Ferris Bueller's Teacher

I just came across the following quote of Ferris Bueller's economics teacher. It brought back a lot of memories and associations with mid-adolescent emotions. Here is the quote:

"In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the... Anyone? Anyone?... the Great Depression, passed the... Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered?... raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects? It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression. Today we have a similar debate over this. Anyone know what this is? Class? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone seen this before? The Laffer Curve. Anyone know what this says? It says that at this point on the revenue curve, you will get exactly the same amount of revenue as at this point. This is very controversial. Does anyone know what Vice President Bush called this in 1980? Anyone? Something-d-o-o economics. 'Voodoo' economics."

But besides calling up mid-teenage anxieties, it also made me realize with mild horror that I've sort of become that guy. Today in class, I was leading a discussion on George Orwell's essay, "Shooting an Elephant." The essay, published in 1936 takes place in Burma (Myanmar), which was then controlled by the British as part of their extensive empire. I wanted to bring present-day relevance to the essay. The (mostly one-sided) discussion went something like this:

"Does anyone know what Burma calls itself today? (long awkward silence) Myanmar. What news in the last year has been associated with Myanmar? No one? Buddhist monks? Protests? Anyone? Hmmm. (Brief explanation of the protests for civil rights and against human rights violations) What other recent events has Myanmar been in the news for? (long awkward silence) Cyclone? Anyone know what I'm talking about? Tens of thousands of people dead? International help refused? Any of this familiar? U.S. Navy ships just sitting there with unused supplies? An international debate about violating a country's sovereignty to help its citizens? Nobody knows what I'm talking about? Well, let's get back to the essay. Why was Orwell, a British Imperial Police officer, in Burma in the late 1920's? Anyone?"

I wonder if my students were just hearing that Waa, Wa, Wa, Wa, Waa, Waa sound that Charlie Brown hears when adults speak to him. I hope I don't get to the point where, for the whole hour, I just turn my back to them while I write on the board and drone on about some uninteresting subject.