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Bonehead-Of-The-Day Award
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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups School officials in Safford, Arizona, ordered the strip search of a 13-year-old girl back in 2003 without any evidence that she had violated any rules whatsoever. They acted solely on rumor. Even more discouraging is that the US appeals court was split over whether this violated her human rights. "A school nurse had her remove her clothes, including her bra, and shake her underwear to see if Ms Redding was hiding anything." Writing for the 6-5 majority, Justice Kim McLane Wardlow wrote, "Directing a 13-year-old girl to remove her clothes, partially revealing her breasts and pelvic area, for allegedly possessing ibuprofen, an infraction that poses an imminent danger to no one, and which could be handled by keeping her in the principal's office until a parent arrived or simply sending her home, was excessively intrusive ... a search accurately described by the 7th Circuit as 'demeaning, dehumanizing, undignified, humiliating, terrifying, unpleasant [and] embarrassing'." As you sow, so shall you reap. The consequences of this inhumanity may be a social time bomb. What are we really teaching? It seems that some members of my generation believe that zero tolerance, lack of compassion, lack of trust and acts of humiliation are appropriate responses for even the most minor infractions committed by our youth. Or even rumored to have been committed (keep in mind that often the "infraction" is arguable). That the degree of personal damage done to the young person in response in terms of their future, their self esteem and their happiness is entirely irrelevant. It's OK and maybe even expected that the personal damage inflicted be well beyond the severity of the original infraction. Punishment is always in preference to taking advantage of an opportunity to critically teach. And, sadly, cruelty is justified. This is nothing less than insane anti-social behavior. Many of my generation believe they are justified in treating our youth like house elves to be kicked and smacked if they displease us. These school officials and the dissenting members of the court of appeals are nothing less than school yard bullies. I am certain that they feel a certain sense of power and a twisted sadistic satisfaction. I mourn that they have been placed in positions where they have influence over our youths and therefore the future of our humanity. We worry about pedophiles but some we put into power are much more dangerous, insidious and crueler and can damage a number of youth in one shot. But they remain protected. These people should not then be surprised when our younger generation takes the reigns from us and are completely disinterested and unconcerned over issues relating to the quality of life of the elders. "And he walked away and he smiled and he said, "You know I'm going to be like you, Dad, you know I'm going to be like you." But sometimes a little sun breaks through the clouds when the forecast is bleakest. It could be that the actions of some modern day school officials and court officials, being so obviously wrong, misguided and ludicrous, will have some use after all. They may be serving as a bad example and bad examples are necessary to progress humanity. For many, the answer to why they were born is that they were born to serve as a bad example, period. They are the living proof of what can go bad if one is not careful. Sadly, just as we need natural disasters to make progress, we need bad examples as well to repel us from the bad path. ABC News 12-Jul-08 Yahoo News 11-Jul-08
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Stumble It!
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