Pooping superintendent’s life has been ruined (Opinion)

Mark Twain once said "Humor is tragedy plus time." In the case of Thomas Tramaglini, who has pleaded guilty to defecating on school grounds, it's the other way around.

After all the jokes were made that produced all those clicks and views, Tramaglini, the former superintendent of the Kennilworth School District, tells NJ.com's Mark Di Ionno that he not only lost his $147,504 a year job, but his 10 year old son and 7 year old daughter have to deal with his story for the rest of their lives.

It turns out Tramaglini suffers from "runner's diarrhea". He runs about 40 miles a week and sometimes it flares up, though very rarely. On the day he was arrested, he was about to sign 5 year contract extension for the job he loved and had done a lot of good in.

Who among us hasn't gone where we shouldn't have gone, especially when there was no place to go, or was that just me? Tramaglini tells Di Ionno when he was given his summons, the officer told him "it was no big deal". In today's world of social media, where everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame regardless of at who's expense, everything is a big deal.

Thomas Tramaglini made a mistake on a dark morning when he could no longer hold it, and will pay for it along with his children for the rest of their lives. No judge could hand out a stiffer sentence.

It's our nature in New Jersey to make fun of people and situations. For many, sarcasm is our way of dealing with the "dumping" that is New Jersey. As someone who makes fun of life's situations both on the radio and the comedy stage, what I got from Mark's piece on Tramaglini is to always remember that there are real people who will be affected. What we learn, if anything, from the story of Thomas Tramaglini is that there are real people with real lives that are going to be affected by what you say and write. After the humor is gone, the tragedy remains as it will every time someone googles Thomas Tramaglini.

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