A Very Polarizing Movie — It Seems

I’m going today, Sunday, Sept 30, to see this film.

Will provide my observations, reflections and — in my opinion — its significance.

Right now the reviews are coming in fast and furious.  Probably 9 to 1 negative — which indicates a concerted effort to diminish the message.  The message?  That teacher unions are the obstacle to government schools responsiveness.

Interesting how something like this massive response doesn’t even need to be orchestrated or organized. 

The operating psychological mechanism here is DEFENSIVENESS.  Yes, defensiveness is itself a defense mechanism!  A lot of self-appointed people are pre-emptively responding as if themselves feeling attacked.

I’ve characterized this before as somewhat like a drowning person grasping for straws.  But it takes the “great “ Diane Ravitch to nail it.

In describing the Chicago teachers’ strike she said it was NOT a whole bunch of things — including it was NOT “the last gasp of a dying union movement”.

I think this overwhelming down-putting of this movie is just that — the last gasp of a dying union movement.  Well, maybe not dying, but maybe recognizing that “its jig is up”.

More later.

We got us a one-ton truck in Ontario.  Time to lift it.