Viral footage of teachers making a “dash for cash” in a South Dakota hockey stadium, with the money used to fund classroom equipment, has been branded “disgusting” on social media.
The game, which took place at the Denny Sanford Premier Center on Saturday, saw the tutors grabbing as much of the $5,000 sum – which had been dumped onto the floor – and shoving it into their shirts.
The money was donated by CU Mortgage Direct, who told Argus Leader reporter Annie Todd that “the teachers in this area, and any teacher, they deserve whatever the heck they get”.
“With everything that has gone on for the last couple of years with teachers and everything, we thought it was an awesome group thing to do for the teachers,” said Ryan Knudson, director of business development and marketing at the firm.
Despite the ‘game’ being described as “grotesque” online, one participant – a fifth grade elementary school teacher – seemed positive about the idea.
Here they go! pic.twitter.com/G0MH3Y1VXU
— Annie Todd (@AnnieTodd96) December 12, 2021
Alexandria Kuyper, from Discovery Elementary, said: “I think it’s really cool when the community offers an opportunity like this for things that educations a lot of times pay out of pocket for.”
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Looking at Twitter, however, many people weren’t keen on the idea of those in desperate need of money clawing for cash for entertainment purposes:
How many people would do this for their job? Would cooks do this to buy dishes for the place they work? Or doctors do this to buy hospital equipment? Maybe secretaries use the money to buy a copier? These teachers don't even get to keep this money. It's for their class. Very sad.
— Mary in MO (@MaryK1987) December 12, 2021
Seriously @sfstampede? Just divy up the money amongst them all. Why make them do this? Like they already don't work hard enough for their lowest in the nation salaries? I get it's supposed to be fun, but honestly it's embarrassing.
— 🇺🇲 💙🤍❤🍾🥳 (@schmoopiemom) December 12, 2021
This is gross. The money could’ve just been donated without making these teachers demean themselves.
— Cody Snyder (@codyjsnyder) December 12, 2021
This is not a feel-good story, This is workers being forced to grovel for peanuts as entertainment for the rich. Grotesque. Bleak.
— AGM-114 Hellfire Mistletoe (@punishedarchit1) December 12, 2021
The billionaires get richer while the teachers scoop $1 bills into their shirts for spectators' amusement. Completely disgusting.
— Liz Lundquist (@LundquistLiz) December 12, 2021
This is the most dystopian, degrading thing I've ever seen.
— James Juliano (@J_A_Juliano) December 12, 2021
These professionals are doing this ridiculous thing in the hopes of being able to procure the basic supplies necessary in order to do their jobs correctly.
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) December 13, 2021
Which is to educate children.
For which they are paid poorly.
Tax the rich.
Tax them a lot. https://t.co/FxnnJVSss1
Making teachers do this for extra money for class supplies? Legit on their knees scraping up $1s? A team of people thought this was a good idea..
— Relyks (@RelyksOG) December 13, 2021
Most degrading and dystopian shit I’ve seen in a minute. Disgusting. https://t.co/QyLD2hZ2Uj
And it wasn’t long before people pointed out how similar it was to certain things from pop culture – like The Hunger Games:
hunger games soft launch assed spectacle
— collagen machine broke🌾♿️ (@katimcf) December 12, 2021
This is the Hunger Games soft open
— Bill Walko (@TheHeroBiz) December 13, 2021
This the type of thing those dystopian young adult books be writing about, but in real life. On some Hunger Games talk show shit https://t.co/LyKFZYsYtP
— Midiaou Diallo ☭ 🇬🇳(COMMISSIONS OPEN) (@Midiaou7) December 13, 2021
It’s also been compared to popular Korean productions, such as the Oscar-winning Parasite and the hit Netflix series, Squid Game:
— Casey Ho (@CaseyHo) December 12, 2021
if they did a US squid game you'd have to buy your own tracksuit https://t.co/WPuf4AAoYv
— Crowsa Luxemburg (@quendergeer) December 12, 2021
Who had “Teachers participate in Squid Game” on their 2021 Bingo Card? @NicholasFerroni https://t.co/NvoDUex5sA
— COSBulldog🇺🇸 (@COSBulldog) December 13, 2021
Next time on Squid Game… https://t.co/nVfp5FmXpk
— Anthony Fantano (10 Minute Version) (@theneedledrop) December 13, 2021
What in the Squid Games??? https://t.co/Alu5E9Ikrw
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) December 13, 2021
super great how the number one takeaway from squid game seems to have been “lol maybe we can get away with that” https://t.co/kVoVHa3UbB
— silent nate, holy nate (@MNateShyamalan) December 12, 2021
According to the Argus Leader, teachers pocketed more than $370, with one individual taking home $616.
Yes, we hate it too.
