Yes, he described Palestinians as "the bugs" and said some other really fucking ignorant quotes from that movie without the slightest understanding of Paul Verhoeven's intent (his effort may have been doomed from the start; he even scolded actors on set for "not getting it" and just enjoying the fascism).

I have some license with what I say because I'm moving and transferring out of state in a few weeks but I also don't want to have a bad mark on my record by saying something particularly scary about the IDF, so what should I tell him on Monday?

  • UlyssesT [he/him]
    hexagon
    ·
    9 months ago

    He believes that he can do a non-STEM job just as well as a non-STEM person because only STEM degrees matter and everything else is, quoting him, "children's puppet theater."

    Good fucking luck putting on a children's puppet show without knowing anything about children's puppet theater, by the way.

    • sloth [none/use name]
      ·
      9 months ago

      Maybe if "Starship Troopers" was presented in 'children's puppet theater' format the themes would be more apparent.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        Nuance allows incuriously smug people that think they know everything to decide what something means and be smug about it.

        No wonder such people hate things that are "for babies" because the message might be too clear for them to make up for themselves.

    • SchillMenaker [he/him]
      ·
      9 months ago

      That's why I love having a stem doctorate. I get to make those people feel like the shit idiots they are.

    • NephewAlphaBravo [he/him]
      ·
      9 months ago

      sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to be a completely incurious dipshit, it always sounds so stress-free

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        9 months ago

        It'd be blissfully ignorant treat consumption, all while believing one is The Main Character and by extension the Chosen One, just like in the treats. blob-no-thoughts

    • ShimmeringKoi [comrade/them]
      ·
      9 months ago

      He's right in the exact wrong way lol. Without any understanding of the humanities, it is a puppet show- and he's the puppet.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        9 months ago

        Excellent. I may well say just that next time I see him, but then again, the "ENTERTAINMENT HAS NO EFFECT ON ME" crowd is pretty ironclad in their belief.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        9 months ago

        I don't think he likes kids at all, at least in any way that can be considered appropriate for school. All of his "funny anecdotes" are Mr. Herkabe-from-Malcolm-In-The-Middle style contempt for kids while feeling smugly smarter than them. smuglord

    • ChaosMaterialist [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      Did... did you teacher have a part in Starship Troopers? Is he this guy?

      Show

      EDIT:

      He believes that he can do a non-STEM job just as well as a non-STEM person because only STEM degrees matter and everything else is, quoting him, "children's puppet theater."

      An obvious counter that should shut this dude down: "Why are we talking about this? It's just a movie, not real life. Why are you reading so much into it?"

      Meet his incuriosity with your own. He sounds like he's seeking validation for his intelligence and denying that will drive him up a wall.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        9 months ago

        An obvious counter that should shut this dude down: "Why are we talking about this? It's just a movie, not real life. Why are you reading so much into it?"

        Meet his incuriosity with your own. He sounds like he's seeking validation for his intelligence and denying that will drive him up a wall.

        I think I may do just that as part of my response in the break room tomorrow. He does seem to base a lot of his worldviews on fiction (and not just that movie) while also deriding fiction as "children's puppet theater." projection