BARKY: DeSantis backer gives profane interview after canceling Michelangelo’s David
[This article was updated March 31, 2023]
In Dark Ages Florida, a principal just got fired for teaching about the Renaissance.
Michelangelo’s David is the most recognized statue in history, but I guess the good people of Tallahassee, Florida, never learned that.
And now their kids never will.
Because Florida.
A Tallahassee charter school principal was forced to resign by the school board after a bunch of slack-jawed Florida parents complained about a sixth-grade art history lesson, claiming the 16th Century nude statue of Michelangelo’s David is “pornographic.”
Principal Hope Carrasquilla was threatened with being fired if she didn’t resign from her role at Tallahassee Classical School after three–THREE!–parents complained about the school’s curriculum because it included the Renaissance era masterpiece.
Two said they wished they’d been made aware that kids were being shown images of the sculpture first, and one claimed it was “pornographic” and that the images “upset” their children.
How ironic is that? Firing the head of a classical school for teaching about the statute of David because you’re so delicate and fragile, an image of a flaccid uncut Renaissance-era ding-dong sends you into apoplexy.
If you think this hypocritical moment in Floriduh history sounds like something idiotic out of The Simpsons, then you would be literally correct.
You can thank Barney Bishop III, the Chairman of the school’s Board at Tallahassee Classical School, for all of the Michelangelo mishegoss. Barney told a local news station that “Parental rights are supreme, and that means protecting the interests of all parents, whether it’s one, 10, 20, or 50,” regarding the small volume of complaints received.
The high-powered (lol) consultant is so repressed he’s afraid of letting kids look at famous works of art, which might lead to them thinking for themselves, which just cannot happen.
Unshockingly, Barney also happens to be a prominent Ron DeSantis backer who was very unhappy when I contacted him on Thursday, and let’s just say our “exclusive interview” began profanely and ended with Barney lobbing wild conspiracy theories before swearing and hanging up on me.
He admitted to giving Principal Carrasquilla an ultimatum, telling her she had to either hand in her resignation or would be fired, which really isn’t a choice, but he didn’t like that I said so and screamed over me for the rest of the brief call.
It was kind of shocking that someone with this much input and influence over the education of children refused to answer most of my questions and instead talked over me. The conversation ended with Bishop saying “go fuck yourself” before hanging up.
I guess the “governance” of their “guided set of bylaws that define how the Board operates” allows for their Chair to verbally abuse a woman in the media who’s just trying to ask questions.
But sharing the great works of the Renaissance at a classical education school is verboten. OK TRUMPER.
Then, Chairman Barney unexpectedly called me back. He refused to apologize for swearing at me and proceeded to talk over me for eight full minutes. The final highlight was when he called me a “paid corporate MSM shill” (yeah, sure I am, pal, which is why I’m paying my April rent with rolled coins) and then told me I had “wasted his time” when he was the one who had called me.
In response to my emailing him a copy of an early version of this story, Barney Bishop took the time to write back, “Oh, so now you’re a victim too… wow… wonderful… I don’t care what you wrote as I’m not even going to read your trash…”
Clearly, he read my reporting.
Also, if you’ve ever wondered what kind of guy joins “Moms For Liberty”, Barney does.
Because Florida.
