‘Public’ Views

Regarding “ ‘Boston Public’ Recalls High School--on Pluto” (Oct. 23): Howard Rosenberg clearly has a very limited sense of humor. I seriously doubt the average television viewer takes every second of every program literally. This one had some good points to make, even though sometimes making use of a very tongue-in-cheek method. In this day and age, where Regis Philbin and wrestling rule the airwaves, there are no rules. Lighten up. It’s just television, and you’re just a critic.

RON HARDYMAN

Glendale

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We kept waiting for the punch line.

“Boston Public,” a television show where teachers and administrators sleep with their students, discharge firearms inside a classroom, make comments about girls’ breasts and physically assault and batter a student cannot be serious “drama,” could it? We were watching satire, right?

Or perhaps we were witnessing a gripping depiction of the underclass. Maybe David E. Kelley borrowed a page from Spike Lee. In portraying the black gifted athlete as stupid, he demonstrated the cultural discrimination fomented by our public education institutions and raised our social consciousness in the process.

As high school educators, “Boston Public” does not demonstrate an accurate portrayal of teachers, students, administrators or public schools.

It was not until the end of the show that we got the punch line. The joke was on us for watching this tripe.

MICHAEL A. DIMAGGIO

SARAH CROOK

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Teachers, Bellflower High School

“Boston Public” is as bigoted an attack on public schools as the hate inflicted by the likes of Louise Hicks and George Wallace.

It’s clear that the producers of this program care nothing of the dangerous stereotypes they are perpetuating to tarnish public schools, with no small dose of added racism and anti-Semitism.

GAIL D. SOLO

Los Angeles

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Even though I’ve been an unabashed David E. Kelley booster for years, I found myself unable to sustain interest in “Boston Public” for more than about 10 minutes.

The problem is that Kelley’s high school students lack the potential for complexity. Unlike adults, they offer no redeeming contribution to compensate for their burdensome resistance to enculturation. Unless Kelley manages to imbue his kids with warmth and appeal, the show is doomed.

MICHAEL AMAROSA

Santa Ana