Burris Ewell
Diane watched Bowling for Columbine Friday night, and Saturday morning deviated from her usual religious-like devotion to the Globe to describe most of the important scenes. One of them, the welfare mother who drives eighty miles to her two minimum wage jobs while her six year old, home without proper supervision, shoots his six year old playmate.
Reminded me of this scene from To Kill a Mockingbird.
Scout, in the first grade, complains to her father, Atticus, that Burris Ewell is forced to attend only the first day of school.
“Let us leave it at this,†said Atticus dryly. “You, Miss Scout Finch, are of the common folk. You must obey the law.†He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of becoming blind to some of the Ewells’ activities. They didn’t have to go to school, for one thing. Another thing, Mr. Bob Ewell, Burris’s father, was permitted to hunt and trap our of season.
“Atticus, that’s bad,†I said. In Maycomb County, hunting out of season was a misdemeanor at law, a capital felony in the eyes of the populace.
“It’s against the law, all right,†said my father, “and it’s certainly bad, but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains. I don’t know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit.â€
“Mr. Ewell shouldn’t do that –.â€
“Of course he shouldn’t, but he’ll never change his ways. Are you going to take out your disapproval on his children?â€
Malcolm Miller – 1940
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Take a skinhead bowling, take a skinhead bowling.
Comment by two thumbs — January 5, 2004 @ 6:27 pm
Every day, I wake up and pray to Jah
And he increases the number of clocks by exactly one
Comment by all thumbs — January 5, 2004 @ 7:04 pm
Take them bowling
Some people say that bowling alleys got big lanes
Some people say that bowling alleys all look the same
There’s not a line that goes here that rhymes with anything
Comment by anotherlevel — January 5, 2004 @ 7:58 pm
Am I alone in having wanted more from a song called “Take the Skinheads Bowling” than these unabashedly, self-avowedly, lame and directionless lyrics? Moore could’ve done so much better himself –why incorporate into his passionate rant of a movie a song with but a potent title and no “there” there?
Comment by wistful — January 5, 2004 @ 9:02 pm
I don’t know the answer.
If it were a more compelling song would my zombie-like wife feel even more compelled to rattle around this house singing, “Take a skinhead bowling… .?
First Peter, then Dan, now Diane, all consumed by that movie. I’m impressed.
Comment by enough — January 6, 2004 @ 6:07 am
I too loved this movie. I watched it as my 15 year old recommended it having seen it herself. She and I watched it together and I now recommend all parents watch it with their kids. But I don’t remember the song. Perhaps I’ll watch it again to be in the loop.
Comment by chris — January 6, 2004 @ 11:54 am
Yesterday, on the web, we read, “Take a Skinhead Bowling is the king-daddy of all songs.” Lame, yes, directionless, yes, but king-daddy, yes, at least in its ability to infiltrate this particular (semi-)consciousness.
Comment by two thumbs — January 6, 2004 @ 6:48 pm