PositiveMode

Is She Right?...

The following is a tremendous performance by Sam Kinnison as Professor Turgeson from Rodney Dangerfield's Back To School. Notice that his tirade is not precisely related to the question he asks nor to the girl's response:

PROFESSOR TURGESON: Welcome ... to Contemporary American History. I'm Professor Turgeson. You know, a lot of people think history is just facts, it's just information about the past... but not me. I mean, I hold history very sacred. Sacred. The way a farmer looks at the earth and he holds it sacred. The way a Christian takes the Bible and he holds it sacred. The way a lot of people hold their marriage sacred. That's how I feel about it. So why don't we dive right in by interpreting one of the easiest events in the last twenty years of American history. Now, can someone tell me why, in 1975, we pulled our troops out of Vietnam?

(a girl in front of class raises her hand. Turgeson points to her)

GIRL:The failure of Vietnamization to win popular support caused an ongoing erosion of confidence in the various American, but illegal, Saigon regimes. (she smiles, quite pleased with her answer)

TURGESON:(he seems a bit irritated) Is she right? 'Cause I know that's the popular version of what went on there. I know a lot of people like to believe that. I wish I could, but I was there. (his irritation increases) I wasn 't here in a classroom, hoping I was right, thinking about it. (begins yelling) I was up to my knees in rice paddies, with guns that didn' t work, going up against Charlie, slugging it out with him, (he turns toward the girl) while pussies like you were back here partying, putting headbands on, doing drugs, listening to the God damn Beatle albums! (screams in her face) Uhhh! UHHHHHH! (the girl is on the verge of tears)

Read the rest of the dialogue HERE.

posted by PositiveMode @ 5:33 PM