“How do you get from here to the rest of the world?”
The question is one of the most heart-breaking moments on this season of the Wire. It’s asked of Cutty, an ex-con turned proprietor of a neighborhood boxing gym. The youngster asking it is Dukie, of the desperate kids caught up in the mess of youthful drug dealing but who is told by friend and foe alike that his talents lie elsewhere. “I wish I knew,” is Cutty’s humble answer.
One guy who might know is Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire head of private equity giant Blackstone. And last week he went to the Sacred Heart School in the Bronx to deliver his answer. Unlike conventional advice—that it was important to work hard at school and stay out of trouble—Schwarzman seemed to propose that doing well in school isn’t all it is cracked up to be.
“I used to do homework and got a 90, but not much above that,” he told Victor Anoiske, who Schwarzman called “handsome” and the the New York Times describes as “a quiet, reed-thin fourth grader.” “But I couldn’t get 96’s like you did,” he told the kid.
Translation: “You don’t need those grades to live in the most prestigious apartment in New York City, kid.”
Victor, however, doesn’t want to follow Schwarzman’s path to wealth and infamy. When asked if he wanted to go into business like Schwarzman, Victor told the Times that he wants to be a doctor or scientist.
Schwarzman and his wife, Christine Hearst Schwarzman, were invited to the Bronx School in recognition of their $5 million donation to a scholarship program run by the Archdiocese of New York. It was the largest single gift ever to the fund. Or as Fake Steve Schwarzman puts it on his Newsgroper blog, “I gave more money to the Catholic Church than Jesus.”
Schwarzman apparently taught a class on that other notoriously sly businessman from Philadelphia, Ben Franklin.
Schwarzman’s School Ties [New York Times]
I gave more money to the Catholic Church than Jesus [Newsgroper]
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 2:03PM
You should have left this one alone. SS gave big bucks to a place thats doing a lot of good (and is in fact a favorite Wall Street charity, especially among the Irish Catholics). He was also very gracious in his compliments to a kid that's succeeding against big odds. That's all that's going on here. No need to insert that snarky "you don't need to be smart to live at 740 Park.." bit. No one ever said that the big bucks go to where the biggest brains are. We all understand that brains are a factor, but just one of many.
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 2:08PM
i agree with 2:03
He's paying the kid a compliment.. no need to try to twist it....
Posted by John Carney , Mar 03, 2008 2:09PM
Oh, come on. It's obvious we're just having a bit of fun here. Of course Schwarzman was just flattering the kid and did not really intend to tell the kid he was studying too hard.
For the record, I applaud Schwarzman's (and anyone else's) donation to the Inner-City Scholarship Fund and the great work the fund has done over the years.
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 2:18PM
He extended his crab hand and the child shook it. Leave it alone!
Posted by girl , Mar 03, 2008 2:22PM
the picture is hilarious- i bet the kid is pissed he's not meeting Donald Trump or something, he looks so skeptical!
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 2:26PM
You left the verb "tells" out in the original headline of the story. The headline is correct on the jump page.
My favorite part of the NY Times story is when the school kids greet Cardinal Egan, who is touring the school with Mr. and Mrs. Schwartzman, by saying "Hello, your Eminence" in unison.
Ah, Catholic school.
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 2:40PM
yes Catholic school. Its what made a lot of us sharp bankers. Or at least highly disciplined, which is often an effective substitute.
Posted by Anal_yst , Mar 03, 2008 2:43PM
Schwarzman is Jew, no?
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 3:00PM
Anal_yst usually you are clever. Of course Schwarzman is a mot. But it is hard to fine an under funded jewish scholarship program.
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 3:10PM
Inner City Scholarship is only nominally a Catholic charity. Its more about school choice in places where the public facilities suck.
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 3:11PM
WTF is a mot???
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 3:12PM
member of the tribe. i.e. jewish. Hint: in the future look these things up by going to urbandictionary.com
Posted by guest , Mar 03, 2008 3:29PM
And so my comment @ 3pm, is taken with the grain of salt with which it was intended - i concur (100%) with what JC said at 2:09pm.
A fellow MOT
Posted by Lowly Assistant , Mar 03, 2008 3:44PM
"he told Victor Anoiske, who Schwarzman called 'handsome' and the the New York Times describes as 'a quiet, reed-thin fourth grader.'”
-Aw shucks. The NYT and their crafty use of the English language.
-One can only dream of Schwarzman calling he/she handsome. I'm sure he uses the same adjectives of endearment while clubbing his caddy.
Posted by Anal_yst , Mar 03, 2008 3:48PM
@ 3:00
There was more to that comment but time constraints i submitted it prior to completion...
...the point was that its kind of strange to see such a substantial gift and committment from a prominent jew to a church-affiliated organization. Butt, as you and 3:10 point out, not a ton of need for decent schools/choice in most American jewish communities, and as Schwarzman noted, his decision was motivated by his appreciation for the school/educational model, etc, etc, blah blah...