NEA president mocked for copying ‘The Office’ character Dwight in speech. Over the weekend, Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association (NEA), faced widespread mockery for her impassioned speech at the NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA) in Philadelphia. Critics derided her fervent delivery, likening it to a comedic skit from the popular TV show “The Office.” During her speech, Pringle banged on the podium, waved her hands in the air, and repeatedly shouted about winning “all the things,” evoking comparisons to an iconic scene featuring Dwight Schrute from the series.
Pringle’s speech centered on the theme of transformative social justice change within the education system, with a strong focus on equity. She emphasized the NEA’s mission to unite members and the nation to reclaim public education as a common good and to transform it into a racially and socially just and equitable system.
“We worked hard to rid ourselves of a tyrannical, deceitful, and corrupt White House, but the reality is that the seeds that were sown during that horrible season continue to germinate,” Pringle declared.
She went on to say, “We are the ones who help shape the heart of this nation’s hope and dreams. We are the ones who hold steadfast to the belief in the plausibility of the possible. We are the heirs of all who did this work before us. We must keep going. NEA Delegates, we can do this work. We must do this work. Our students are depending on us to win all the things. All the things! All the things! All the things.”
Critics, including school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis, lambasted her speech as “off-the-rails” and likened it to a scene from “The Office.” DeAngelis told Fox News Digital, “These power-hungry control freaks think they own your kids. They’re in a cult that worships government and detests parents. It’s time to defund teachers’ unions and allow the money to follow the child. Becky Pringle pulled a Dwight Schrute. She is off-the-rails and desperate to maintain control over the minds of other people’s children.”
The scene from “The Office” that critics referred to features Dwight Schrute delivering a hyperbolic speech modeled after real speeches by Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. In the episode, Schrute exclaims, “Blood alone moves the wheels of history! It has been a lifetime struggle. A never-ending fight. I say to you, and you will understand that it is a privilege to fight! We are warriors!… Rise and be worthy of this historical hour! No revolution is worth anything unless it can defend itself!… We must never acquiesce, for it is together, TOGETHER, THAT WE PREVAIL!”
Critics found Pringle’s speech to be similarly overwrought and hyper-partisan. Heritage Foundation research fellow Jason Bedrick commented, “Her overwrought, hyper-partisan tirade amounted to an advertisement for school choice. During her speech, Pringle claimed the NEA would ‘continue to embrace the profound trust that has been placed in’ them. Apparently, she hasn’t seen the polls showing record-low public trust in public schools. Even Pringle’s over-the-top, Dwight Schrute-like theatrics can’t distract from her union’s role in the dismal state of education in this country, from keeping schools closed for far too long during COVID, to shielding bad teachers from accountability—all at the expense of students’ learning.”
This isn’t the first time Pringle has been criticized for her rhetoric. During last year’s RA speech, the National Review’s Jack Crowe noted, “Pringle believes she’s a revolutionary; that is the only conclusion to be drawn from the truly unhinged speech she delivered. Channeling Dwight Schrute, Pringle urges her colleagues, not to raise the nation’s embarrassing reading and math scores, no, but to ‘fight for freedom.’”
