Lately, I have found myself getting into documentaries. It is one of those phases I have, whereby something piques my curiosity and I’m off to the races, onto my new obsession. Allow me to discuss the first documentary on my list: “Minding The Gap” (2018). This film follows three high school friends united by a passion for skateboarding.
In essence, these young individuals are emblematic of countless others in the West. While not destitute, they show signs of a subtler kind of poverty, growing up in unstable families, with parents ill-equiped to guide them in the right direction. These friends, now in their twenties, are left still bearing the marks of precisely that upbringing. Only a few minutes into the documentary and we see one of the three become a father with his girlfriend. I know what you’re thinking —twenty-three should be old enough to take on the responsibility. However, it soon becomes clear that this young man is not up to the job, still lacking in maturity. Not much later, we see the young couple in heavy arguments, ultimately leading to their separation. The young father is left having to pay child support… and one can’t help but see how the cycle is repeated for another generation. Meanwhile, the other two friends do their utmost to improve their circumstances, but it proves to be an uphill battle – partly because of their troubled upbringings.
Now, let us move on to the second documentary. Searching for the greatest documentaries led me to “Hoop Dreams,” a film from 1994 set in an even more impoverished neighborhood than the one depicted in the previous documentary. Here, we encounter two young African-American boys who give their all, in an effort to become professional basketball players. While they may still be in high school, every training session and every match feels like it’s life or death. Some of the toughets scenes, include seeing them miss a basketball shot by a hair, narrowly losing a championship. Another tough moment happens when one of the players injures his knee, needs surgery and year-long rehabilitation. Every setback feels like a deathblow to these students.
For me, it seems cutthroat and frankly barbaric, to put high school students through all of this. It’s reminiscent of the gladiators clashing in the Colosseum, merely for the entertainment of the masses.
Speaking of madness, let us delve into the realm of Belgian education, where an expert made several statements in the media regarding the value of higher education. This education expert said, “Too many highly educated people? The risk does exist…” Now, while this individual’s intentions probably means well, I wonder if he fully comprehends what he’s saying here and what it means to the average person on the street. Perhaps it’s just him hypothetically musing, along the lines of, “If I were in charge, I would create a system whereby…”
And even though these type of philosphical discussions might be great fun, we shouldn’t ignore the reality of the world we find ourselves in – a world which still is very much like “Minding The Gap” and “Hoop Dreams”, where the lack of proper education, gets you thrown to the lions. In light of this, what is the average person to do with these type of statements, about the supposed surplus of highly educated individuals? Should we deliberately underachieve?
By the way, I once heard a somewhat relevant remark to this conversation. Ever notice how politician tend to complain about their jobs, but they always push their offspring into the same profession? That should be a telling revelation, to say the least. The same can be observed here. The education expert, who complains there are too many educated individuals, is himself highly educated. Always compare words and actions. Food for thought.
Kind regards
Vincent J. Dancet