Stand and deliver

A few days ago, I saw that some tv station was showing an old TV movie from 1988, that I had watched when it originally came out, called Stand And Deliver.

Here's the plot:

Jaime Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos) is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.

This was actually based on a true story.

One plot element that struck me then and has remained with me always was the subplot featuring a character named Angel Guzman, played by rising star Lou Diamond Philips. He is the leader of a rough gang - any rough violence he wants his gang to do, they will do. But, he also wants to learn calculus. But, he does not have the respect of his gang such that he can say, "Okay, guys, we're going to give up violence and learn calculus." Instead, he has to make a deal with the teacher to give him an extra calculus book that he can have at home, so that his gang never sees him carrying any school books. Thus, they retain their respect for him.

Now, fortunately I was raised in a middle class neighborhood and never had to fight my way out of a bad neighborhood... I hope that I would have had the determination to do it.... but the point is... why do so many students in poor neighborhoods fail? Even today, 30 years after billions of dollars have been poured into special programs to try to get them interested in learning.

Is it because spending billions of dollars is not enough, or is it because their own peers work against them? How many young kids in poor neighborhoods have started out their school careers enthusiastically, determined to get an education, move out of that neighborhood and become "middle class," standing on their own two feet with their own money earned from a real job? And how many have been beaten down by their own peers, with the constant refrain, "You think you're better than us?" and then an actual beating.

That even happens in middle class schools, of course. Perhaps not the actual beatings, but the verbal abuse towards students who have ambitions above and beyond what their classmates think they should have. A student can show off all they want on the athletic field, and that's fine, after all, athletic ability is god-given talent. But let someone show off in the classroom... that's not god-given ability, that's someone who actually spends their time learning so they can be smarter than everyone else...oh, no, that can't be allowed! Beat them down! Either physically or verbally.

There are plenty of role models for minorities and women on TV... all the drama shows typically have "strong women" and black co-stars. (Latinos and Asians are less well represetned, admittedly, although that is improving.) But what about the sitcoms, with their pervasive evils of lazy or dumb dad, smart and bossy mom, teeny tiny kids who speak like adults and act like them too, as for example Married With Children, an execrable show that lasted for ten seasons, or The Simpsons, that is still going after 20 seasons. All of them contributing to the coarsening of America, and uplifing nobody.

Then there are the commercials, reinforcing the stereotypes. Women must always be beautiful, they must always cover any "flaws" on their face, plain guys will be aboe to get beautiful girls if they use this or that product...

The media of mediocrity is all pervasive, and that is -- I think anyway -- what is contributing to the decline of America from a major world power to what we find ourselves today, bankrupt both morally and monetarily. By being morally bankrupt I don't mean because of our religion or lack of it, I mean because we are turning into a welfare state, where no one needs to do any effort, everything will be provided for them. A welfare state is a morally bankrupt state....and yet that is what Europe is and that is what the US is rapidly close to becoming.

What's wrong with a welfare state? Well, it penalizes the brilliant, the moneymakers, the achievers, and rewards those who sit on their butts and do nothing but procreate. It retards initiative. It destroys people's will to succeed!

Well...enough of this rant, back to science tomorrow.