Two Million is Such a Hyperbolic Number

The grossly skewed angle of "Two Million Minutes" borders on offensive. It takes a look at two children for three countries, 6 children out of millions. While padded by startling statistics that hold some credibility, the audience should remember that numbers can be molded and stretched to fit someone else's truth. The technique of comparison by using blatant opposites is effective. First they show Indian students receiving tuition, then social events in Carmel, USA. We see families at their dinner tables, and automatically point out the differences in dynamic. Most effective was the video game clip, adding up the total number of hours studies as if it is a game. The stark impact is powerful, and the method to convey the message is jaunty and mocking (India is the WINNER!!). The American audience feels indignant; their pride is taken a hit. The appeal to emotion (seeing Xiaoyuan playing her violin for hours, watching Apoorva take on daily challenges), combined with the raw numbers in favor of Asia, conveys a slanted perspective to our countries' differences.

However, the techniques and appeals fulfill the film's purpose. There is a problem. There is global competition. As Vivek Wadhwa points out, our world is a vastly smaller place than it was thirty years ago. Other countries are more motivated to succeed and are gaining the tools to do so. While the US is still the most abundant in opportunities, it may no longer be the most abundant in capability. The film explains how the Chinese are fighting hunger, pressured by parents who survived the Cultural Revolution, and more valued to their parents due to the one-child policy. In interviews, the Asian students use the words "challenge" and "driven", whereas one catches Neil Ahrendt admitting he did not "try that hard" to earn full tuition to Purdue University. Whether structure or culture, the US is in danger of falling behind, of being replaced as a world leader. This film successfully introduces that problem to an audience of teachers, parents, and students who are responsible for creating the next generation of citizens.

I do believe this is a pressing issue, but a majority of the film suggests that everything is wrong, all wrong, all of it wrong. Reading those statistics and listening to those interviews, it's disheartening to say the least. But Neil Ahrendt, Brittany Brechbull, they are both, in my mind, outliers. We are still innovative, and spirited. We weigh our options and make our own decisions. At the end of the day, it seems to me that "our way" works better because it results in a happier population (versus an overworked lab of scientists and engineers). Shirley Jackson points out that American students do work hard, but it is a different kind of work. We have jobs and other responsibilities that make us well-rounded. As long as we can appreciate our lifestyle, and understand why our country works the way it does, I think the world will keep on spinning on its axis. As long as there isn't another Space Race (we'd lose), we'll surely make it to 2010. After Armageddon though, don't come calling for me!