Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly

So the stars of Won't Back Down are starting their press junkets. Let the embarrassment commence, starting with Rosie Perez on Good Morning, America (no embed code; you'll have to click through to watch).

Perez says, "We have the worst education system, K through 12." Leave aside how such a sweeping statement is absurd on its face; not once in her little TV visit does Perez bother to mention that we have almost the worst childhood poverty in the developed world. It's probably too much to expect Perez to know that when you control for poverty, American children are at the top of the world.

We get a clip of WBD next, with Perez's character complaining about another teacher's poor work. Obviously, the primary difference between the educational outcomes of students in and out of poverty is their teachers, right?

Perez then says teachers "should be paid so much money," and the audience and the hosts all applaud and cheer - whoo-hoo! Uh, where you gonna get the money, Rosie? Do you think that Philip Anschutz, Walden Media's owner and producer of WBD, is hot to see his taxes raised to pay teachers more?

Though deeply unfortunate, it is also unsurprising that “Won’t Back Down” is such a false and misleading depiction of teachers and unions. Anschutz’s business partner is on record saying that he intends to use Walden Media (which also produced the equally misleading “Waiting for ‘Superman’”), as way for him to promote their values.
 
A look at the organizations in which Anschutz invests makes those values crystal clear. He has funded 20 organizations, including ALEC, Americans for Prosperity and the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation. All of these groups operate against the public interest in favor of corporate interests, and all of them actively oppose collective bargaining rights and other benefits for workers. Anschutz has also invested millions in anti-gay and extreme religious-right organizations such as the Promise Keepers, whose founder declared that “homosexuality is an abomination against almighty God,” and organizations affiliated with Focus on the Family. [emphasis mine]  

Wow - I wonder what Perez thinks about that?



So, Perez makes videos supporting marriage equity at the same time she takes money to appear in movies bankrolled by notorious anti-gay activists. Nice.

Perez wraps up her appearance by juggling bananas and talking about being naked on stage.

Your American education discourse, ladies and gentlemen. There's no doubt we are in for quite a bit more of this idiocy over the next month - hold tight.