Television cameras captured a man punching a Board of Education member Tuesday night because of a school mascot.

Ponder the abject absurdity of the previous sentence.

And then ask yourself: If the framers knew we'd evolve into this dumpster fire, would they have thrown themselves into Boston Harbor instead of the tea?

In case you missed it: Glastonbury police are still investigating a disturbance at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night during which television cameras captured town resident Mark Finocchiaro punching Board of Education member Ray McFall. This followed a disagreement stemming from whether Glastonbury High School should restore its Native American-themed mascot, the Tomahawks, which became the Guardians in 2020.

Here is how a friend of mine from Glastonbury describes it:

"It's been the talk of the town here, as you can probably imagine. Glastonbury is about as townie as it gets," my friend said. "By 8 a.m. Wednesday, there was video circulating of Mr. McFall confronting Mr. Finocchiaro in the audience swearing at him and Mr. Finocchiaro responding in kind.

"From what I saw, Mr. Finocchiaro used his 3-minute time on the mike during public comment to go on some random tangent about how tools from 1500 BC were found in a backyard and somehow tie that to the fact that Tomahawks are a part of our history and must be preserved. At least that's what I think he was trying to say. There's a video on social media. I can't figure out how to copy it, but warning: If you find it, watching it will cost you 5-10 IQ points."

Television cameras show Mr. Finocchiaro brush his chest against Mr. McFall during the argument. Mr. McFall lightly pushed him away, prompting Mr. Finocchiaro's punch.

Such inspiring role models for our children.

To think we lecture the kids about burgeoning violence in our schools. And then two adults attempt to solve a disagreement by reenacting the Thrilla in Manilla.

Neither are innocent. Mr. McFall ought to be relieved of his duties on the board immediately for profanely antagonizing a speaker — the speaker's misguided presumptions notwithstanding. Mr. Finocchiaro should be arrested and made to understand the words, "fullest extent of the law." I'm no fan of the dreaded slippery slope argument, but if somebody doesn't make an example of Mr. Finocchiaro, it's open season on politicians and administrators.

Lest we forget the reason for the disagreement: This almost comical conceit that somehow everybody else knows more about Native American culture than Native Americans. Seems pretty obvious that if the preponderance of Native Americans find Native American-themed school mascots offensive (with the exception of the Seminoles in Florida) the rest of us ought to be respectful enough of their wishes.

We do not live another person's truth. We have not experienced what he or she has. And we need to start respecting their opinions, regardless of whether we agree with them. It's called being human.

One of the things that amuses me about our country: The number of people who have never been part of a minority anything — and have a hard time tolerating people who are — who still influence public opinion and policy. Everything they say is substantiated by nothing more than their own opinions. And yet we entertain them as if there's some educational and cultural value to their whims.

It's happened in Killingly. It's happening in Glastonbury, where more than 2,500 supporters of the Tomahawks mascot signed a petition asking for a hearing and for the board to reverse its decision — as they did in Killingly. Tomahawk supporters see the mascot as a "wonderful symbol to respectfully educate" the masses on Native American culture.

As if they know a blessed thing about it. Or care.

But somehow, they know. They just know. This feels like the same people who know one more fact about COVID than those nitwit epidemiologists from Yale.

Why can't we just respect, for example, what Nipmuc Nation, a tribe indigenous to central Massachusetts, northeastern Connecticut and northwestern Rhode Island, wrote to the Killingly school board a few years ago?

"The Nipmuc Nation Tribal Council has very publicly decried the use of Native American mascots, even when the organization using said mascots believes that they are in some way flattering or used as a means of honoring Native Americans. Native American mascots, often portrayed as caricatures or cartoons, are demeaning to Native Americans and it is our opinion that they should not be used."

Why isn't that enough?

The Nipmuc Tribe can at least take solace in this: Several state media outlets covered Killingly's state championship football game victory last weekend. Not one used the school's reinstated old nickname that remains offensive to Native Americans. Some of us get it.

Meanwhile, do others understand the dizzying levels of arrogance required to presume to know more about somebody else's culture?

Do Mr. Finocchiaro and Mr. McFall understand how criminally irresponsible they looked, sounded and acted?

Does anybody reading this still want to throw themselves into the harbor? I mean, we're talking about a school mascot here. A discussion over a school mascot that turned violent.

Nauseating.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro