Lewis Lapham Calls * a Kindergarten Teacher

[Avalux]

or something to that effect. I only caught part of the interview on MSNBC. In the 2 minutes I heard, he called * a liar (used the word), said he was pathetic and then compared his voice (in his speech last night) to the sickening sing-song voice of a kindergarten teacher - insulting to all of us. Applause to you Lewis from me. :toast:

[unblock]

1. more like a kindergarten pupil ...

[SpongeBob]

2. That's insulting to kindergarteners (my daughter is one)

[newyawker99]

12. Hi SpongeBob!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TennesseeWalker]

3. Lewis Lapham KICKS ASS.

Saw him on the Daily Show one night...awesome spokesman for the cause

[Mz Pip]

4. I teach Kindergarten

part time and I am far more intelligent than Bush. :-) I cannot see Bush being able to multi task the way a Kindergarten teacher has to. Maybe Bush can read a story for 10 minutes to a bunch of little kids, but teaching the decoding skills necessary to prepare a child for reading is beyond him.

MzPip
:dem:

[Octafish]

9. Congrat, MzPip! Yours is a much harder job than Smirko's.

All the drunken cheerleader has to do is read cue cards and attend fund raisers.

You help shape the minds and attitudes of children. They are our nation's future leaders, workers, thinkers, builders, scientists, doctors...teachers.

Which is more difficult?

Which is more important?

PS: I know the answer because my sister teaches kindergarten. She has for almost 18 years now. The parents of her earliest students still stop and tell her how much she means to their kids.

EDIT: Typo in headline. Back to chalkboard... again.

[Lisa]

5. I hope he was kidding ...

I've always respected Lewis Lapham. And kindergarten teachers. I don't think W would last 5 minutes in the classroom, with kids barging around asking unscripted questions. Children are pretty good about spotting phonies, and they would reduce him to a quivering, blubbering mass. (Remember he made that crack about how he's "been to war, and raised twins -- I'd rather go to war"? My guess is that he's done neither. His idea of "helping out" was probably sauntering in around suppertime and holding little Jenna on his lap long enough to realize she needed changing ... then handing her off to Laura and pouring himself a nightcap.)

But I do know what Lapham means about the sing-song thing. Most kids I've met loathe it when adults put on a fake-cheery manner and talk down to them. And * isn't even good at it.

[Avalux]

6. I think

that was the point Lewis was trying to make. *'s tone and the way he talks is insulting to those of us with a brain. No harm done to kindergarten teachers!

[RamboLiberal]

7. Yep - he said * was using a sing song voice trying to teach

us our "ABC"'s. I cheered at his comments.

[grasswire]

8. Lapham is a national treasure

Ten years ago he asked me to write something for Harpers after I had written him a letter. I was so intimidated by his intellect and style that I couldn't produce anything for his scrutiny. Totally blocked.

[Resistance]

10. Lapham is brilliant

On my short list of must-read political and social commentators, I've got him ranked with Chomsky and Robert Fisk. Probably Lapham is the most skilled as a writer. Truly brilliant - and it's nice to hear that he's getting some airtime on a major network.

[Iverson]

11. more like a kindergarten project

Lapham's comments are basically right on the mark, except that teaching kindergarten is an honorable and difficult profession, as some earlier posters have noted. Bush's inability to empathize with other people would make him a catastrophic choice for kindergarten teacher.

[nannygoat]

13. He was wonderful, wasn't he? n/t

[babzilla]

14. more like a kindergartener playing teacher

I was just telling RiF the other night that *'s speechifyin' style, especially when he leans over the podium and does the sneering lecture thingy, reminded me of when kids play school. * is the one that always gets to be the teacher and scold his playmates.