In movie theaters around the country, audiences leaving after Remember the Titans are reaching for more than their car keys. They're reaching for tissues.
They're crying but they're also cheering, and even giving the film standing ovations. As Brian Callaghan of General Cinema told USA Today, theater manages are comparing the film's impact to that of Rocky twenty- five years ago. As he put it, "it's a movie that has struck a chord with just about everyone who sees it."
That's because, unlike so many contemporary films, Remember the Titans has an uncompromising moral core.
Remember the Titans is based on a true story. In 1971, the city of Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac from Washington, was under a court order to integrate its schools. This included merging its two high schools and their football teams.
As a result, the popular head coach of T.C. Williams High School, Bill Yoast, who is white, was replaced by a black newcomer, Herman Boone. To put it mildly, Boone faced a daunting task. If he lost a game, he'd be in deep trouble.
So, to keep his job, Boone had to do two things. First, he had to turn two teams into one. In the film's pivotal sequence, Boone convinces Yoast to remain as his assistant. Their cooperation became a symbol for the way black and white players could come together.
But getting players to look beyond race and respect each other wasn't enough. Boone had to instill a sense of discipline in his players. They had to learn the value of hard work and setting aside their personal need for gratification.
Well, he succeeded. The T.C. Williams Titans won the Virginia state championship. And the story of how they did it is so compelling that, even knowing how it turns out, audiences still cheer during scenes of the championship game.
Reviewers have called the film a "feel-good" movie. But that misses the point. A large part of the movie's appeal lies in what you and I might call its "moral universe" -- the things that it assumes are good and true.
For instance, our postmodern culture, which segregates people by cultural identities, tells us that it is next to impossible for people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds to communicate with one another, much less work together for a common purpose. This film says, "Not so!"
It's also a welcome respite from the egocentric mess that sports have become. If you watch NFL games, you'll see that every pass reception or tackle becomes the occasion for a display that yells, "Look at me!" The fact that this is what the players are paid to do goes unnoticed. And, if a player actually scores a touchdown, he often carries on as if he were a conquering hero.
Remember the Titans reminds us that individual glory and gratification can (and should) take a back seat to doing your best for the sake of the team. Most people want to believe this is still true. And that's why they cheer.
The film is rated PG-13 for some profanity. But, if you can get yourself past that, you will see a great lesson -- that hard work and sacrifice do pay off. And the tears viewers shed remind us that our neighbors don't mind being reminded of that fact. There is still hunger for virtue in American life.
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============================== I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can do, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again. - William Penn (Founder of State of Penn.) ============================== A Short Look at Six World Religions: http://www.probe.org/docs/world.html ============================== To request Our Daily Bread online: http://www.rbc.net/order/odb.html ============================== NOT A THREAT: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO WESTERN SOCIETY http://www.probe.org/docs/threat.html ============================== The motto "In God We Trust" was adopted as the US national motto by President Dwight Eisenhower. History of the adoption of "In God We Trust": http://www.ustreas.gov/opc/opc0011.html ============================== "How to Be Sure You're a REAL Christian" Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/htbs1.htm or 1-888-NEED-HIM (free call) ============================== Creation, The Flood and Prophecy http://www.gospelcom.net/shofar/pp/htm/report.shtml ============================== Christian Web Info: http://www.gospelcom.net ============================== Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in money and you may have it taken from you; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity. - D.L. Moody ============================== Who is Jesus? (http://www.ccci.org/whoisjesus/interactive-journey/)
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________________________ "E-Mail Newspaper (Free4u)" _______________________________ References gleamed for great humor & information: Merry Heart, Learning Kingdom, Thomas S. Elworth, Funny List, MeMail, Daily Dose, Joke of the Day, andychap, Buffalos3, MIKEY'S FUNNIES , humorcartoons@arcamax.com & MSKitty.
