Interesting, because of different structure or because the people involved are just not interested in dealing with complaints from the public?
Scuzz
2697
I live in a fairly conservative area within a rather larger liberal one. But the conservative area has the better housing and a much better school district. But it has been slow to accept anything “new” shall we say. The district did make LGBT students more welcome by changing a few policies and punishing those who abused those policies. But the school board itself is led by a doctor who is basically anti-mask and who has pushed for in school teaching from the beginning. Also the district teachers are not union. That speaks well for the districts pay scale I guess but they do have problems with teachers from time to time and there is no union to back up the teachers.
I could easily see this school board siding with the teacher.
In the late Majel Barrett’s voice: “Does…not…compute. System error. Shutdown imminent!”
@Telefrog That bit was all right, but not as good as some of the classic ones, like when MacGruber gets all “woke” (in his own mind, of course), or starts panicking about getting older.
I have a bizarre update. I am still waiting for a response from the school to what I sent on Friday. However, I found out today that on top of handing out grades on the inappropriate assignment he also went into a discussion about dogma on Friday that included the claim that the Vietnam War was a hoax. This dude is off his rocker.
ShivaX
2701
I know a lot of people that would kill or beat him so badly as to make little difference if they ever heard him say that.
My brain can’t even process this.
Matt_W
2702
That’s fucked up. People willing to sacrifice their own freedom on assault charges to prevent someone else’s free speech? Real heroes there.
Houngan
2703
Like, the reasons for it or that it happened at all? And I totally am asking that in a cliche rising movie inflection.
ShivaX
2704
Vietnam vets as a rule aren’t big on people shitting on them and what they went through. Nor are their families.
And my sympathy for idiots getting their ass beaten for being idiots is next to nil anymore anyway.
If we all punched Holocaust deniers in the face every time they said that shit no one would be saying it anymore.
Said vets would be happy to go to court over it and odds are the jury would let them off for it most places if we’re honest.
CraigM
2706
On the one hand I can understand what you are saying @Matt_W
On the other I can completely understand why someone who lived through something like that and having it called a hoax might react viscerally to that. Se Buzz and moon landing denier, or a hypothetical vietnam vet and that teacher
Matt_W
2707
I just really really hate the idea that the proper way to marginalize bad ideas is through violence. It is clearly antithetical to American principles of free speech, and it’s fucking violence. You punch someone in the face and knock out their teeth, and you can get 10 years.
ShivaX
2708
I think a 'Nam vet’s reaction would make Buzz look friendly.
And not without reason, imo.
“Your friends that died were part of a hoax and you’re lying that it ever happened,” is something that can get you dead.
Matt_W
2709
Defending your honor by murdering someone is a take and a half.
ShivaX
2710
Which is fine and, honestly, a better position to hold.
It is, or at least it is now. Historically beating people’s asses for saying things was the default.
Even SCOTUS said that “Fighting Words” were a thing (and then they proceeded to say that literally nothing qualifies other than a direct threat by an armed person, which would be a credible threat, a whole other exemption, but that’s a different discussion).
Which is why you shouldn’t go punching people as a rule. But you also can’t talk to a Holocaust denier or Nazi most of the time. So you either tell them to fuck off and walk away or you don’t.
Most 'Nam vets I’ve known, wouldn’t give a shit and the jury likely to pass judgement on them wouldn’t either. Call it privilege, but it’s also reality.
I’m somewhat torn. I’m close to a free-speech absolutist, but at the same time, talking to Nazis doesn’t work. Punching them has better results and always has. And once they can do it they’ll do worse to you anyway.
(Ironically the original of this basically doesn’t exist anymore)
As an added bonus, a lot of Nazis don’t want to take it to court anyway, because they’re fucking Nazis.
The above punch resulted in the dude not wanting to talk to anyone and going home.
CraigM
2711
The history of speech receiving violence in America is long and storied. Sometimes justly:
Buzz and moon hoaxer
Richard Spencer on the street
Illinois Nazis and Elwood Blues (ok this one is fictional but do I love it)
Sometimes unjustly:
MLK Jr
Sufragettes
Civil Rights marchers
Abolitionists
Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences, and when that jagoff gets in Aldrin’s face he richly deserved the reply. Really this is just another facet of the Paradox of Tolerance.
But thats what the courts are for post fact. And on a jury the mitigating factors of the lie and the personal experience would definitely have impact and relevance. It certainly would strongly push for lesser charges.
ShivaX
2712
Sure. But it’s also all of human history. Including American history until very recently for that matter.
A good rule is usually not to say shit so inflammatory that someone will kill you over it.
At the end of the day juries are people and people are people and people are dangerous animals sometimes.
Also being right doesn’t make you any less injured, crippled or dead.
ShivaX
2713
Also this to some extent.
Though, I’m in that weird spot where I’ll say “it’s wrong to do that” and also smile and laugh while you do it.
Like Buzz punching that dude. Wrong in almost every way. And makes me fucking smile every time.
Violence may not be the best answer, but it’s an answer.
