Actor Matt Damon attended the Save Our Schools march in Washington D.C. on Saturday, where he gave a keynote address. After his speech, he had a confrontation with a Reason.tv reporter.
The reporter argued that the lack of job security in acting served as an incentive for hard work, to which Damon disagreed.
He stated, “So you think job insecurity is what makes me work hard? I want to be an actor. That’s not an incentive. That’s the thing. See, you take this MBA-style thinking, right?
“It’s the problem with ed policy right now, this intrinsically paternalistic view of problems that are much more complex than that.
“It’s like saying a teacher is going to get lazy when they have tenure. A teacher wants to teach.
“I mean, why else would you take a low salary and long hours to do that job unless you really love it?”
The conversation became tense when the cameraman for Reason.tv interjected, saying, “Aren’t 10 percent of teachers bad, though? Ten percent of teachers are bad.”
Damon’s mother, who is a teacher in the Boston area, asked where the cameraman got his statistics.
He replied, “I don’t know. Ten percent of people in any profession maybe should think of something else.”
Damon then responded, “Maybe you’re a shitty cameraman.”
The exchange between the actor and the Reason.tv cameraman highlights the disagreement about job security and its relationship to motivation and performance.
Some argue that the fear of losing one’s job can lead to harder work and better results, while others believe that job security and the ability to focus on one’s passion is more important for motivation and success.
This debate extends beyond the field of acting and into other professions, including teaching.
Teaching can be a demanding and underpaid job, with long hours and a significant amount of responsibility.
However, many teachers are drawn to the profession because of their passion for educating and making a positive impact on their students.
The argument that teachers may become lazy or less motivated because of job security ignores the inherent dedication and drive of many educators.
The disagreement between Damon and the Reason.tv reporter also touches on the larger issue of education policy.
Damon criticized the “MBA-style thinking” and “paternalistic view” of the reporter, suggesting that the problems facing the education system are more complex than simply linking job security to motivation.
