25 thoughts on “Superman Wasn’t Liberal Enough?

  1. When the American public education system was the best in the world teachers were unionized. Stossel won’t bring up this inconvenient fact because then his “unions are the problem” argument falls apart. So what happened in American society between then and now. Waiting For Superman never bothers with this question either. That’s why it wasn’t (rightfully)nominated.

  2. It’s true – “evil businessmen” make the best generic bad guy in movies these days. All the original Nazis are dead, and the Soviet Union broke up two decades ago. Drug dealers and arms brokers just come off as small-time or cartoonish. What’s left?

    It’s just a convenient trope, though. The idea of a CEO sending out black helicopters and ex-special forces troops to kill an innocent Joe is not meant to be realistic. Making deals that will eventually cause millions to lose their job, their house, their hope for the future (climate change / nuclear winter / spontaneous animal abortion) – sure! But what kind of movie would THAT make? Boring and / or depressing. Better to have the guy sending his hired goons to take out the journalist that is about to leak his nefarious plan to the public.

    … which is really stupid, because “the real story” of corporate malfeasance gets told all the time, and nothing happens. Or, told from the O’Reilly point of view, “Waiting for Superman” reminded people that Unions exist today only to protect the jobs of terrible and / or lazy workers, and … well, OK, something IS being done about that. These people don’t just whine about stuff, they Get It Done. Taxes too high? Too many regulations? Unions too powerful? Not any more!

  3. Been saying it since I was 11 years old:

    Most teachers are lazy, inept, coffee-stinking hacks with no charisma who put their students to sleep. I can count on two fingers all the GREAT EDUCATORS who had any impact on my life whatsoever or could even keep me awake. Get so sick of the GOD BLESS THE TEACHERS bullshit, like they’re all Jaime Escalante driving his beater into town to form the mathmeticians of tomorrow. And if they didn’t fucking start school at six o’clock in the goddamn morning, the students might have a fighting chance of comprehending anything.

    Teachers aren’t underpaid ENOUGH.

    I will of course be the exception, right after I finally take my CBEST (YEP YEP) so I can sub at high schools.

    The Lexman coming to teach 11th grade. Yeehaw!

  4. 3 things.

    1. Stossal is Rick Bayless’s distant brother

    2. “Used to be a big movie fan”…yeah…right Bill.

    3. Did they just bet each other A GRAND, like all no big deal? I don’t care how rich you are, laughing about betting $1,000 on TV broadcast’s ratings as though you’re playing crib for pennies is a douche manouver.

  5. pathetic that waiting for superman wasn’t nominated. best doc of the year by a mile. an incredible and scary expose of how this country continues its downward spiral into a toilet full of cynical, youthful excrement

  6. Just out of curiosity, how many documentaries did you see last year, am? I can easily rattle off five I preferred to WFS, and I’m not even much of a “non-fiction film” sorta guy…

  7. Be careful, Lex…

    Most teachers? Out of the 20 or so you’ve had? You really want to make that statement?

    Cause I’ve been at this for 23 years in three different states, and most teachers bust their asses, are counselors, banks, referees, guards, psychologists, and spend more hours with kids than their parents, using their own money to supplement and in some cases bankroll their curriculum, not to mention a safe haven for kids after hours.

    And STILL it is the best job in the world, and I’ve learned more from the kids I’ve taught than they’ll ever know. Turned 47 on Superbowl Sunday, and they keep me young.

    Ya know.

    Sucks for you that the teachers you had blew…if you were in my class you would have had a riotous good time AND learned … not only the subject matter, but also, you know, how to be a human being.

    No disrespect, as your comments are the ones I can’t wait to read.

    But be careful. Kids are crafty. Girls are SO much smarter than you.

    Especially 11th grade girls.

    You’ll be a casualty pretty soon, and, no doubt, the subject of an awesome Dateline expose.

    Don’t say you weren’t warned. But you know, welcome.

  8. Eh, sorry to be a dick above, Rod. I’m sure you’re an awesome teacher… Most of mine were generally lousy, and that definitely includes my college professors as well. Only teachers who really moved me were high school English teachers, a couple of whom were really awesome. But they were definitely the exception to the rule. Though who knows, that might just be because of my natural interests; For all I know the 12th grade physics teacher James Tolkan-alike breathing Sanka-breath down our necks whose class I used to sleep through may very well have motivated some kids who had an inclination toward the subject to begin with.

    But in general I want MORE COMEDY from teachers. Most of them don’t know how to command a room or BRING THE JOKES. Teaching is essentially standup, and 99% of teachers are boring and unfunny.

    But can we all take one more second to bask in my very real and very awesome promise to get my teachers’ license at age 40 if I’m not famous?

    Mr. G teaching 11th, 12th grade English to a class full of admiring Fanning-lookalikes basking in my charisma and Hollywood experience. I am going to be THE COOL TEACHER like that douche on GLEE.

    That’ll bring a whole knew meaning to the term EASY A.

  9. Kaned,

    I saw the following docs:

    Waiting for Superman

    Winnebago Man

    Exit thru the Gift Shop

    Marwencol

    Restrepo

    Lucky

    Casino Jack

    Client 9: Eliot Spitzer

    Catfish

    Art of the Steal

    Freakonomics

    Many of these are great docs. I just found Waiting for Superman to be unshakably scary. I need to see Inside Job

  10. When the American public education system was the best in the world teachers were unionized.

    While the NEA has been around for forever, they couldn’t collectively bargain with states until 1957 (in Wisconsin, natch). Which (not coincidently) is right about the time that public education went right to hell. Because the heierarchy’s primary focus became what’s best for the teachers instead of what’s best for the kids.

  11. While all the ninnies and naysayers bitch about what’s best for the kids, those of us IN the classroom think and do nothing BUT want and desire and do what’s best for the kids. I wasn’t born until 1964, and I will be the first to concede that we need SOME kind of overhaul, and I also agree that there are many people who teach who have no business teaching anymore…but these general platitudes and lectures from people who have not set foot IN a classroom in over 10, 20, 30 years piss me the fuck off. It would be like me making a general statement about how either you suck at your job, or that the job you have hasn’t been done well in decades.

    Continue to espouse those generalities, and I will continue to show up to work everyday and challenge and motivate and learn from and be amazed by the young minds I am lucky enough to see every day.

    And Lex, really and truly, I hope you do come to the classroom. We need more people who have a sense of humor and who “get” young people.

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