Pearls Of Wisdom

(This takes place in my World History class, as we are learning about World War II.)

Teacher: “Now, why did we get involved in the war?”

(The teacher sees Girl #1 holding up her hand.)

Teacher: “Yes [Girl #1]?”

Girl #1: “Because we knew about the Holocaust and wanted to stop it.”

Teacher: “Well not exactly. We did know of at least some of the activities related to the Holocaust, but that’s not why we got involved. Come on guys! It has to do with Japan.”

(I start to raise my hand, but Girl #2, Girl #1’s best friend, raises hers first.)

Girl #2: “Oh, I know! Because we wanted their oil!”

Teacher: “No that’s not it… It was because they attacked Pearl Harbor.”

Girl #1: “Oh my god! I love that movie!”

Girl #2: “I know! It’s so tragic and beautiful.”

Teacher: “No it’s not! It’s a piece of crap!”

Girl #1: “How can you not like that movie?!”

Teacher: “Because the girl jumps from her supposed ‘true love’ to his best friend in a snap. It’s basically a d*** soap-opera with Pearl Harbor as a backdrop. And the attack itself isn’t given much weight since the only character who is at the harbor had a cameo appearance at best. We have no real emotional connections to the characters, and they get historical facts completely wrong! You can like it all you want, but don’t mention it again in my class.”

Girl #1 & #2: *silent and shocked*

Teacher: *like nothing happened* “So anyway, the attack on Pearl Harbor…”