I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Vito Perrone was an elated finalist for the position of Superintendent of the Easthampton, Massachusetts school district earlier this year. One member of the School Committee that voted to hire him said he had a unique skill set, a “special sauce” that made him the best choice. For Perrone, the job was a special homecoming, since he’d served as Easthampton High School’s principal eight years ago and coached football there.

But The Times They Are A-Changin’.

After he was offered the superintendent position, Perrone and the School Committee entered into contract negotiations. Perrone made several requests in an email to the School Committee’s Chairperson, Cynthia Kwiecinski, and the executive assistant to the committee, Suzanne Colby.

Then, out of nowhere, the School Committee delivered the news that they had rescinded his offer after taking a vote during an executive session.

The reason? He had addressed Kwiecinski and Colby as “Dear ladies” at the beginning of his earlier email.  According to Perrone, Kwiecinski said that using “ladies” was hostile and derogatory, a microaggression and “the fact that he didn’t know that as an educator was a problem.”

“I was shocked,” Perrone told the local newspaper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette.“I grew up in a time when ‘ladies’ and ‘gentlemen’ was a sign of respect. I didn’t intend to insult anyone.”

What a treacherous path microaggression warriors are taking us down. Their purity tests and lack of coping skills are corroding the body politic and doing lasting harm.