America’s Successful Failures: The Stories of Arlene Ackerman, Wall Street, and Kim Kardashian
Patrick Edmonds
Courtesy of Tinou BouArlene Ackerman, embattled superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, was paid over $900,000 to resign, $400,000 of which was donated by anonymous, private investors. Wall Street, and its illustrious cast of banks, insurance companies, and investment firms from all over the world, actually received $1, 200,000,000 (far more than originally revealed) of the American public’s money after abysmally and criminally failing to fulfill its goal of providing financial security to its investors (the American public). Finally, Kim Kardashian, reality TV starlet, recently made over $18,000,000 by simply getting married, for the second time, to a below average NBA player. What these three seemingly disconnected stories share in common is a horrible, unrealistic message, propagated by both politicians and the media, that it is not just okay to fail, but it can actually turn out to be financially advantageous.
Arlene Ackerman was forced to resign by Mayor Michael Nutter, the School Reform Commission, and a bellowing litany of complaints from state senators, teachers, parents, and students alike. While there are those who are still actually defending Dr. Ackerman, on account of the district’s increased test scores (which should really be attributed to the teachers) and improved parental involvement, the harden truth is that Dr. Ackerman failed her position of leader of one of the most struggling school districts in the country.
Courtesy of It's Our CityTake your pick- rampant school violence, dictatorial policy decisions with no teacher involvement, racial intimidation against Asian students at South Philadelphia High and other schools, extremely unethical bidding for multi-million dollar contracts, the largest school deficit in district history, or recent allegations of test score manipulation at certain schools- no matter how one spins it, Arlene Ackerman failed. Ackerman’s failure was so colossal that the SRC decided to remove her a week before schools reopened. However, even after acknowledging that Dr. Ackerman had in fact failed her post, in the very same breath the SRC and Mayor Nutter rewarded her with a $900,000 contractual, severance package.
Too spineless to pursue any of the aforementioned failings to actually fire Ackerman, the Philadelphia powers-that-be opted instead to compensate her ever so modestly with an amount about the same as eighteen Philadelphia teachers’ salaries. In any other professional position, if an employee is deemed unsatisfactory, incompetent, or simply unable to fulfill their duties, they are fired, thus providing them zero dollars in severance, or they are forced to resign and provided a sad opportunity of unemployment. The only silver-lining, if one actually exists, in this whole debacle is that Dr. Ackerman has been shown door, which cannot be said for the next group of successful failures.
Everyone knows the story by now. Whether through following it as it unraveled in 2008, reading about it in any number of books written on the crisis, watching HBO’s Too Big to Fail, or simply listening to other people talk about it, even the most disconnected, disinterested American citizen has most likely heard about the fact that the banks, mortgage companies, and insurance companies responsible for and complicit in the housing crisis and subsequent economic recession were bought out by the American people. Some of the more engaged, concerned members of society probably paid attention as the heads of these companies received huge, multi-million dollar bonuses and buyouts, ten times as much as Ackerman, while other CEOs simply remained in their cushy jobs, never having to answer to anyone for their incompetency and failure. However, what even the most well-read follower of this debacle couldn’t know until recently is that the original, one-time amount believed to have been given to these companies for their gross incompetence was actually far less than revealed.
Courtesy of EpicharmusThe actual amount and all the recipients, finally released after years of legislative battles (representatives from the Fed didn’t think it prudent to reveal exact amounts or names of the borrowers for fear of causing a loss of confidence for these companies), exceeds $1.2 Trillion, with a Capital T! As the banks continued to struggle, continued to layoff employees, and continued to refuse loans to small businesses and potential homebuyers, their bosses continued to borrow more money from these same citizens, continued to fly luxury jets, and continued to provide themselves with even more money in bonuses and buyouts.
