

They better fire your ass

[gratuitous]

23. Satire, huh?

From the article:

In a later episode of her podcast, Volitich interviews Lana Lektoff, a producer for and wife of the founder of Red Ice Media, described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “an ethno-centric Swedish online news source” that regularly welcomes recognized anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers.

“We need more people on our side who would be committed to being teachers,” her guest says. “They don’t have to be vocal about their views, but get in there, be more covert, and just start taking over those places. … Children is very important, and communists always knew that. They always wanted the minds of children.”

“I am absolutely one of them, then,” Volitich replies. “As a teacher, it’s a tough place to be, you know, it’s not nearly as, you know, bloody as a battlefield, but it’s pretty darn close. Because there’s so just much animosity and so much bureaucracy surrounding you that you’re on a very steep hill, and it’s hard to make your way to the top of it when you’re virtually alone. You might be incredibly lucky to find someone that’s also, you know, in the same mindset as you, but even then, it’s still difficult.”

I'm reminded of the very early Saturday Night Live sketch with Dan Ackroyd as Nixon and John Belushi as Kissinger, where they quote verbatim from the White House tapes, but play it off for laughs: Sure, it sounds damning as all hell, but see, that jokester Nixon and his fun-loving buddy Kissinger were just having some fun for the microphones. You believe that, right?

[dalton99a]

26. +1

[lame54]

25. Known as the Colbert/Klepper defense

[lunamagica]

28. I wish someone would tell her "Of course it was satire. Just by looking at you it is obvious you

couldn't be a white supremacist." That would kill her

[sheshe2]

29. Satire my ass!

Buh bye.

[matt819]

30. Here's a question

Obviously, the "just joking" defense is ludicrous.

Also, obviously, if she was asserting these vile beliefs in the classroom, she deserves to be fired.

Let's say she kept her personal views out of the classroom, and to her classroom she was just the lovely Miss Dayanna.

Outside the classroom she's a white nationalist. Or a black panther. Or a zionist. Or a communist. Or a radical catholic. Or a presbyterian. But all of that is outside the classroom. Otherwise, she's a darn good teacher. Top marks from students and their parents.

So, the questions:

If her views outside the classroom are private, i.e., not know publicly, she obviously wouldn't be fired; no one knows about them.

If her views outside the classroom are public, as they are in this case, should she be fired, as she has been? Or was this unfair? Also, apart from the vileness of her views, what are the terms under which she was fired? For example, you could be fired from some -jobs if you are found guilty of moral turpitude. (From the intertubes: Moral Turpitude. A phrase used in Criminal Law to describe conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty, or good morals. Crimes involving moral turpitude have an inherent quality of baseness, vileness, or depravity with respect to a person's duty to another or to society in general.) With a so-called president who is a white supremacist, the issue of moral turpitude, which used to have a fairly unchanging definition, now seems to be on a sliding scale. So on what basis was she fired? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. One man's white supremacist is another man's patriot. We are at a dangerous crossroads here.

IMHO, the school was right to fire her. If she could be forced to wear a scarlet swastika, I'd support that.

[mcar]

32. I think if it is shown one's views outside the classroom

are racist and anti-Semitic, that is a firing offense. It would be impossible to imagine that attitude wouldn't come into the classroom in some way.

I agree with you. She should be fired. She's a Nazi.

[brush]

34. "...a white nationalist. Or a black panther. Or a zionist. Or a communist."

Do not include Black Panthers in this lot.

Research the original Black Panther Party. They were an organization of self-defense against racist cops.

They did good in the black community, including having a free breakfast program for school kids.

[DonCoquixote]

31. Take a look at it this way

Even people who are good enough to get paid millions to do satire often run into the risk of being taken seriously. Stephen Colbert often got mistaken for his right wing "character" that people really thought he was a right wing talk show host, instead of being a satire of them. This teacher, even if you were to try and twist things to the most extremely benevolent interpretation, should have realized that what she did was foolish enough to cost her her job. Yes, if your job is teaching children, being foolish is enough to cost you your job.

[Gothmog]

35. Bullshit-conservatives are too stupid to understand or do satire

[mcar]

36. One wonders what her esteemed guests

think of this defense.

[ck4829]

37. "Let's eradicate the Muslims!" See? It was just a joke! Get it?

[maxrandb]

38. I guess that's just as good a defense as

"I was just following orders". Will probably be equally effective.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

39. Where's that crying Nazi? He might be useful to her right about now. nt

[ReformedGOPer]

40. I call BS

I teach middle school civics. Kids that age don't have any idea what satire is.

[mcar]

45. An excellent point

These are children.

[yellowcanine]

42. Har har.

[MrScorpio]

46. Bullshit

“It was just a joke” ain’t gonna cut it here.