Who assigned us the role of teacher?

It is difficult to dissent this week since I was convinced by Klein’s argument regarding Family Ties as Political Obligation. She ties in cultural references with political issues of the time very well. However, I could not help but think of the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” as Lieutenant Cable sings in South Pacific. After watching the film, South Pacific for the first time in class, I found the love and connection between Nellie and Emile’s children less convincing than Klein describes. If I hadn’t seen the film in class the other day, I would find it hard to dissent this week.
I think it is appropriate that Klein uses the word obligation because this idea of “familial love” as a method for bringing the U.S. and Asia closer seems forced rather than selfless. Klein describes the last scene when Nellie accepts Emile’s children as her own when she says, “Overcoming racism becomes here a precondition for successful expansion, and expansion the reward for overcoming racism. At the heart of this process lies Nellie’s embrace of motherhood.” (pg. 164) In the film, the scene does not seem as embracing as Klein says it is because Nellie is hesitant towards the children. This idea of love conquering all and something as complicated as racism especially in the 1950s, seems too Hollywood. Klein references Nellie in this scene and explains her position, “‘Now you have to learn to mind me when I talk to you, and be nice to me, too. Because I love you very much.’ Repudiating her racism, Nellie declares maternal love in its place.” (pg.165) Although Nellie may be trying to declare her love for Emile’s children, there is a feeling of force behind her declaration of love. Even when we as a class watched the scene, we laughed because although it may be Mitzi Gaynor’s acting skills, this line seems extremely coerced.
Like Alexa described in her post, I have seen the “adopt a child” commercials and I see where Klein’s argument that adoption was a way to relieve Americans of guilt. However, I look at those commercials thinking more about why we need to adopt these children out of guilt and not because we are all humans no matter their race it’s still important to help. There are plenty of children in the U.S. that need help and need to be adopted as well. Klein describes American’s adopting these Asian children because they can teach and mother them to proper human beings. According to Klein, Nellie embraces this idea and challenge to assume this role as mother but also as teacher for Emile’s children. This idea that Americans have to teach these children from other cultures in order to bring the U.S. and Asia closer seems backwards in regard to the effort. In South Pacific Nellie who was “carefully taught” to think of other races one way now has to be taught to think another. At the same time she needs to assume power over her new Polynesian children, but what does she know better than they do? Similarly what gave us Americans, the right to domesticate these Asian children in the 1950s, while racial issues between whites and African American were only growing.