Symptoms of Decay
Category: Kitchen Sink...
Posted Friday, May 21, 2004 at 08:50 AM [GMT-6]

"Shrek II" opened yesterday and is attracting rave reviews and long lines of ticket buyers. MLB and I are planning to catch a matinee today -- she has the day off -- in order to beat the crush of schoolkids.

Or will we?

In a telling snapshot that speaks volumes about the state of society, the following quote appeared in an article in today's newspaper documenting the reaction of local moviegoers to the film:

How pathetic is that? Parents have become willing enablers of the mindset that a cartoon is more important than an education. They think so little of the educational environment, or they fail to recognize the importance of education, or they don't understand the message that they're sending to their kids, that this sort of behavior seems to be the norm instead of the exception.

We see it all the time. Little Jimmy and Susie are pulled out of one or two days of class in order to take advantage of special ticket prices at SeaWorld. Friday afternoon classes are expendable; the lake fills up pretty quickly on the weekends so we need to get our jetskis launched early.

<oldfogeymode>When I was in school, nothing short of spinal meningitis or outright nuclear war (we dealt with the mere threat of the latter under our desks on a regular basis) was an excuse to miss class. Family vacations were scheduled around the school calendar, not in place of it. If nothing else, we were taught by example that it was important to stay in school and fulfill our obligations.</oldfogeymode>

OK...I realize that we're nearing the end of the school year, and things are bit more, um, laid back all the way around. I also understand that some classroom experiences are lacking in true educational value (what, for example, is the purpose of showing "Secondhand Lions" in its entirety to a high school science class?). And far be it from me to chastise parents who are trying to spend more "quality time" with their kids (although I fail to see how sitting in a movie theater qualifies). Nevertheless, the message that everything is more important than school is wrongheaded and deplorable.