More than a year ago, we suggested that Morgan Spurlock was the wrong messenger to educate our children about nutrition.
This week, the traditional press finally caught up.
According to the (Allentown, PA) Morning Call, Spurlock "put his foot in his mouth during an entertaining and humorous but profanity-laced, politically incorrect address to about 700 students."
It seems that Spurlock was invited to give the adult version of his dog and pony show to a room full of high school students.
The Morning Call explains that Spurlock "mocked ethnic groups and joked about the 'retarded kids in the back wearing helmets' and teachers smoking pot in the balcony. There actually were special education students in the back row. Teachers led them out during the hour-long presentation."
Spurlock says he was just trying to put on a good show. On his blog, he explains, "I try to express my views on difficult topics with humor and a joking mannerism. I try to connect with students by conveying my thoughts in an accessible form, using the same speech and tone that they or I would use in any other lively conversation."
Uh-huh. What would happen to anyone else who openly slurred special needs students? What should happen to any school administrator who believes Spurlock has a valid educational message?
Spurlock's antics are nothing new. Indeed, he started putting his offensive "entertainment" ahead of the facts, sound judgment and responsible behavior from the very first moments of his film, Super Size Me. We all know the tale – Spurlock ate excessive amounts of food for 30 days and was shocked – SHOCKED – to discover that he gained weight and felt lousy.
On the heels of the movie's release, Spurlock began a tour of college campuses in an effort to promote it. And he was relying on the same profanity-laced shtick back then. So when we heard he was going to take his crusade to high schools and even elementary schools, we suggested that someone with basic common sense intervene. After all, Spurlock's only record of accomplishment is making a disgusting film that exploits irresponsibility and a blame-everyone-else attitude. We argued that parents ought to look elsewhere for sensible advice on nutrition and common sense decision-making.
Unfortunately, not every American has a chance to benefit from our sage advice. Least of all, it seems, the administrators of the Hatboro Horsham High School, who invited Spurlock to address to students knowing that he would be regaling his audience with F-bombs and stunning insights about how to overeat and get fat doing it.
What's more, that school paid Spurlock for his rant. No one is talking about how much Spurlock is going to pocket for his little spectacle, but you can be sure that it will more than pay for his first-class airfare, hotel and a nice limo ride.
Perhaps now other school districts will finally understand that Spurlock is an inappropriate messenger and choose to keep him and his drivel out of our children's classrooms.
March 30, 2006