Matt Damon: Public school hypocrite?
Aug 9, 2013, 12:00 PM | Updated: Aug 27, 2013, 2:00 am
Jeb Bush has taken to Twitter launching arrows at Matt Damon.
Matt’s mother is a public school teacher and he himself has been a longtime advocate of public schools. Matt recently enrolled his four daughters in PRIVATE schools near Los Angeles.
Matt Damon Refuses to Enroll Kids in Los Angeles Public Schools. Choice ok for Damon, why not everyone else? http://t.co/yHrTbakeIW
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) August 6, 2013
Matt Damon’s response, via the Huffington Post:
Sending our kids in my family to private school was a big, big, big deal. And it was a giant family discussion. But it was a circular conversation, really, because ultimately we don’t have a choice. I mean, I pay for a private education and I’m trying to get the one that most matches the public education that I had, but that kind of progressive education no longer exists in the public system. It’s unfair.
Putting my feelings about “progressive” celebrities aside for a moment, I have to side with Matt on this one.
We are lucky here in Arizona to have open enrollment. If our kid’s school isn’t cutting it, we move schools.
Residents of the Lib Crib (California) don’t have such luxuries. Matt Damon is acting in what he feels is the best interest of his children. He can afford the best, so he pays for the best. If you want to cart your kids off to the finest learning institutions, just demand $20 million for YOUR next film.
What do we expect from celebrities? They have a narcissistic desire to be loved and adored by their fans. How do they accomplish this? They find a pet project that will appeal to the masses. What greater cause is there than YOUR child’s public education? Not much fan appeal in fighting for better PRIVATE school education.
This also runs on a popular misconception that private schools are better than public schools. My kids were attending private school and excelling. We transferred them to the public school system and they were behind their new classmates. I have experienced first-hand that some public schools have more advanced curriculum than private schools.
One more thing: Should we be attacking Matt over this or should we be attacking his wife? Come on guys, we know that the mom is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to the kids.
Food for thought.