Dear Howdy, I think your magazine is a scream! Christianne
+++ Dear Howdy, I have been receiving your "paper" for a while under S___@T___.com for a while and love it! I was recently married and so my email address changed to reflect my new name. Keep up the great work! Suzanne
+++ Dear Howdy, Funny!!!!!!!!!! The Shawdow
+++ Dear Howdy, I really enjoy your newletter. I would like to bring to your attention that Tennessee was listed on TV (sorry I don't remember which network) as one of the states that is too close to call in the presidental election. Since Al Gore is "suppose" to be from Tennessee you would think the fact that TN is not behind him should be a clear sign to the rest of the nation. As George W. Bush said at a rally on Tuesday here in Knoxville, Al Gore will carry his home district - Washington DC, but not the state of Tennessee! Sandy
+++ Dear Howdy, You are GREAT! I love your sense of humor, your obvious bias towards REPUBLICANS (me, too!) and your thought provoking commentaries. Are you a real person?????? Jo
Dear Jo, Didn't know the bias showed!!! My Mother thinks I'm real... Howdy
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*Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. --1 Peter 5
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*An elephant's trunk is as important to it as our hands are to us. With its trunk, an elephant can pick up a pea or throw a huge, heavy log. A full-grown elephant's trunk is about seven feet long (2 meters) and weighs about 300 pounds (140 kilograms). This amazing organ contains more than 100,000 muscles and no bones at all.
The trunk is an extension of the elephant's nose and upper lip. At its tip, there are two delicate, fleshy buds that act much like our fingers. The animal uses it for drinking (by sucking in water and spraying it into its mouth), for washing (by spraying its body), for communicating (by trumpeting through it), for smelling, for breathing, and in many other ways. It can hold more than a gallon of water. Remember who the elephant's Creator is? See Genesis 1 for details.
There are two species of elephants alive today: http://www.robinsonresearch.com/ANIMALS/MAMMALS/elephants.htm
{Double click on the web address above for additional information:}
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*The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. --Proverbs 9
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German scientists dug 50 meters down and discovered small pieces of copper. After studying these pieces for a long time, Germany announced that the ancient Germans 25,000 years ago had a nation-wide telephone net.
Naturally, the Russian government was not that easily impressed. They ordered their own scientists to dig even deeper. 100 meters down they found small pieces of glass and they soon announced that the ancient Russians 35,000 years ago already had a nation-wide fiber net.
American scientists were outraged by this. They dug 200 meters down & found absolutely nothing. They happily concluded that the ancient Americans 55,000 years ago had cellular telephones.
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*Centuries ago, English was mostly spoken by a few million people in the British Isles, and there were a few local dialects such as Irish English. But in the last century, the language has exploded across the world and diversified, picking up many words and pronunciation styles from local tongues.
Measured by the number of people for whom English is their first language, 72% speak American English and 16% use British English. 6% use Canadian English, 5% use Australian English and 1% use New Zealand English. There are also dozens of minor dialects, including Caribbean, South African, (Asian) Indian, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.
Even within American English there are significant regional differences. Boston English is different from the language spoken in Atlanta, and Chicago English is different from both of them.
*All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. --2 Timothy 3
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A woman meant to call a record store but dialed the wrong number and got a private home instead.
"Do you have 'Eyes of Blue' and 'A Love Supreme'?" she asked.
"Well, no," answered the puzzled homeowner. But I have got a wife and eight children."
"Is that a record?" she inquired.
"I don't think so," replied the man, "but it's as close as I want to get."
*VENI, VIDI, VISA: I came, I saw, I did a little shopping.
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A UNC grad goes to the doctor and tells him she hurts all over. "When I touch my arm, ouch, it hurts. When I touch my leg, ouch, it hurts. When I touch my head, ouch, it hurts. When I touch my chest, ouch, it hurts."
The doctor just shakes his head and asks, "You're a UNC grad, aren't you?"
The woman smiles and says, "Why, yes I am. How did you know?"
The doctor replies, "Because your finger is broken."