Donald Trump has hosted Saturday Night Live twice and had his own reality series. He’s been impersonated by comics countless times, his hair and his facial expressions picked apart more thoroughly than his political views. One thing is certain — Donald Trump knows all about what it means to be on stage himself, and to see himself on stage through the eyes of others.
Three Fiske Elementary School boys whose parents say the Wellesley kids just wanted to dance and be a little silly at the school’s PTO-sponsored annual talent show weren’t exactly parsing the nuances of satire when they came up with their dancing Donald Trump bobblehead idea. They just figured that they got a lot of laughs when they put together a dance act last year, so why not dance this year too, and add a little something. Hey, this year let’s dance AND look like Donald Trump, yeah that’s the ticket to talent show glory, they figured.
So they talked their parents into springing for some Donald Trump masks, vetted their act through a group of teachers, as all potential performers were required to do, and set about practicing their moves in preparation for the big show. I’ve watched the Youtube videos. Eleven-year olds Christian Mattaliano and twins Marc and David Maggiacomo ran an act that was about as tightly-choreographed as you might expect from fifth graders. There’s no doubt they had the moves. Can’t say the humor qualified as anything as deep as satire or that the dance fell into the category of interpretive, however. Here’s what I got out of it: goofy boys got up on stage and had a whole lot of fun.
But that’s not how everybody in the audience saw it. It seems that one parent (perhaps still bitter from John Kasich’s defeat of Trump at the primary polls in Wellesley in March) found the dance offensive and let the principal know it. The end result was that the boys got what their parents are calling a lesson in censorship (including that when things get censored these days, they tend to go viral online — video views went from 500 to 5,000 in less than 24 hours). The edict handed down by first-year principal Rachel McGregor and supported by Superintendent David Lussier said that although they were welcome to perform their 2-minute dance in the evening show, they would not be permitted to don their Donald Trump masks. The kids smartly passed on that second chance.
Superintendent Lussier, who recently threw Wellesley elementary schools into a tizzy by retweeting a Happy Easter photo of the Obamas from his @WellesleySupt account, is quoted on bostonglobe.com saying, “I think it’s so important for us to be seen as non-partisan in a highly charged election environment. We wanted to make sure that nothing we are doing would be perceived as biased in some way. You’re not seeing Democratic candidates certainly.”
A separate Trump-Rubio dance-off skit, also banned from the second showing, was morphed into a send-up of late-night talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.
Fiske parent Deb Van der Veen was incredulous. “Donald Trump would have thought it was a hoot,” she said. As parents, “We’re trying to support the boys. They’re not political. It was a dance. The principal was put in a difficult position, but I think as grown-ups maybe we should loosen up and dance ourselves once in a while.”
Christine Norcross, who posted the videos on Youtube, commented “My son was censored for this video. they were having fun – I am just proud of him for know who the presidential candidates (democrat and republicans) are.”
Or as one commenter posted on Facebook, “Have we learned nothing from Footloose?”
What is happening in this country? Why can’t kids dance with a mask from either party”s politicians. Do we not have TWO parties in the election?
I would not let my kids continue at that school if I lived there.
Hello Dean, let me try to answer your question, and lest anyone take offense let me emphasize that this is just my opinion which, much like butt holes we all have one.
I believe we are witnessing the results of a turning away from “God”, and his precepts, and instituting our own personal ones.
When man chooses to ignore “God’s” idea’s about the best way for him to live and go his own way well,? this is actually a “war” and the “war” is against ” principalities ” , our’s, our local and state governments, counties, court’s, municipalities, communities, and countries.
Principles of morality, and discipline, that allow for us to live, work, and play in mutual peace with one another.
Understand Dean, that while all this warring amongst ourselves is going on with our determination to sell the idea of same sex marriages to one another and screaming in protest that a certain race’s lives matter, or whether it’s ethical to abort a fetus, “God” has already given us his take on all these issues !!,????, so we’ve decided he was wrong and we can do better ???
Again, I apologize if I’ve offended anyone with my opinions, and I pray that I have helped you understand Dean what I believe is the cause of all this madness, may his peace and love be with you.
Seriously??? Someone is afraid of a cardboard mask? The parent who complained needs to get a grip …. or maybe some therapy. These were elementary school children who were having a good time dancing to a made up routine. And really shame on the superintendent and principal for allowing it to go this far. No political bias there…..
Good for those young men for standing up for themselves. They weren’t doing anything wrong — we need more like them – not more who are scared of cardboard masks.
So a parody of Hillary Clinton where students threw wads of cash at another student wearing a mask with her picture would have been appropriate? I think the decision was correct. I suspect that others in the community might not have liked that depiction even though they felt the Trump parody was just “freedom of expression”.
If it were only three dancing Hillarys, with no cash, how could that possibly be inappropriate. Duh.
Far worse– it was a blatant violation of the First Amendment. We should be ashamed of our superintendent. This is censorship in its worse form. The in experienced principal blew it and the superintendent did not have the courage to correct the mistake. He still has time but I bet he won’t.
So predictable that the party that launched the complaint is too cowardly to stand up for their beliefs in the open.
Seriously? ONE complaint? What about the dozens of other people who presumably weren’t offended–and might have even been amused? Did anyone ask them? Here’s the lesson these kids got from this experience: If ONE person complains about what you’re doing, you’re out of line and must stop doing it–even if no one else cares. If ONE person disagrees with you, that person is right and you’re wrong. Don’t try new things. Don’t make waves. Go along to get along. Very sad.
Thank you for publishing this. I think it is wonderful that children of that age are engaged and aware of current political activity. I cannot see what is offensive about dancing in a Trump mask. What would have been offensive is if the children had read, verbatim, from any of Trump’s speeches that promote bigotry, sexism and fear.
If the ability to have reasonable expression about current events is muffled in the Wellesley school system, it is unfortunate. This censorship is something I would expect in unenlightened places like Mississippi and North Carolina where acceptance and tolerance isn’t in fashion these days.
As a former resident of Darien Ct who has lived in the south for 44 years, and currently line in North Carolina, I take issue with your comments about inlightenment. Many Yankees ( they call us hemroids because we never go away) have been moving here for decades to get away from your 128
insanity, your pseudo intellectualism, rediculous taxes and your hypocracy. Please stay where you are, enjoy your short summers and your polluted crowded beaches. We tell it like it is down here.
So much for the First Amendment in Wellesley.