When I saw the mendacious Waiting for Superman, I told myself I had never seen anything quite like it before, a purely political attack, financed by “the billionaire boy’s club,” on teachers and their unions in particular and on American public education in general. I comforted myself by thinking it a new kind of thing, therefore likely transitory.
But this morning, I was hit squarely in the face by the realization that this sort of thing has been in the works for nearly forty years. This morning, at Wal-Mart, in the DVD section, I re-encountered a nightmare from the past and suffered a queasy moment. I never pay much attention to the LDS rack, not being of that persuasion, but it caught my eye nevertheless – Cipher in the Snow, a 1973 Brigham Young University-produced short film. It is a moving film in the facile, heavy-handed, tear-jerker manner.
As I remember, it is about a boy of perhaps middle-school age who collapses getting off the morning school bus. No one pays much attention as he lies there gasping his last. One of his teachers is assigned to write an obituary, but can’t, because he knew nothing about him and can’t find anyone who did. Needless to say, no one comes to the funeral. Even Gatsby was mourned by the narrator and the boozy party animal, “Owl Eyes.” No such luck here.
I do not fault this film for being sad. After all, “The Little Match Girl” and Grave of the Fireflies are scarcely laugh-a-minute. But I do fault it for being a cunningly crafted anti-teacher political weapon.
It was shown to us by our Superintendent at a district in-service. At the end, he turned off the projector, turned on the lights, and addressed us: “Do you see? Do you see what you have done? Do you see what you do the defenseless children every day and in every way? If only you teachers could find it in your hearts to care! If only!” Sermon followed on what hard-hearted louts we all were. This was repeated periodically at other in-services throughout his tenure. I resented it then, and I realize that I resent it still.
If this film was not designed to be a weapon, it surely lent itself to the purpose. A baseball bat can be used to strike a lethal blow, but this seemed to be more like an assault rifle, purpose built. Yes, like Waiting for Superman it is a well-made film and a profoundly moving one. But the same can be said of Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will. Political.