Chuckie: Are we gonna have a problem here? Clark: No, no, no, no! There's no problem here. I was just hoping you might give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the southern colonies. My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War, the economic modalities, especially in the southern colonies, could be most aptly described as agrarian pre-capitalist.
Will: Of course that's your contention. You're a first-year grad student; you just got finished reading some Marxian historian, Pete Garrison probably. You're gonna be convinced of that 'till next month when you get to James Lemon. Then you're going to be talking about how the economies of Virginia and Pennsylvania were entrepreneurial and capitalist way back in 1740. That's gonna last until next year; you're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talkin' about, you know, the pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization.
Clark: Well, as a matter of fact, I won't, because Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social...
Will: "Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social distinctions predicated upon wealth, especially inherited wealth"? You got that from Vickers' Work in Essex County, page 98, right? Yeah, I read that too. Were you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us? Do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter? Or do you, is that your thing, you come into a bar, read some obscure passage and then pretend - you pawn it off as your own, as your own idea just to impress some girls, embarrass my friend?
Will: See, the sad thing about a guy like you is, in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're going to come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life: one, don't do that, and two, you dropped 150 grand on a fuckin' education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library!
Clark: Yeah, but I will have a degree. And you'll be servin' my kids fries at a drive-thru on our way to a skiing trip.
Will: That may be, but at least I won't be unoriginal. But I mean, if you have a problem with that, I mean, we could just step outside - we could figure it out.
Clark: No, man, there's no problem. It's cool.
UPDATE, 10-23-11: If you are just visiting my blog for the first time and this post has brought you here, please check out my follow-up post that deals with the topic of unschooling in an in-depth and very personal manner. I urge you to read the comments there as well, as the post has sparked a terrific conversation about education. Of course, feel free to join in! I would love to hear your opinion :)
Thanks,
Leigh
My all time favorite movie.
ReplyDeleteIt is so funny to read this dialogue in english. I saw the movie in french and the impact is totally not the same. Great surprise and need to see it again!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that scene!! How cool to actually get to read the dialogue! Thanks, Leigh! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me how great this is!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I'm not all that familiar with unschooling but I just moved to NYC and I seem to be one of the only people in my neighborhood NOT sending my child (age 2) to Preschool (not planning on it for the two years we'll be living here...) I keep telling myself I can give him more at home than a preschool could (besides the fact he's being raised bilingual) but it's just interesting to be in the thick of a society that says strangers will educate and teach your child to socialize better than a parent could...
ReplyDeletewow, i can´t believe I read the whole thing! did you do the transcription? that´s an awesome dialogue leigh, thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteHow you like them apples?
ReplyDeleteNicole -- Welcome to NYC! Do a search of the term "unschooling" on my blog to read more interesting thoughts on the topic ;)
ReplyDeleteDana -- I didn't transcribe it, although I've seen the movie enough times I probably could have from memory! I found the dialogue on IMDB. There's a whole page of memorable quotes from the film! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119217/quotes
i forgot about this dialogue. as far as unschooling goes i wish i could do what you nicole are doing with your child, the best socialization comes from parents, but that leaves us working parents with few choices. my child is also being raised as bilingual. are u both speaking both languages or one parent sticks to one?
ReplyDeleteCompletely brilliant :) unschooling works well in this house - my 13 year old son has come on leaps and bounds since leaving school behind. Learning just happens!
ReplyDeleteHA ha ha ha! I love this movie!
ReplyDelete"D'ya like apples? ... I got her number, how d'ya like them apples?"
so great.
Such a great movie. Now I understand even better how/why Matt Damon did such a great speech at a teachers rally.
ReplyDeletei absolutely love this. it's so well-written, and basically what everyone would want to say to that kind of asshole. love it!
ReplyDeleteUnschooling is certainly not for everyone. There are parents that do not have the capabilities or opportunities to raise their child in away that nurtures the "whole child". Although I find Unschooling can be beneficial for certain children/families, allowing more divergent pathways for a child to learn and make sense of the world, however a child needs direction from a parent or guardian that has an understanding of child development and also the resources to nurture this child (staying at home to raise, unfortunately this is an economical reality). I also do not think getting a University education is comparable to having a library account. There is a lot more to an education then the material being taught. I enjoy your insights on Unschooling, but I find them very narrow and limiting at times.
ReplyDeletelove this!
ReplyDeleteI love this movie! Matt Damon is so hot! I also loved Dead Poets Society which came back around on tv not long ago. Wonder what it would be like to be unschooled by Robin Williams... Though I don't know much about unschooling either, I am happy taking O to his Waldorf parent-child class. The teacher, the other parents, and the other children inspire new ideas and ways of looking at the world and childhood in particular. I would like O to find a community of people he gets to really know who will offer different windows into what life can look like. As his parent, sometimes it's hard for him to see anyone else in the room, and I like the idea of giving him space and freedom to develop other meaningful, imprinting relationships. I do believe that everyone who comes into his life is a teacher for him, as is everyone who comes into mine. Reading books, as GWH does conclude, can give you information about life but is impoverished and flat when it comes to experience and relationship.
ReplyDeleteI love that movie and that scene but ... it's a movie! And the daily reality and struggles of 99% of Americans without a college degree is not something any of us wish for our children.
ReplyDeleteOh my. I love your blog, and I LOVE this blog "First thing, dont do that." LOL Love it!
ReplyDeleteAll time favorite movie - all time favorite scene.
ReplyDeleteah - best scene ever. this is where my huge crush on matt damon began!
ReplyDeletethis is somewhat depressing and inspiring all at once during my quarter life crisis. at 25, i can either stter my way to original or unoriginal. hmmm. perfect post.
ReplyDeleteps, http://amandamantes.blogspot.com !
Love Love LOVE this! Favourite scene of the movie!
ReplyDeleteHave any of you checked out the Sudbury model of education? I am sending my kid to a sudbury school in WA. Pretty awesome. Similar to unschooling, but within a social context for its students. Total intellectual freedom!
ReplyDeletewhat about them apples? best. scene. ever.
ReplyDeleteI am a high school librarian and I have used this clip in the past to start a conversation with my students about plagiarism, copyright, and originality. It is very powerful.
ReplyDeleteIf only that scene were realistic. I mean, how many working class kids have the time to go to the public library and wade through a lit review on Marx? I teach in New Orleans public schools, and a majority of kids arrive at home to empty houses because their parents are working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. And many of them don't go outside at night because of gun violence. This is a Hollywood film. Entertaining but so not based in reality.
ReplyDelete