Bad Love

The other day, we heard about the arrest of Lawrence Major, a Brooklyn high school gym teacher who had a three-year affair, of sorts, with a female student.

Apparently, the pressure or humiliation from his arrest was too much for him to handle: he committed suicide today, shooting himself in the head near his home.

The NY Post reported that Major was featured in a documentary film about mentors, and his students seem to have liked him: "The way he teaches you, you are able to talk about your problems," said one studen. "He was very understanding." Another added, "He was our friend. He treated us like we were his kids. He inspired us. He was very truthful and he kept it real."

Well, maybe the problem is, he didn't keep it real enough. We get the impression from reading these kinds of stories that the adult figures involved get completely in a fantasy life where it's okay to have sex with 13-year-olds because you understand them and they understand you. Your sex drive, or your neediness, or your despair tricks you into ditching painful or inconvenient reality in favor of an unreality where everything is ok and you make the rules.

But, sooner or later, reality is going to catch up with you, usually in the form of a police investigation. Major might have been okay after the criminal justice system was done with him, but it seems that what he couldn't handle was the reality in which it's not okay to sleep with your students and there are consequences for your actions.

I think that's why we call this site "Bad Love." We know it's not love, but in many cases, the people involved don't.

[Cross-posted on ScaryNY]