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Mt. Lebanon school address by activist to get another airing
Monday, January 14, 2002 By Laura Pace, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Hunter "Patch" Adams spoke to the 1,800 students at Mt. Lebanon High School nearly three months ago, but his ideas are still sparking debate among school board members and residents.
School board members have seen a videotape of the controversial speech by the political activist doctor who often dresses as a clown and inspired a movie. They will discuss it tonight.
Adams himself has been monitoring the Mt. Lebanon debate from his Virginia home and told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he is willing to visit the district again to discuss the controversy. The administration has declined his offer.
It started after Adams, 56, spoke at a mandatory high school assembly in October, in part to thank students for making a $5,000 contribution to his Gesundheit! Institute, which treats patients for free.
Adams is an activist with roots in the civil rights movement and a hatred for corporate greed. He is known for his clown dress and irreverent style; he describes himself as a nerd and a "bad boy." Robin Williams portrayed him in a 1998 movie.
But after his speech, several parents and school board members complained that a compulsory student assembly was no place for Adams' political views.
Since then, Adams has watched a videotape of a December school board meeting at which his supporters and opponents clashed and read e-mail conversations forwarded to him by a friend who graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School.
"I was very tickled to see democracy in action," Adams said in a phone interview Thursday.
During most of his nearly hour-long speech to students, Adams explained his view that medicine should be the science of caring rather than big business and that joy and love will make the world a better place.
"Timothy McVeigh got more time on television than love has ever had," he told students, later noting, "You can be the greatest humans of history by deciding to turn our history away from one that worships things to one that worships loving."
But he also expressed views some characterized as anti-American.
"Look at our own history to see that the United States is probably responsible for more terrorism in the world today than any other country. It's unpleasant information. It hurts me. And it's true," he told students. "Our blockade on Iraq since the Gulf War has been responsible for over a half-million children dying."
Adams believes the planet is headed for extinction if people don't move from "power and greed" toward "compassion and generosity." He took exception to residents who said he should have treated his Mt. Lebanon audience differently because they were students.
"It humiliates the school to say they're not teaching their children to be discerning," Adams said Thursday. "I was ... an honest physician saying there is something going on that will cause our extinction. This is not [just] a bad weekend."
Resident Calvin Lynch told school board members in December that presenting only Adams' views at the assembly did not provide balance.
"Extreme positions in vulnerable times has led to fascism," school board member Gracelyn Ratay told fellow board members before calling Adams' booking irresponsible.
At the same school board meeting, several students who attended the assembly said they did not feel pressure to accept Adams' view and that the talk spurred conversations of their own. Several parents said their kids are mature enough to distinguish opinion from fact.
"The kids stood up for me. Bravo to the parents and bravo to the students," Adams said. "The school should be appreciative for actually having the kids have to think for a day."
Adams said he was willing to meet with Mt. Lebanon residents again, if the district pays for airfare.
"I don't see a need to invite him back to continue the conversation," said Superintendent Glenn Smartschan. School board President Rob Keenan also said the district is not interested in having Adams back. He said the school board would discuss the speech at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Foster Elementary School.
Adams was invited to speak at Mt. Lebanon by the administration, the student council and the student activities department, Smartschan said.
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