Why wouldn’t they though, as long as the American government was going to continue to simply give away the American people’s money, enacting some perverse socialist effort that seemed to only benefit a very few. This reverse meritocracy- doing nothing, or arguably performing outright poorly, and being rewarded ten, one hundred, or one million times over- goes against all that once made America great. Worse yet is the fact that this idea of rewarding failure, at least in the stories above, is being perpetuated by America’s politicians and leaders, thus exacerbating the already debilitating effects of the most successful failures- Reality TV Stars.
Courtesy of David ShankboneBe it The Jersey Shore, The Real Houswives of Jersey or Orange County, or any of the myriad reality shows, Reality TV has contributed more to the idea of earning something for nothing than any individual or company. Other than breathing, reality TV stars and starlets, contribute absolutely zero to society, yet manage to make hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. Yet no one has turned their worthless, undeserved fame into a bigger cash cow than Kim Kardashian, who recently managed to make over $18 million for simply rushing into the sacred institution of marriage, which is certain to fail in under five years, and have pictures taken of her.
Some may call her business savvy by turning her friendship with Paris Hilton, her sex tape with Rajay, and her legitimate good looks into a smash hit TV show and subsequent business venues, but the truth is Kim Kardashian is nothing more than an overpaid dullard who contributes nothing more to society than another mindless outlet of vapid entertainment. Although Kardashian hasn’t received any of the American’s hard earned money, she continues to perpetuate, in a far more detrimental and ubiquitous manner, the growing belief that one can become rich, and possibly famous, by simply existing. It is the youtube phenomena of today’s modern age, especially its youth, that no longer subscribes to the notions of industrial determination or intellectual capacity to succeed but instead simply hopes to be caught on film at the right time to accomplish their dreams. Granted Kim Kardashian may not have failed the American public as one of its elected or appointed leaders, but she still manages to be a failure every time she graces a magazine cover or endorses another product or simply achieves some other recognition and is paid an absurd, unwarranted amount for accomplishing absolutely nothing.
The scariest aspect of the three stories above is that they are not actually unique. Rather, they are part of a growing tide of individuals who seem content with accepting money for a job poorly done, or one not done at all. They are the entitled hoard, the unmotivated masses, who learn the word “deserve” before “earn”. They are America’s future- the Successfully Failed Stories of Tomorrow.
Reader Comments (6)
Ackerman also received 2 years of city paid health care and 500,000 to her pension. Wonderful post showing just how insane getting up and going to work is. If you can not find a reason to be happy then you really should just sleep and be well rested so these stories of gross negligence and empty vases of celebrity don't bother you.
It is just such a slap in the face to good Americans and the idea that people try really earnestly to provide for their families and raise their children with integrity. The only solace is that your examples are idiots to be mocked in their wealth. And if they take pleasure for their own personal gain in exploiting their power or celebrity, posts like yours will at least be out there for antiquity to prove we didn't all agree.
Thanks for the lunch
Wow, pretty harsh post, especially regarding Kardashian. I really don't know much about her other than that she is attractive, and good looking getting rich in Hollywood is nothing new. However, it is crazy that she made money on her wedding. Most people spend big on it.
The Ackerman case is ridiculous in the amount they had to pay out, especially in a school district with such a huge budget crisis. You think she would've taken the high road and left gracefully with a modest year's salary instead of taking close to a million dollars to step down from her job as a public servant. Disgusting. I would like to know who the anonymous private donors are though. I think Nutter was right to get her out, but there are some government transparency issues if the donors remain secret.
Finally, you know I'm in all agreement with you on the bank bailouts. The fact that the Fed fought to keep these records hidden from the public lets you know they did something basically unacceptable to most everyday Americans. I sincerely hope that every politician running for office next year takes up the issue of auditing the Fed. This should not be an issue confined to the far right wing of our politics; every American taxpayer should know how the Fed manipulates our money supply and banking system especially since they've been doing a poor job of it for the last decade or more. It's not just the Fed and the government who are giving out money to poorly managed businesses either. Today's news that Warren Buffett is financing Bank of America is distressing. Considering that Obama called Buffett shortly before this $5 billion dollar capital influx into a major bank on the verge of failure, I wonder what other secrets are behind Buffett's move that the public will probably never know.
