In electoral comedy, conservative Brian Mattson promises to bring gender diversity to the Sioux Falls school board and challenge the current matriarchy that fails to represent voices like his:
As the male candidate in this race, I bring a unique perspective and a desire to diversify the voices on our predominantly female school board. It’s important that our board reflects the diversity of the families and the communities we serve, and that includes gender diversity. Representation matters, and having a balanced gender representation on our board can lead to more inclusive and comprehensive decision making. I am committed to making sure that every voice is heard and every perspective is considered in the decisions that shape our district’s future [Brian Mattson, campaign video, posted to YouTube 2023.05.12].
The Sioux Falls school board currently consists of four women and one man. Manly Mattson is running against woman Dawn Marie Johnson to replace woman Cynthia Mickelson on the board.
Mattson is a conservative Patriot Ripple Effect candidate seeking to bring guns into the schools. But usually conservatives like Mattson and PRE deem diversity, equity, and inclusion a divisive concept and an authoritarian ideology anathema to their values. I’d like to think Mattson has seen the light… but it’s obvious that he’s just being a smartass covering his own authoritarianism.
The Sioux Falls school board election is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16.
He grew up listening to Spencer Davis. He’s changed the hit to I’m a Bald Man. It obviously has less staying power. Although he shaves his head to pretend he’s controlling it. Don’t they all.
Reading between the lines I deduced that Mike Zitterich left the Brookings Blog and began posting here so people wouldn’t call him names anymore. It’s seeming we’re doing a good job with that. Once again, welcome Mr. Z.
Diversity does matter, so he has a point. It’s more important that a board member respect the diversity of thought and circumstances in the community, put each individual student first and respect each student’s rights, hopes and dreams. I’m quite sure Mattson falls short.
Bravo! It’s about time white middle-aged men get a voice in this nation. Fight the suppression!
My dog and I made up a game called Princess of the Bed. I sometimes catch him playing the game without me. I wouldn’t leave my dog alone with Mr. Mattson because the man may not be tolerant of any queerness. Likewise, I would avoid exposing colorful students to this man’s proclivities.
I listened to his interview with local news. Not only did he feign any knowledge of PRE’s endorsement but it was clear by what he did not say what his agenda is. When asked about his aspirations and possible goals in being elected to the Board his reply was to say he didn’t know how it worked but he just wanted to help in any way he could. Thus, no clue of what would be expected of him in his position which in the present day can often be akin to throwing a prickly pear cactus into the air and then catching it. Any way it comes down you’re going to get stabbed. I wonder if he was put up to this by a specific anti-public education group or just came to the decision by his own volition to correct and save the public education system by returning it to circa 1955 or allowing individual parents to determine or thwart policy at every level. Have we not seen the effects of this on display in Florida of late? Finally he ends the interview very tellingly with the conclusion “it’s in God’s hands.”
“It’s in God’s hands”. And if he loses, the election was stolen. Mike Z. has been quiet lately. I wonder if he was advised to stay quiet until after the election.
grudznick doesn’t much mind what happens in the District of Schools for Sioux Falls, but I do think that mostly women should be endeavored in the teaching a board of directing the fatcat administrators, most of whom are probably men, on how to manage the teachers, most of whom are probably women. That way you have an ice cream sandwich. Women governing Men who rule Women who Teach both sexes.
Grudz was having another TIA last night.
Mattison
There’s an old saying
TALK IS CHEAP
IT TAKES MONEY TO BUY WHISKEY
” So don’t trust some one who will
Say anything to get elected ”
George Santos
Skulkers gonna skulk.
I would bet that he cannot do even one pull up.
So his message is elect him because he is a male and that we already to many females on the Sioux Falls District school board? It should be about experience and common sense, which his opponent Dawn Marie Johnson has that! Vote smart, vote for Dawn!!!
although mattson appears to be a moron and a republican (redundant, yes) so i am not supporting him or his idiocy, i do find it funny how most radical lefties think diversity is the most noble and necessary goal in all things… unless creating diversity in a particular situation would require adding white men. haha then diversity is no longer so important
Ryan, you tunnel-vision implication of diversity is laughable. Diversity is the means of getting a range of point-of-views to counterbalance a tendency for one opinion becoming dominant. It is the opposite of exclusion, which has another implication of dominance and power. White middle-age men have plenty of influence on ALL our political structures — whether directly present it not. It takes true dedication of action to move FROM this present dominance. Implying that a board has a majority female membership has cracked the white-male-dominance entrenchment is silly (never mind any deeper analysis of culture).
O – I couldn’t disagree more with your position. You are using the word diversity and then you are changing the meaning to something else that suits your personal goals. If you don’t like the definition of the word diversity, you should use another word for what you want. “Reducing the influence of white men” is not the definition of diversity.
Ryan, is Marc Murren still on the SF School board? Have you seen a picture of him? (Hint: he’s the white male fellow). A second white middle-age man on the board is NOBODY’s definition of “diversity” (except Mattson — and you).
I will concede that after re-reading your post, the insertion of a “moron” (as you defined Mattson) onto the board WOULD have been a diverse inclusion. On that I stand corrected.
I have no clue about the makeup of the school board. I don’t personally care about the diversity of the sioux falls school board. I just enjoy pointing and laughing at hypocrites any chance I get. Diversity means Diversity, O. Diversity doesn’t mean “everyone except white men,” even if you really really really don’t like white men. On several things you stand corrected; your desire to remain wrong is your own prerogative.
