You All Disgust Me

Statisticians say that it takes 3 points to make a trend. We wrote about the first point. Now we have the 2nd point. One more, and it’s officially math.

Let me toss out the Cliff’s Notes for those who didn’t read the link above.

1. Kid writes story
2. Teacher “gets alarmed and disturbed by the content”
3. Kid goes to jail

It wasn’t a story which included threats to anyone. It was just ‘disturbing’, and that’s all it takes to turn homework into a crime.

Let’s make this clear. What made it a crime is that the teacher was disturbed and alarmed. It has nothing to do with a clear & present threat. It has nothing to do with the intent of the author. It’s all about the reaction of the reader. So… If a teacher is a rabid supporter of PeTA, and a student writes a story about going to Smokey’s and having the most delicious petit fillet… he can be arrested? What about a teacher who has a phobia about spiders? Does the kid who writes about becoming an arachnologist get to do his studying from a jail cell?

Now… I was a student once… I was a teacher for a while… I was a drama and speech coach for a number of years… As I recall, high school students are required to read the classics of English and American literature. Are these teachers saying that The Telltale Heart–a story about a man who murders and dismembers another man, then stuffs him under the floorboards–is “good wholesome literature”, while the scribblings of some high school kid are worthy of a jail cell? George Orwell’s description a man threatening to let rats eat the face off of another man is not disturbing? I think Mr. Orwell would be mighty offended by that.

If all it takes to make a work of literature criminal is that one person is “disturbed and alarmed”, then we’d better start rounding up the authors. Edgar Allen Poe, JD Salinger, and George Orwell will top the list. They intentionally tried to alarm and disturb people–with malice-aforethought, and all that. Arthur Miller? Lock him up (he wrote about demonic possession and killing people–read The Crucible). Mark Twain? Lock him up (he wrote a story that made light of–perhaps even encouraged–cannibalism). Stephen King? Hell… call the Hague! He’s gotta qualify for Crimes Against Humanity for all the alarming and disturbing things he’s written.

Hmm… y’know… the article I’m writing in response to actually alarmed and disturbed me….

Can I get that journalist tossed in jail?

When did we surrender any and all semblance of perspective in this country? One would think that when you’re asked to do an assignment for a high school class, the result of that assignment should be a grade of some sort, not this. So I’d like to thank, in no particular order:

• Williamstown High
  • Website: http://www.monroetwp.k12.nj.us/hs/whsmain.htm
• Vice Principal Paul Deal
  • Email: pdeal@monroetwp.k12.nj.us
  • Phone: (856) 262-8200 x5059
• Monroe Schools Superintendent Robert E. Terrill
  • Email: bterrill@monroetwp.k12.nj.us
  • Phone: (856) 629-6400 x1005
  • Address: 75 E. Academy Street
    Williamstown NJ 08094-1663
  • Fax: (856) 262-2499
• The unnamed “teacher” that got the whole ball rolling

So congratulations to all, you are the heart and soul, the inspiration, the very lifeblood of this site.

Stand up and take a bow.

Jackasses.