This is a dream Gerald Molen had about Tom Stack. Stack is the one on the toilet.
Gerald Molen is a major Hollywood producer, and one of the best; among his accomplishments are “Rain Man,” “Schindler’s List,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Twister.” He was invited to deliver a speech to graduating seniors at Ronan High School in Ronan, Montana, and out of the graciousness of his heart, agreed. Molen prepared a speech evoking the heroism of Oskar Schindler, and planned to ask the students to “imagine your future is a movie. Forty years from now, you’re writing a script about your accomplishments. What would that script look like?”
When Molen arrived to give his speech ( the high school is a 90 minute drive from his Montana home) the school principal, Tom Stack, informed him that he had decided to disinvite Moler. Apparently some parents had complained that Moler was a “right winger,” and objected to him speaking to the seniors. Stack didn’t care what the actual speech was about; mustn’t upset those progressive parents! Molen wasn’t welcome because of his political beliefs, and not even any specific belief. He was just one of those cruel and mean conservatives—you know, the ones Nancy Pelosi, Ed Schultz and Lawrence O’Donnell are always condemning—and his contagion couldn’t be allowed to spread. Molen, understandably insulted, told the story to the Hollywood reporter.
What can one say about Stack’s actions? To begin with, they were extraordinarily rude. To invite a speaker, and disinvite him after he has planned his schedule, prepared a speech and made the trip to deliver it is atrocious manners—unfair, disrespectful, and irresponsible. Stack’s reasons for doing so, however, are even worse. At best they are cowardly, the school administrator’s stock in trade. He made a cost-benefit analysis: mistreating one Hollywood producer whom he probably would never have anything to do with again, versus angering a group of bigoted, narrow-minded parents who could make his life miserable. And it was an easy call, that…at least, if you’re a spineless, unprincipled principal like Tom Stack.
At worst, he disinvited Moler because Stack, like the complaining parents who any competent educator would have told to stop trying to impose their narrow political correctness and ideological censorship on schools, also is a narrow-minded bigot, and worse, a disgrace to the educational profession who believes that school is for indoctrinating kids rather than exposing them to a wide range of ideas.
We should not forget that this incident is the direct result of partisans in politics and the media routinely demonizing Americans who have opinions that vary from those of the political poles. This nurtures bigotry, and make no mistake, someone who believes that a conservative or a liberal can’t be trusted to make an inspirational speech to children is a bigot. Stack, however, is more than a bigot… or a coward, if he just capitulated to the bigots rather than agreed with them. He is also a rank incompetent. He does not possess the judgment, values and character necessary to competently educate the young. Yet he was the school principal. How many more like him are there?
My guess: a lot. Stack is leaving Ronan High, and moving to another school, which is hiring him even after it has learned about his treatment of Gerald Molen.*
There must be a very sad and shallow talent pool for school administrators in Montana.
Or, I fear, everywhere.
* The Bigfork school superintendent apologized to Molen, as he should have. I’ll wait for him to apologize to parents for letting someone like Stack be in charge of the education of their children. Lacking that, I’m not impressed.
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Pointer and Source: Volokh
Facts: Hollywood Reporter
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The district said Mr. Stack “would not be back next year.” but this is because he is leaving to take a higher position as Superintendent in another MT district. His promotion should be revoked after this arrogant act.
The times they are a-changin’! A Hollywood producer is disinvited because he’s too conservative?! And by a professional educrat in a rural Montana school? I could spend all day commenting on this state of affairs!
But, of course, the main topic here is that of “disinvitation”… which is shaping up as not only a symptom of weak liberal mentality, but also as a tactic to libel the “unenlightened” in public. In either case, it’s unethical. If someone is invited to a function, then that invitation should stand regardless. The first time I ever heard of such a thing was in 1976, when Duke Cristofo Colon of Spain, the 19th lineal descendent of Christopher Columbus, was so humiliated by the Los Angeles city government after being named grand marshal of the parade marking the semi-millennial of his ancestor’s voyage of discovery… all because some American Indian activists protested it. Pathetic!
