Put Me Down, Coach
I recently saw Coach Carter. It's about an adult who comes into an inner-city school and through strict discipline, mixed with a little taunting, teaches the kids that hard work, and not goofing around or complaining, will help them make it in the real world. A good lesson, no denying it. But I sure felt like I'd seen it before.
It's the story of Dangerous Minds (1995), Lean On Me (1989), Stand And Deliver (1988) and The Principal (1987), to name a few. The genre was even parodied in High School High (1996). (There's also the related genre of a coach whipping a bunch of misfits into shape, but that doesn't have to take place in a tough neighborhood.)
I bet if I were a kid in an inner-city school (with a reasonable knowledge of film history) I'd be getting tired of representing someone who doesn't get it. Okay, okay, hard work, gotcha--easier said than done. And hey, no one told Ferris Bueller to work hard, he's gonna do fine anyway. Why is it someone's always gotta come into my school to teach me a lesson? Am I that hopeless?
posted by LAGuy @ 1:24 AM
3 Comments:
Presumably the primary message you get wherever you are, suburbs or 'hood is from your surroundings. If you are in the suburbs you see people going off to work hard all the time and (this is the important part) it seems to pay off. If you are in a poor area you see some people doing nothing and others going off to work hard and maybe it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. Both are still living in poverty. I would guess that the main media message that this inner city kid gets is RAP. And rap doesn't celebrate hard work. All that being said, I doubt many inner city kids are racing out to see coach carter. Or if they are it may be a fantasy movie to them. Kinda like cinderella.
I have been working except for my college days since I was 8 years old. I have hired and fired people. I will take the hard worker over the brilliant mind every time for most jobs.
Surely for the future these would even bring around more of the values for the students to understand about.
Thanks for the Excellent write up.
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