Have you ever watched Milk? Controversial opinion, but Sean Penn actually did deserve the Oscar he won for that role. He played Harvey Milk, the gay-rights icon who became the first openly gay man to win public office in America. Milk spent years battling the religious right, and their late-’70s and early-’80s campaign to ban gay teachers from public schools. I bring this up because what’s happening right now with the revival of open homophobia has all been done before. This particular culture war is more than 40 years old. LGBTQ people have the right to exist, to live, to thrive, to love and to work in any field. It is bonkers to me that the Fox News crowd and the entire Republican party are trying to bring this sh-t back.
Anyway, Fox News is absolutely leaning in to “ban gay people from everything, everywhere” in the year of our lord Elton John 2022. They especially want to ban LGBTQ folks from teaching, for all of the stupid homophobic reasons. Enter David Mamet, a prolific playwright, screenwriter and director. Mamet went on Fox News and… said all men are predators?? And pedophiles? Jesus H.
David Mamet on Fox News: "Teachers are inclined, particularly men because men are predators, to pedophilia" pic.twitter.com/azAlXPWRUc
— Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) April 11, 2022
The full quote:
“We have to take back control. If there’s no community control of the schools, what we have is kids being not only indoctrinated but groomed in a very real sense by people who are — whether they know it or not — sexual predators. Are they abusing the kids physically? No, I don’t think so, but they are abusing them mentally and using sex to do so. This has always been the problem with education, is that teachers are inclined, particularly men because men are predators, to pedophilia. And that’s why there were strict community strictures about it, thank God. And this started to break down when the schools said, ‘You know what? We have to teach the kids about sex. Why? Because what if they don’t do it at home?’”
I genuinely did not know that David Mamet is like this. I mean, I never think about him at all beyond the occasional thought of “wow, overrated.” But he’s apparently full-tilt bonkers. He’s been doing interviews because he’s promoting his new book called Recessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch. Oh, so he’s one of those old white men complaining about cancel culture and “free speech.” When he was on Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher asked him about how Mamet claimed, in this dumbf–k book, that “the left attempted a coup during the last presidential election.” Mamet claimed he misspoke. Then he headed straight to Fox News to say every man is a predator and every teacher is a pedophile. Oh, and both of David Mamet’s parents worked as teachers. Whew.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
It sounds to me as if Mamet is telling on himself – I bet there are a lot of female former NYU students of his with all sorts of stories to tell. Of course, if the right wants to accept his view as accurate, I think we have a good rationale to remove all men from every position of authority since they’re predisposed to be predators
Nailed it. A man who teaches thinks all men are predators, especially teachers?
That’s what I was going to say. He just told a truth about himself that he assumed was universal.
Great point only women should be in roles of authority!
That’s what I hear every time a man announces that “men are just biologically programmed to …”.
Yes that comment screams projection.
Yup With these guys the accusation is usually a confession.
Sickens me to her this; my nephew graduated from Mamet and Bill Macy’s acting studio at NYU/Tisch. What sickens me even more, hearing this, is that last week, when I was in NY, I took that nephew to see “American Buffalo” *because* it was a Mamet play. I deeply regret adding to his bank account (tickets weren’t cheap!).
+1 Exactly right. He is telling on himself.
As an educator, as a queer person, and as neurodivergent human, I take great offense at his and other ignorant people’s unconscious projections. And, here we are again. How predictable.
A quote from a favorite actor in a favorite movie: PSH as Rusty Zimmerman in Flawless, 1999: “God bless you and F*ck off.”
Projection is a very real thing. He is saying more about himself than contemporary society or the state of education. Turn around Mr. Mamet, your ass is showing.
Accusing the ‘woke left’ of sexually exploiting kids/rewarding them for sex is one of the many ways homophobes, transphobes, and misogynists try to isolate and abuse their targets. It’s one more thing marginalized people and allies have to be prepared for. There’s no low people won’t stoop to to make their abuse and discrimination ok. It’s not uncommon for them to have a track record of making excuses like this, and of not having enough boundaries to refrain from aiming creepy, sexualized insults directly or indirectly at kids.
I could not believe this story when I read it. I mean,…projection, I guess? Maybe some confusing experiences for him in his youth?
I am both sad and grateful that the pandemic seems to have prompted so many people to show their prejudices. Whew. Forewarned is forearmed, I guess.
I am always amazed in the last few years when I read about a teacher having been caught sexually molesting a student it most likely is a straight female so this wacko conspiracy is coming from just another deranged homophobic old white man.
I’m not a big believer of separating the artist from the art. So Mamet this is who you are now, all your work tainted. Maybe you and Jk Rowlings can start a club.
