COMM 1500
TR 11:30 am
Spencer Timmerman
Lean On Me
In 1986 Norman Twain saw a 10-minute segment on the NBC magazine show telling the story
of Joe Clark, also known as Crazy Joe; A principle famous for appearing on the cover of Times
magazine holding a baseball bat. From this he learned about Joes reputation for firing teachers
and suspending students without authority, illegally chaining the doors of the school to keep drug
dealers out, and carrying a bullhorn with him on his patrols of the halls. I immediately thought
this was a movie. Norman would later tell the Philadelphia Daily (Yagoda), I called Joe up the
next day and came out here the day after that. He was all for it. Michael Schiffer would become
the writer of the screenplay. I immediately saw how intense he was about this kind of subject,
Norman would say of his first meeting with Michael, how well he related to the story."
Before Lean on Me, Michael was having his first script produced. It was a film about L.A.
Gangs called, Colors. He said the story of Colors was, about a desperate situation caused by the
loss of the inner city. It was a sounding of alarm. It didn't have any answers. The answer was to
be found in Lean on Me, in education. Lean on Me says that if you care, maybe you can
accomplish what seems impossible." In this statement from Michael we see the story he was
trying to tell. To tell this story the creators had to take a lot of liberties. There wasnt a drastic
increase in test scores as we were lead to believe (Gellene), the mayor and the vice principals
were supportive instead of obstructionist, Joe was never jailed for chaining the doors, and there
was no threat of a state takeover (Hyman). These and other alterations make the accomplishments greater and the obstacles more impossible, fulfilling the story underlying the film.
COMM 1500
TR 11:30 am
Spencer Timmerman
The meaning I crafted was similar to what Michael intended. A strong, passionate leader who is
willing to do what it takes to get things done will get things done. I imagine others created
similar meanings. Knowing the true story, without alterations, can creates different meanings for
me. Most of his accomplishments were simply creating order, and he was a bully. However the
producers crafted the story in such a way that made me cheer on his bullying. It was a welldesigned story in that sense.
In the film, Joe would solve many of the problems that came his way using the Ooda Loop
method; Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. He would see the problem, come up with a decision to
solve it in his head, gather everyone together, and then implement his plan. For example; at the
beginning Joe sees the school. He sees the broken windows, graffiti on the walls, cages in the
cafeteria, and drug use among the students. This is the Observe stage. After this he goes through
the Orient stage in his head. This we do not see as the audience, but it happens. He then decides.
He walks into the meeting prepared for him and orders the vice principle to sit down and let him
do all the talking. He dictates his plan which includes tearing down the cages in the cafeteria,
cleaning the graffiti off the walls, and expelling all of the drug dealers, drug addicts, and lazy
students. Finally all of this is acted on during the assembly, where he publicly expels every
student on the list he had made.
Gaming Culture
COMM 1500
TR 11:30 am
Spencer Timmerman
A number of things help drive the gaming culture. For one, games are very addictive.
(Anderson) When gamers get into a game, its hard to get out. Another part is the social aspect.
Modern games and social media let gamers connect to people around the world. There are many
sites and YouTube channels dedicated to the gaming culture. The immersion of modern games is
another driving factor. Virtual reality can act as an escape from life, and even replace important
real-life responsibilities in extreme cases (Salmon). In the future, games are likely to become
even more immerse. The Oculus Rift is likely to become more advanced and wide spread, and
allow almost total immersion. Advances like these could lead to video game abuse, like we
already are seeing now. However, if used responsibly, these technologies could provide great
advances for everyone.
In the future, educational games would have a more real life aspect to them. This would be
very helpful with training surgeons in the real world. Surgeons could practice in virtual reality
suites before a surgery. In the class room, immersive games could take students to far of lands or
the distant past, making the experience feel real.
There are many ways how the culture of my own community is similar to online communities
Im a part of. There are many ways they are dissimilar. For example, collective intelligence is
important in both. In my community and the groups within it, its important to work with others
to accomplish goals in life. In videogames, especially MMORPGs like Star Wars: The Old
Republic, working with others is important to level up and get a head.
Social interaction online with strangers is different than communicating with friends and
family in your community. For example, most communication is done through online forums or
COMM 1500
TR 11:30 am
Spencer Timmerman
in game chat boxes. These forms of communication, especially forums, are not instantaneous,
and theyre not very rich; No verbal or non-verbal cues. However, sometimes you speak through
a mic. This brings verbal communication into the mix. Its still not as rich as the face to face
interactions I have with my real-world friends. Online communication also allows a higher
degree of anonymity. You usually dont use your real name, just a username. This username can
be changed, letting you take on an entirely new identity. This is next to impossible in real
communities, where changing your identity requires moving and a lot of paperwork. Despite all
of this, you can have meaningful interactions with people online, and even develop friendships.
In that sense, theres little difference between virtual reality and reality.
In 2011 the Supreme Court of the United States decided that video games are protected under
the first amendment (Narcisse). The opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia reads, Like the
protected books, plays, and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideasand
even social messagesthrough many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue,
plot, and music) and through features distinctive to the medium (such as the players interaction
with the virtual world). Some were worried of video games losing out, which would have a
chilling effect on game design. Despite these concerns, the decision was 7-2 and the majority
opinion was written by what most consider a conservative justice. This decision doesnt reflect a
republican decision obviously. It doesnt even reflect a democratic culture. It reflects American
ideals; freedom of expression, and liberty.
COMM 1500
TR 11:30 am
Spencer Timmerman
Bibliography
Yagoda, Ben. "Reel Look At Tough Teacher Controversial Educator Joe Clark Is Subject Of The
Film 'Lean On Me'" Philly-archives. N.p., 01 Aug. 1988. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Gellene, Denise. "Commentary : 'Lean on Me': A Modern Myth? : Taking Artistic Liberty With
Real Joe Clark." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Mar. 1989. Web. 05 Oct.
2016.
Hyman, Irwin A. "The 'Make-Believe World' of Lean on Me." Education Week. Editorial
Projects in Education, 26 Aug. 2016. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Anderson, Sam. "Just One More Game ..." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Apr.
2012. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
Salmon, Andrew. "Couple: Internet Gaming Addiction Led to Baby's Death." CNN. Cable News
Network, 02 Apr. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
Narcisse, Evan. "Supreme Court: Video Games Qualify for First Amendment Protection |
TIME.com." Time. Time, 27 June 2011. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
