srah blah blah

"Oh no, that should be restricted. There are some wackos out there."

I spent yesterday bullying all of my classes about going to see Bowling for Columbine.

"We have too much homework," said the S1OLs.

"Is there a bowling alley in Vichy?" asked the S2OLs.

"If we go, will you come with us?" and "Are you taking us to the movies?" and "Are you going to pay?" asked the THOTs.

I, myself, had not yet resolved whether I wanted to see it again this week or whether, like Il faut sauver le soldat Ryan, it was too stressful to see ever again. I decided to ask Renata and Jennifer if they wanted to go to the movies. If they picked Bowling for Columbine, I would see it again and if they picked Bend It Like Beckham, then that was that. They picked the former, so off I went.

It was much more comforting to see it with other Americans. I didn't have the pressure I rather ridiculously felt the first time, thinking that as soon as the lights went up, the audience would see the hat I was wearing - flashing "AMERICAN" in big light-up neon letters - and would stone me for being The American In The Audience and for living in such a confused, violent, frightened country.

Since I wasn't sobbing my head off, I was much better able to appreciate the humor and to catch little background details, like the fact that the K-Mart woman didn't shake the hand of the boy in the wheelchair, and the fact that at Charlton Heston's Hollywood mansion, full of loaded guns around every corner, there was a children's basketball hoop.

srah - Tuesday, 10 December 2002 - 6:46 AM
Tags: assistantship, bowling for columbine, movies, teaching

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