Reference to Albert Shanker (?) in "Sleeper"
In Sleeper (1973) there appears to be a reference to "Albert Shanker" who is identified as the person who devastates the world by starting World War III apparently by obtaining and detonating a nuclear weapon.
Is this is a reference to the educator Albert Shanker? What's the point of the joke?
Best Answer
Yes, it appears to be a reference to Albert Shanker, the educator, union organizer and activist.
As head of the United Federation of Teachers, he led union activities that included a nearly two-month-long teacher's strike that shut down almost all of the schools in New York, in 1968 (New York City Teachers's Strike of 1968).
The strike was a particularly explosive issue, because it was related to issues of race (tensions between Jewish teachers and black parents and administrators).
Still, teachers union organizing is a far cry from nuclear assault, which is the source of the comedy.
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