Reducing the influence of white men is the absolute definition of “diversity”. I’m a white man and feel secure enough in my skin to share 70% or more of my influence on USA. 🇺🇸 Why aren’t you? White males have SOME top level attributes but are just plain boring!
Never mind. The 75% of white males who support Trump deserve each other and the boring women they attract.
Sounds like a bunch of folks here don’t understand the definition of “definition” haha you sneaky sneakers can’t fool me, though.
I don’t even know what it means when a fella says something like “I’m a white man and feel secure enough in my skin to share 70% or more of my influence on USA.” What? You are sharing your influence? You are sharing that you think you control 70% of America?
People who support trump are idiots, whether male or female, and regardless of heritage. Similarly, people who suggest 100 million white males “are just plain boring” are idiots. Unless you mean that all people are just plain boring, and that includes white men… which would at least be pretty close to true.
Ryan, how does adding a second white man to a board (which already has a white man) increase diversity? Oxford Dictionary definition #!1: “the state of being diverse; variety.” You, my friend, are the one missing the first point I make.
I expect you to miss the second more subtle point as the the purpose of diversity; Oxford Dictionary definition #2: “the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.” Conservatives MUST misunderstand that because the foundation of their society rests on the concept of sticking with the status quo: a status quo build and sustained by the influence and presence of while males. A deeper, more true discussion of diversity looks beyond obvious physical characteristics to elements of insight and point-of-view that truly define diversity. We have not scratched the surface of that discussion and will not as long as white men and their defenders view themselves as “outsiders” or “diversity” in any meaningful way in this society.
I will not say 100 million white males are boring; I will say that there is most likely key similarities in their point-of-view. I will say there is a certain inherent shared culture, value judgment, and expectation of what society is/ought to be.
O – i never said adding mattson to the board would increase diversity and i never said increasing diversity on the board is either good or bad. I said it’s funny that radical lefties think that diversity is important unless that diversity includes white men.
I’m very proud of you for finding and relaying to us the definition of the word you have been misusing. I see that even with the proper definition, you are continuing to conflate diversity with all sorts of your ideological interests.
And the whole “similarities in their points of view” statement is just nonsense. Sounds like you are saying that all white men have the same point of view so if you’ve heard one you’ve heard them all… but anybody who isn’t a white man is unique and brings unique points of view to conversations. Straight up not a justifiable point of view, yo. It pandering. It’s placation. Ick.
That I fundamentally reject the premise (Mattson’s and your perpetuation) that affluent white males is a voice that is underrepresented or even unrepresented in US political systems is not pandering or placation. To call that “not a justifiable point of view” is to ignore your surrounding reality.
Of course everyone is unique; that does not de-legitimize diversity as either a goal or a concept. Yours (and the Right’s) again is the purposeful misunderstanding that raises the white male to the victim of under- or non-representation in politics. I reject that.
I honestly appreciate your push-back and engagement here, but you have to do better than nah-uh.
O – one of the several flaws in your arguments is that what you completely made up what you are suggesting i said (and thus what i believe).
I didn’t say white male voices, either collectively or individually, are underrepresented or unrepresented. Perhaps mattson believes that; perhaps he was just trying to gather goats with his comments, i dunno. I merely said many radical lefties are hypocrites about diversity, which is absolutely true, and you seem to be suggesting that because i think many radical lefties are hypocrites about diversity, that i must believe white males are victims of underrepresentation in politics. That’s different, my friend. You changed what i said to something you want to argue about from your very high horse. I think your saddle is crooked.
You are attempting to change the definition of diversity into affirmative action. I support a lot of affirmative action, by the way, because I believe people who have been shortchanged by the lottery of life could use a helping hand and i believe a society should strive to help those in need. Absolutely. However, you are stretching the use of a word to further your own ideological agenda; you are adding a motive to a word without a motive. I have had a similar conversation with people about the word racism. Some of the same radical leftie hypocrites that think all white men are the same and have the same point of view also think that it’s impossible for a person who isn’t white to be racist against a person who is white. It’s the same argument. They’ll say “it’s not racism if it’s against white people because white people are the majority” or something to that effect. Baloney, I say. The definition of racism doesn’t include a consideration of a majority or minority; it doesn’t refer to historical injustices. The definition is simply the belief in the superiority of one race over another. Whoever holds such a belief is racist. Similarly, diversity means variety; it means inclusion of an array of social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc. Diversity doesn’t mean “a collection of all the voices previously underrepresented” or “a gathering of minority groups” or anything else you want it to mean. You seem to have no problem articulating what you believe, which is great. What is not great is pretending that your whole point of view on overcoming historical imbalances in influence is the definition of diversity. It just ain’t.
You and i likely believe many of the same things are good and helpful goals for society. If it was put to a vote to have more women than men on school boards because women are typically more invested than men in the wellbeing and success of others as a biological imperative, i would probably vote for that. Whenever it’s put to a vote to support disadvantaged groups of folks through social services and public investment, i vote for that every time. Not that you care what i vote for, but i think it’s important to note that i support equality and community and a diverse and healthy society. i don’t think white men are being trampled on or replaced or victims as a whole. We’re doin’ fine. Very resilient. But, i can’t allow grammatical silliness and co-opting objective definitions of real words for political points. Nope, nuh uh, can’t allow it.