Mildred West

College bowl is an excellent program. Children, youth, young adults and beyond are enjoying learning from the well-designed categories and the challenging questions. My concern is that the program segments are being punctuated with BULLYING comments between Payton and Cooper. When making comments between questions, several times the Payton jokingly made negative, sarcastic comments about Cooper. Ex: Referring to absolute zero (if memory serves me correctly). Payton said something like, "Which is exactly what my brother brings to this show." The network also used this statement in advertisements prior to the show. This is Bullies make sarcastic comments about their peers to get others to laugh. This is hurtful and often damaging to the youth (and adults) who are being laughed at. There are thousands of impressionable youths watching the college bowl. Many of them have not yet developed the mature and healthy self-image that Cooper and Payton appear to have developed. Payton's sarcastic remarks set a poor example. They send a message of insensitivity. They send a message that it is acceptable to toy with others' feelings. They send a message that it is OK to make comments (passed off as a joke) that make others look bad in order to make self look good! In my 30+ years in public school education, I served as a classroom teacher, an elementary school principal, a high school principal, a superintendent/CEO, and university adjunct professor. At every level, pre-k to advance-degree students, I have seen the negative effect that insensitive comments have on individuals of all ages. What is funny to the jokester, is hurtful and sticks for years in the psyche of the person being humiliated, negatively affecting their self-confidence and often their willingness to move forward in their potential. Please do not continue to endorse the use of sarcasm. It sends a negative message and it tarnish the intellectual image of the college bowl.