tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015908321622290137.post5297779220095248574..comments2012-12-25T04:34:07.546-08:00Comments on Picardy Thirds: My Old Schoolmrchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13991459229971874053noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015908321622290137.post-37333360035629301062010-08-08T21:48:33.624-07:002010-08-08T21:48:33.624-07:00I would love to think that the teacher had been ho...I would love to think that the teacher had been hoping for such a response! I've always interpreted that episode as a glimpse into the dark heart of "fuck yeah" America; but reenvisioning it with nuance and strategically muted sympathy is certainly a stronger reading: much more interesting to think about.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I had a couple run-ins with teachers at Rocky High that left me feeling less than generous -- I could devote an entire separate post to The Time Mrs. W. Tried to Kick Me Out of High School For Refusing to Memorize the Seven M's of Capitalism (when she brought in a businessman with these ridiculous worksheets we were supposed to fill out lauding the Virtues of Entrepreneurship, and talking about how horrible unions were, I refused to take part, and sat reading Dante instead of paying attention in class). Another well-conceived teen-age rebellion!<br /><br />On the other hand, I had some amazing, brilliant teachers that I idolized -- I convinced my gf at the time to name her rat Arthur, after my Shakespeare teacher, and you can hardly get more fan-girlish than that. <br /><br />;-)<br /><br />p.s. -- no worries re MH -- I'm far too pleasure-seeking to watch anything I don't like. I suppose I'm continually distancing myself from my enjoyment of his work because ... it's a difficult pleasure, as you know better than I...<br /><br />p.p.s. -- just literally LOLed at yr alias, which it took me a few seconds to get...mrchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13991459229971874053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015908321622290137.post-47124404643809453352010-08-08T21:12:53.381-07:002010-08-08T21:12:53.381-07:00Quite right, but not really too misleading because...Quite right, but not really too misleading because the "pillar of virtue" moment just means that you had already moved beyond pedagogy at a level hoped for in the lesson plan. I wonder if your teacher might not have secretly anticipated a moment like that, all while pandering to the basest nods of approval from the crowd? I guess I tend to side with teachers in such scenarios. <br /><br />In any case, don't punish yourself with MH for the wrong reasons. (If there are wrong reasons for watching his stuff!) And you do know how to end on a quirky ironic note, nicht wahr? It's what the format seems to demand...Mr. C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015908321622290137.post-64208577650024381552010-08-08T19:09:17.185-07:002010-08-08T19:09:17.185-07:00No, I did not. This story is a bit misleading (not...No, I did not. This story is a bit misleading (not least because I make myself seem like some sort of pillar of virtue), because I enjoyed much of high school, and had a pack of good friends -- but none of them attended the reunion. It was a class of 500, and the vast majority are working at auto dealerships and 7-11's in my hometown. <br /><br />The much smaller group I was friends with is scattered across the globe... but that's not the only reason I didn't go. The whole idea of the "high school reunion" feels abhorrent, and not just because it's a cliché. I wouldn't mind seeing my friends again, but the thought of nonironically reliving the early 80's feels -- I don't know, like trying to relive kindergarten by getting down on the floor in a big group, drinking Juicy Juice, and playing with Weebles [http://www.feelingretro.com/toys/Misc-Toys/weebles.php] -- at age 43. Not just boring or irrelevant, but off-puttingly regressive. <br /><br />(Though I used to say that I would go if we got Leslie Hall to do the music -- she is actually from my home region, and kind of captures that area brilliantly...)mrchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13991459229971874053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015908321622290137.post-84143983579770744662010-08-08T16:09:30.455-07:002010-08-08T16:09:30.455-07:00Haunting. I take it you did not attend the reunion...Haunting. I take it you did not attend the reunion?von Wenkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795292754378759534noreply@blogger.com