I think the common strand between all of the examples in your post is that the sheer size of all of these institutions. The Philadelphia school district and Ackerman's salary, the bailouts and financial's sectors virtual takeover of the economy, and the growth in reality TV and the Kardashian name - all of these are massive entities whose sheer size will almost inevitably lead them to mismanagement and unfortunate desperate bailouts of failure. An alternative title to this post could've been "Too Big Not Too Fail".
Interesting connection between three ostensibly very different situations. I'm in agreement with Nick that Kim Kardashian does not deserve nearly the criticism of Ackerman or the banks, both of which disgust me. Kardashian (well what she represents) merely makes me slightly disappointed. She and all other reality TV shows pander to a demand for intellectually numbing TV that allows people to live like a "star" vicariously. I blame the fans who popularize a no talent like her more than Kardashian herself for profiting from it.
Ahh, the Kardashian empire. The phrase "Famous for being Famous" may have started with Paris Hilton, but this clan has taken to an entirely new stratosphere. Their fame escapes me entirely...I have seen them interviewed and caught pieces of the show and you hit it on the head...they are dullards. Can't sing, act, dance, debate, dunk a basketball, wax philosophically, or contribute a thing of substance to culture or society yet they are multi-millionaires. Fame and fortune with no talent...heck, that is an accomplishment I guess.
"Hey kids...want to be a famous celebrity? Don't bother with school, singing/dancing/actiing lesson! Just have a famous friend, "accidently" release a sex tape of you banging a 3rd rate rapper and watch the offers pour in."
But as useless as the Kardashian clan is, at least they did not parlay their fame from getting knocked up at 16 and using their offspring to live a celebrity lifestyle. The whole "Teen Mom" obsession is far more disgusting to me. God damn US Magazine puts these idiots on the cover with the regularity of Angelina Jolie. That to me is far more damaging than anything Kardashian did. "OK kids, if you do not have famous friends...just get pregnant by your loser boyfriend at 16 and get on MTV. It can still work for you!"
I agree that Kardashian isn't as contemptible as Ackerman and The Banks, but she is still fairly awful, and she certainly doesn't deserve an iota of the fame and money she receives. I'm not exaggerating when I say that what made her famous and brought her name into the mainstream conscience was having sex with a rapper that was videotaped.
I understand Nick's perspective that good looks have galvanized careers before, but individuals who have used their looks have at least used them to achieve some level of prosperity through another field, such as singing, dancing, acting, etc. Even modeling is a legitimate profession, but Kardashian doesn't even do this, and she makes far more money than any model. I don't like Brittney Spears, and I realize she wouldn't be as famous or famous at all if she wasn't attractive, but at least she provides some type of actual entertainment that she must practice at. Kardashian does none of this and seemingly does nothing else other than live her life, which most would be considered a failure by most standards, but she makes absurd amounts of money doing it.
Finally, I do see an additional connection between these three further for the fact that I truly believe what allows corrupt, manipulative individuals such as greedy bankers and CEOs and pathetic public servants like Ackerman, to exist and maintain their destructive ways is the incessant assault of mindless entertainment such as Kardashian's. People are so distracted from serious abuses of their money and legitimate freedoms because of such nonsensical entertainment, and although we are all complicit in it, I believe more of the blame/responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the people, like Kardashian, who are directly involved. The consumerist culture of fame, wealth, irresponsibility is shoved down American's throats, especially the youth who are indoctrinated with this way of living everywhere they turn, even in their schools on programming like Channel 1.
So while I accept that people must be accountable for their own behavior and I agree that there are varying levels of corruption and failure, I still think there is a viable connection between these entities, more so than I originally considered in the post.
However, thanks for the feedback. I always enjoy a good dialogue and lunch!
This is how Ackerman left San Fran in 2005 with $375,000 and got out of her contract. She will continue to cross the country creating tension and taking huge chunks of public money.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-09-07/bay-area/17392646_1_school-board-public-school-san-francisco-ackerman