To be fair, if you read any of his work you’ll realize Mamet is just a horrible person. His work is overrated and overwrought with toxic masculinity.
Oleanna is the perfect example.
I like GlenGary GlenRoss, but not so much I need to go out and spend any money that would benefit Mamet.
Yup, Oleanna really showed what his deal is.
Well spoken – “not a big believer of separating the artist from the art.” Not surprising that Fox would seek out someone to parrot their a priori talking points, but sheesh no stats or studies. Also annoyed because family, including husband’s family, has many teachers from grade school through graduate school.
It’s so disturbingly revealing to hear a man say, “look, what are you going to do? We’re naturally predators & pedophiles!” Like, did you know there are tons of men who aren’t? And why on earth would anyone want to be in the same room with you knowing you think that?
Ugh. Curse this man for being horrible but also for spoiling my next viewing of Glengarry Glen Ross.
As someone who is married to a male elementary school art teacher and as someone who has a sister who is LGBT and has children, I find this just so unbelievably disgusting and offensive. I’m fuming after listening to that garbage.
After all the LGBTQIA progress, we still have to combat this vile hatred. This playwright’s words are definitely disgusting and offensive. I am glad I am not him. I cant imagine living like such a monster.
Projection + homophobia = a-hole.
In all the years I taught (30) the only teachers that molested students were straight. One year a student accused a gay teacher and it came out later that the student lied. Thankfully that accusation did not ruin the reputation of the teacher as he was a trulybawesome teacher. Also, not only male teachers molest students. So do we get rid of all teachers?
I wonder how his daughters are feeling about their father’s trash talk. That must be difficult on the family when your parent goes bonkers a**hole.
This is the same man who encouraged all of his children to drop out of high school to pursue their ‘dream’ of being nepotism kids.
That makes so much sense now. Imagine if one of them decided the attend college and learn about Daddy.
And the total sexism of teaching being only a female profession ain’t lost on my either. Now at this point, neither was to be in the classroom.
This is what I hate about ‘opinion news’ and politics today. People just go around saying whatever they want, don’t care about the truth or what hurt they may cause. There is no intelligent debate or fact finding. Just spew hate and bullish*t.
He’s a notorious mess. I read anything he says as if it were Jon Voight talking.
Or Gary Bussey
“It’s human nature” syndrome. Totally unacceptable to justify this moral and societal/legal crime.
Forgot to add, I think his agent left agenting in the same news cycle. Brilliant timing… but is Zosia in S2 of Flight Attendant? She must be because this story is no longer findable on the trades. Someone’s team got it off.
She is. She was all over the trailer for S2.
What’s so obnoxious and infuriating about this is that the same people that are on Fox News or watch it are the ones screeching about the left being obsessed with sex when they are actually the ones that can’t stop taking about it. Of course they don’t want anyone teaching their kids about safe sex or anything about it because then their kids would maybe form some opinions of their own about consent and body autonomy. When kids are sheltered and don’t get taught anything except for “don’t do it” they are ripe for exploitation and grooming.
Also it is so obvious that they are all using the word “grooming” as their new buzz word because Q is pushing it and they aren’t even using it correctly.
I mainly know him as zosia’s dad with the great Lindsay Cruise who was given the boot when he started an extramarital affair with one of his protégés. So he is immoral and projecting. As a former teacher I die a little every time I hear of a teacher-student sex crime.The fear that it sullies the whole profession when even one of us does it, so people like this over- praised has been can get even a little traction with a sweeping over generalization. I hate it.
So weird. In his earlier days he was a liberal darling. Then over the years he got more and more conservative, until he became a full-blown Trumpster.
Mamet has been telling us who he is for decades. His plays are a misogynistic mess.
I’ve known Mamet is an awful human being, since I saw Oleanna, when it first came out. Glad to see I wasn’t wrong.
The fact of the matter is that children are targeted, groomed and abused mostly by family members and by people the family knows. Teachers are required by law to report if they suspect abuse. They are on the front lines of connecting families to the larger community and teachers see A LOT, as we all know. Predators are damaged people who act out their sickness. Being a victim of abuse does not make you a predator; being a teacher who cares for children does not make you a predator; being gay or straight does not make you a predator. Before Mr Mamet opens his piehole again, he could educate himself on this issue. He obviously has not done any research, and believes in his own bigoted ideas.
I guess he’s talking about himself because between a third and half of my colleagues are men and in my 24 years of teaching I have never met one that was a pedophile… Go figure…
Someone tell Zozia to come get her Dad off of Facebook
He’s an idiot. For a good time, google his name + “Christopher Hitchens book review.” Hitchens eviscerated him.