If we’re going to rage against cultural atrocities, let’s make sure we target the right ones

9 January 2010

James Delingpole says You Know It Makes Sense

Instead of fingering the real culprits (the teachers’ unions, the progressive educational theorists, the cynical politicians, etc) or the real problems (dumbing down, grade inflation, the politicisation of the curriculum, the refusal by left-wing ideologues to teach using old-fashioned methods that actually work), Bennett lets the whole debased system off the hook by pretending that the problem all boils down to two distinct approaches to teaching. On the one hand, there’s the rounded, expansive, teach-the-whole-man method of his gay hero Hector; on the other there’s the nasty, pointy, right-wingy, flip, gratuitously contrarian, teach-to-the-exam tack taken by his anti-hero Irwin.

Yeah, you wish, Alan. And the reason you wish it is that being of a liberal persuasion you just can’t bring yourself to admit that it was bien-pensants like yourself who brought our schools to this dreadful pass and who destroyed most of the cultural values you cherish.

This isn’t a point that I would ever expect left-liberals to grasp. Why should they? But I do think there could have been a stronger reaction from the numerous conservative types who must have gone to see it. A fair few of them, I imagine, will have experienced the horror of trying to get their children into a halfway reasonable state school; the irritation of seeing their kids drip-fed Mary-Seacole-global-warming-and-Eid studies; the disgust at GCSE science papers asking ‘Which is healthier: battered sausage or grilled fish?’; the worthlessness of a system where examiners are now discouraged from marking down papers for mistakes in spelling or grammar. And how did they respond when Bennett managed to fob off the blame for all this on hard-hearted (and — couldn’t resist this one, could he? — closeted gay) right-wingers? By applauding the man’s deep, sensitive insights, for God’s sake!

If we conservatives are going to reach for our Brownings over cultural atrocities, at least let us get our targets right. Make it the likes of Bennett, any day, rather than harmless buffoons like Cameron.

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A. MacAulay

January 9th, 2010 8:50pm Report this comment

The Pandora film reflects all those computer games wherein a world, planet, continent, etc. is invaded ny marines who fight and massacre the natives and steal their resources. The winner has the most resources = points. The connection to the aimed at audience with Iraq, etc. is not so strong as to the play world they've grown up with.

In this sense the film is an ethical breakthrough in that it places the interests of the invaded on the emotional menu.

A. MacAulay

January 10th, 2010 1:18pm Report this comment

I also take it as given that you mean Browning the poet as opposed to Browning the pistol.

Vernon Goddard

October 27th, 2010 5:47pm Report this comment

Loved the review but you were terribly nasty towards poor lovable AB who is not in a position to defend himself given that he never boxed for Warrington or any other Northern city, never played Rugby league for Warrington,. You see what I mean..........

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