For the first four days of the six day chemistry assignment, we were watching The Day After. (They then had a writing assignment about nuclear power.)
It was period 4, the difficult group. I had just been shushing them again, so I stood and moved to a different spot where they could all see me. Glaring at them.
On screen, two characters had emerged from where they were holed up after the nuclear bombs had been dropped. The girl was having an understandable meltdown. The guy was trying to get her to go back inside, trying to explain that the radiation in the air was dangerous.
"What do you think killed all these animals?" he asked.
A boy at the back of the room responded. "White people."
(Go to about 4:54 for the scene in question. I couldn't get it to embed at the proper time code.)
My reaction? I laughed. I mean, he wasn't wrong...
Ah yes, this upbeat movie. I forgot Steve Guttenberg was in this. I agree with the kid about the animals
ReplyDeleteI was going to say something to the kiddos about him, but I realized that they were too young to have heard of him. Or Jason Robards.
DeleteI remember this movie. Scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteI remember when this movie played. Sort of. I couldn't watch it then.
DeleteI would probably have laughed too.
ReplyDeleteIt helped break some tension for sure.
DeleteI can imagine a giggle would have escaped me too. Well timed, and as you said, not wrong!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it worked.
DeleteYeah, he sure got that right.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of watching a quiz show with my Mum in Law. The question was "In the play 'Romeo and Juliet', what causes Romeo's death?" She replied "Juliet". Hehe, if you think about it, that's not wrong either.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
DeleteI would've sniped, "Greedy rich people."
ReplyDeleteI think it is good to show the students you have a sense of humor :)
ReplyDeletebetty
I remember watching that film on primetime TV with the fam way back when. It was so bleak. :(
ReplyDeleteWe did not watch it. Until now, I'd never seen it. (Now I've seen it six times.) It so would have traumatized me back then. Not so much now.
DeleteNo, he really was right. I didn't realize the mini series was on You Tube. Yes, I am old enough to have seen it when it first aired. I wonder how dated it will seem now.
ReplyDeleteThe clothes! The cars. The precipitating incident was a flare up between East and West Germany. The nurse was not in scrubs (but that was wrong at the time, for nurses wore scrubs then in real life but not on TV). Very '80s in a lot of ways.
DeleteI've never seen this movie, but you have me interested just to see how dated it is. I can't remember a time before nurses wore scrubs on tv, but I don't really watch a lot of tv/movies. Sounds like a fun way to pass an afternoon … until you've seen it six times.
DeleteIt's not fun. It's grim. There's a reason tween-age me didn't go anywhere near it.
DeleteRemember seeing the movie, long ago ... The humorous aside brings in the much-needed lighter moment while watching such a movie!
ReplyDeleteYeah, we definitely needed a breather. It was an intense movie.
DeleteI hated having to watch dark movies at school. I remember having to watch "Coma". Urgh. And another movie where aliens came up through the drain holes in the shower to grab people. I hated showering for an age after that.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness. That is hilarious. And true. *sigh*
ReplyDelete