It's refreshing to see that, a full year after the atrocity at Columbine, and many months after the truth of the killers has been exposed (hit up Salon if you're still clueless), Mr. Katz is still more than willing to exploit geek sensabilities. What is the "price of being different"? Not a whole lot. With more and more inane articles every day about how 'geeks are taking over the world,' this sort of fear-mongering is entirely out of place. While I feel for those for whom school is more terrifying than merely boring, I also feel for them because they fall prey to this sort of blatant sensationalism. A moment of silence, please, for the kids who died at Columbine High School.
Since the incident at Columbine High School, Jon Katz has talked about little else but the poor plight of 'oddball' kids who are cruelly singled out for torture not only by their classmates, but by the evil Establishment which controls our public schools.
Nevermind that Salon Magazine published a story refuting the nonsense that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed these murders because they had been picked on or that they were 'nerds.' Nevermind that, by posting these 'stories,' Mr. Katz appeals to the narcissistic desire of 'nerds' to hear that their problems in society are not their fault, and that the deficiencies in their anti-social lifestyle can be explained in terms of evil Others who seek to undermine them.
Jon Katz does a disservice to the living he speaks to as well as the dead he speaks of.
But enough of Columbine-- for the moment. Let's take a look at Katz's blatantly sensationalist 'story.'
It begins right away. His front-page blurb for the piece mentions that the boy was accused of making terrorist threats.
I can't help wondering where Mr. Katz gets his information. The copy of the Associated Press report in my local newspaper doesn't have this tidbit. Neither does the Dallas Morning News that he links to. What the Dallas story does say is this:
"I do want people to understand that, just like making a threat at an airport, a threat in a school situation is very serious, even if it was in jest," she said [...]
The correct conclusion to draw from this statement is that free speech is limited. Not censored, but limited. In other words, there are certain things which you may not do: shout "fire" in a crowded movie theatre, "I've planted a bomb on the plane" in an airport, or "I busted out with a 12 guage [sic]" in a high school.
It's true that the boy's story was meant only as a work of fiction. But assigning undue motives to the administration of the school serves only to demonise them. Which, of course, is what Mr. Katz seeks to do.
Mr. Katz goes on for several paragraphs with charged words such as 'Hellmouth' and 'post-Columbine assault.' Since these paragraphs are meant to prey on emotions and contain little in the way of fact, I can't comment on them other than to say that it is shameful 'journalism.'
Then, he surprises us by revealing a 'subliminal' message, carefully hidden in the words of a district attorney. Apparently, star quarterbacks are incapable of being discipline problems. I don't think we can agree with that statement. Had this happened to a star quarterback, there would be an equally loud outcry-- the only difference is that it would not come from the substantial mouth of Mr. Katz.
(Did Mr. Katz consider another possibility? Social activities such as sports have been shown to reduce societal problems such as undirected violence.)
After tying in the doubly malicious 'Mosaic 2000,' Katz brings up the spectre of Columbine again, in case he didn't beat it enough at the beginning of his piece.
He returns to reality-- somewhat-- by asking questions about what rights children have. He uses this as a demonstration that they do not, and are simply at the mercy of the Establishment.
This is not the case. As I pointed out, the rights of all people are necessary limited. This is an exercise of that limit.
If there is a lesson to be learned in this, it is simply that investigations need to be conducted with speed. The boy did not need to be held as long as he was.
Now, what about Mr. Katz? Aside from Columbine, his other favourite topic is the 'Old Media' versus the 'New Media,' the latter being precipitated by the Internet. Katz's rabid adoption, however, of 'Old Media' techniques such as sensationalism and colouring of the facts is an apparent contradiction.
Slashdot Mirror
It's refreshing to see that, a full year after the atrocity at Columbine, and many months after the truth of the killers has been exposed (hit up Salon if you're still clueless), Mr. Katz is still more than willing to exploit geek sensabilities. What is the "price of being different"? Not a whole lot. With more and more inane articles every day about how 'geeks are taking over the world,' this sort of fear-mongering is entirely out of place. While I feel for those for whom school is more terrifying than merely boring, I also feel for them because they fall prey to this sort of blatant sensationalism. A moment of silence, please, for the kids who died at Columbine High School.
Since the incident at Columbine High School, Jon Katz has talked about little else but the poor plight of 'oddball' kids who are cruelly singled out for torture not only by their classmates, but by the evil Establishment which controls our public schools.
Nevermind that Salon Magazine published a story refuting the nonsense that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed these murders because they had been picked on or that they were 'nerds.' Nevermind that, by posting these 'stories,' Mr. Katz appeals to the narcissistic desire of 'nerds' to hear that their problems in society are not their fault, and that the deficiencies in their anti-social lifestyle can be explained in terms of evil Others who seek to undermine them.
Jon Katz does a disservice to the living he speaks to as well as the dead he speaks of.
But enough of Columbine-- for the moment. Let's take a look at Katz's blatantly sensationalist 'story.'
It begins right away. His front-page blurb for the piece mentions that the boy was accused of making terrorist threats.
I can't help wondering where Mr. Katz gets his information. The copy of the Associated Press report in my local newspaper doesn't have this tidbit. Neither does the Dallas Morning News that he links to. What the Dallas story does say is this:
"I do want people to understand that, just like making a threat at an airport, a threat in a school situation is very serious, even if it was in jest," she said [...]
The correct conclusion to draw from this statement is that free speech is limited. Not censored, but limited. In other words, there are certain things which you may not do: shout "fire" in a crowded movie theatre, "I've planted a bomb on the plane" in an airport, or "I busted out with a 12 guage [sic]" in a high school.
It's true that the boy's story was meant only as a work of fiction. But assigning undue motives to the administration of the school serves only to demonise them. Which, of course, is what Mr. Katz seeks to do.
Mr. Katz goes on for several paragraphs with charged words such as 'Hellmouth' and 'post-Columbine assault.' Since these paragraphs are meant to prey on emotions and contain little in the way of fact, I can't comment on them other than to say that it is shameful 'journalism.'
Then, he surprises us by revealing a 'subliminal' message, carefully hidden in the words of a district attorney. Apparently, star quarterbacks are incapable of being discipline problems. I don't think we can agree with that statement. Had this happened to a star quarterback, there would be an equally loud outcry-- the only difference is that it would not come from the substantial mouth of Mr. Katz.
(Did Mr. Katz consider another possibility? Social activities such as sports have been shown to reduce societal problems such as undirected violence.)
After tying in the doubly malicious 'Mosaic 2000,' Katz brings up the spectre of Columbine again, in case he didn't beat it enough at the beginning of his piece.
He returns to reality-- somewhat-- by asking questions about what rights children have. He uses this as a demonstration that they do not, and are simply at the mercy of the Establishment.
This is not the case. As I pointed out, the rights of all people are necessary limited. This is an exercise of that limit.
If there is a lesson to be learned in this, it is simply that investigations need to be conducted with speed. The boy did not need to be held as long as he was.
Now, what about Mr. Katz? Aside from Columbine, his other favourite topic is the 'Old Media' versus the 'New Media,' the latter being precipitated by the Internet. Katz's rabid adoption, however, of 'Old Media' techniques such as sensationalism and colouring of the facts is an apparent contradiction.