I agree. My take.
“He was invited to deliver a speech to graduating seniors at Ronan High School in Bigfork, Montana,”. Small correction – nothing major. Mr. Molen lives in Bigfork, Montana and was asked to give the speech at the high school in Ronan, Montana
In our Daily Inter Lake newspaper, Mr. Molen was quoted as saying, “I hope there’s some good that can come out of it . . .He probably did what he thought was the right thing, but he handled it terribly. I give him kudos for watching out for the kids, but I give him an “F” for the way he handled it with me.”.
How unfortunate Mr. Molen had to experience this.
Thanks for the correction, Libby.
I should like to correct Mr. Molen’s comment too, for it is nice to the point of gilding Stack’s conduct. Stack was NOT “looking out for the children.” He was looking out for himself, and only himself, to the detriment of the children and Mr. Molen.
The Ronan Schools Superintendent took weeks to apologize. Nothing, and I mean nothing, happens in the school district without his knowledge. The fact that it took so long for him to apologize says it all: at the very least what happened to Mr. Molen had the Superintendent’s tacit blessing.
But let’s put the Ronan schools in perspective: Ronan is in the heart of Western Montana. For all intents and purposes, Western Montana is one of the most cosmopolitan communities in the United States. Though the distances between towns and cities are perhaps larger than average, the amount of time it takes to go from one end of Western Montana to the other is negligible by National standards. There are more writers, movie stars, combat Veterans, retired upper echelon military and Government bureaucrats and business leaders per capita than just about anywhere else in the country. Added to all this is an Indian reservation that sits in the center of Western Montana, and that is composed of nearly 90% non-Indians. It a reservation in which the Confederated Tribes who govern it have always had the ability to sell Reservation lands to non-Tribal members. Considering that it does not use gambling as a major revenue source, it is by far one of the most prosperous reservations in the country.
Ronan is located in the center of this Reservation. The gorilla on the block is the “Tribe.” To call it a Tribe, however, is to seriously stretch the definition: it is a confederation of Salish, Flathead, Kalispell, Pend d’Oreille, and Kutenai. The Flathead are originally from east of the mountains, and the Kutenai are from Canada. The largest group are the Pend d’Oreille, but their name is not even included in the name of the “Tribe.” This is not a poor tribe by any yardstick (yes, I have Indian blood, but no, I do not belong to a reservation. Most of the family has always refused to be a part of a reservation).
Tribal lawyers abound. The political climate is overwhelmingly liberal/progressive–as you would expect it to be from a Tribe that gets a ton of money from the Government.
Make no mistake, please. I am not bashing the Tribe. When all the pluses and minuses are computed, it is no more or no less corrupt than surrounding non-Tribal governments and communities. I am simply trying to put Mr. Molen’s plight in context.
It would be a mistake to think that the Ronan area is populated by a bunch of country bumpkins and destitute Tribal members. Nothing could be farther from the reality. The area covered by the Reservation usually votes Republican, but the Tribe votes Democrat.
I leave it to you to connect the dots.
This is great perspective; thanks.
Of course, theoretically nothing about being progressive or liberal in one’s beliefs should cause one to be suspicious or distrustful of someone with opposing beliefs, or to be so disrespectful as to doubt their ability to make a valuable and positive address to high school students. That is, if one really knows what liberal thought is, supports the values of the American Constitution and possesses a smidgeon of humility, fairness, proportion and common sense.
Couldn’t agree more. The problems that beset humanity today are far too complex to be decided by politics. Mr. Molen apparently well understands this–which is why his speech to the students was devoid of politics. In my experience, which is not inconsiderable, human beings have found only two ways to resolve conflict: 1. war, and 2. education. War is easy, education not so easy. Mr. Molen put aside his political leanings in the hope of offering a tiny bit of education to the students. It was not an easy thing to do.
Thanks for that perspective, Joe.
Stack should go now and not be allowed “stumble his way to the top” in a new school.