Life in the Looney Bin

I'm a Canadian and usually I confine my remarks about America to issues that are so important that I feel they cannot be ignored and should not be ignored by anyone on the planet. Foreign policy matters, 9/11 and economic issues are fair game for non-Americans to speak up on American domestic issues. I don't feel like a meddling busybody when I do speak up. I usually let all the other cuckoo manifestations go by unremarked as being none of my business, a sort of "different strokes for different folks" approach.

But something happened recently where American eccentricity reached a level that can't be overlooked and might be symptomatic of some kind of more serious national malady.

I'm referring to the recent suspension from school of a 9 year old boy for calling one of his teachers "cute" . . . in conversation to a friend!!!

In my world, what a nine year old does, no matter how odd, as long as it is not a crime, and calling your teacher cute is not a crime, is largely let go.

How can a school principal, with 44 years experience in education, possibly believe that calling your teacher cute calls for a suspension of the student making the remark?

www.dailymail.co.uk...

The "remark" was overheard by another teacher, not the subject of the remark, who reported it to the principal. Then the suspension was issued. After all the dust settled following a protest from the suspended student's mother, the principal resigned. Fair enough. He may have been suffering from politically correct, nanny state, Patriot Act "shell shock" anyway, and may well be better off in retirement.

But what is going on down there?

This is very reminiscent of a situation that occurred not long ago in Pakistan or Afghanistan where a young girl in her early teens made a spelling mistake because two opposite meaning words looked very much alike in Arabic script. Spelling it one way, it meant that God was good and spelling it the other way (her way) meant that God sucked.

This happened in an area controlled by religious extremists. She was hauled up in front of the class and beaten by the teacher. Then she was expelled from school. Then her parents lost their home and then the family had to move out of town.

This happened not because the teacher was cruel or because Muslims don't understand children or aren't kind people. This happened because people in that region are fearful of the retribution that might come from the local religious authorities who are all of the above.

People are petrified that if they don't show that they are extremists too, then they might be blamed for someone else's errant ways and punished along with them.

America, are you seriously going down this road? DON'T

I was with you 100% until i reached the link to the daily mail... You can be sure of one thing with the mail, that the full story is not being reported. They cherry pick what they want and twist it into sensationalist nonsense.

reply to post by Atzil321


I think in this case the Mail got the facts substantially right, although I'm with a general "caveat" regarding press reports, no matter the source.

This was the school board's response, according to the Huffington Post:

www.huffingtonpost.com...

"After a thorough investigation by school officials involving the suspension of a fourth grade student at one of our elementary schools, it has been determined there was no sexual harassment.
We regret this situation happened. The superintendent has attempted to contact the family to offer an apology to the parents and student. The school system is also sending an official letter of apology to the parents and student.


The suspension will not count against the student and additional instructional assistance will be provided to the student for the classroom time missed.

If a concern is reported by parents to the district office, our procedure is to investigate it and follow up with the parents. "

All's well that ends well, but there will still be some psychological hangover with the young boy, I'm sure. Sexual matters in the early years should develop as trauma free as possible in my opinion. What was done to him and what has been done to other children in similar situations in America, and elsewhere is not trivial.

There is a dynamic being developed by extreme elements in society. It is unhealthy and a great country like the United States is no more immune to it than are some of the most troubled regions of the world, regions we like to think of as dominated by borderline lunatics.

I think Americans need to be vigilant to avoid sliding down the slippery slope of extremism in everyday life. The consequences for the country could be catastrophic.

reply to post by ipsedixit


See, Atzil321 has been conditioned along with the rest of them! The whole world's gone mad and political correctness has gone too far.

The only thing I'm reading about the Principal is that he's "sorry" and can't believe he was forced to resign after 44 years. Sorry? I can't believe this man didn't think this through before he suspended the child, but he must have been more fearful of the substitute teacher than the child's mother, at the time. This substitute teacher should be put on leave too.

It's all about fear. But why is everyone so fearful? Is it because anyone and everyone can be sued at the drop of a hat? Is it because you can get kicked off an airline and labeled a possible terrorist for using the "wrong" word?

This article cracked me up regarding a news broadcaster.

www.dailyrepublic.com...

"The other day I heard a news broadcaster refer to someone who had recently died as being “mortally challenged.” The next day he referred to a terrorist as someone who was “peace challenged.” I suppose if you’re perfect, you’d be “challenged challenged.”"

And just like this article says, here's where we're all going to end up:

"Well, I have to go now. My new favorite Christmas song just came on the radio. It’s called “Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Maintained Continuously Monitored Nontoxic Eco-Friendly Outdoor Fire (For Which I DO Have a Permit).”"

Sad, isn't it??

reply to post by Deetermined

I agree.

We are going to regulate, oversee, legislate, indoctrinate, indemnify, license, sue and countersue life as we know it and like it, right out of existence.

Children are in no way kind, children are the cruelest most animalistic age group.
We break" them and domesticated them like horses in these schools or home.

They are completely deceptive and anyone who thinks otherwise is probably naive.

Originally posted by OmegaOwl
Children are in no way kind,

That's not true. Children can be as kind as adults, but adults have to show them the way.

children are the cruelest most animalistic age group.

Children can be as unfeeling and unempathetic and unsympathetic as any other group of human beings, but they usually lack the power and mastery of technological means to be as cruel as adults. You have to be steeped for years in cruelty and lack of empathy to be as cruel as someone like Hitler, Mao or Stalin.

We break" them and domesticated them like horses in these schools or home.

That's a fair comment, I think.

I think this is, sadly, very often the case. It might actually be the case almost all the time, at least with respect to some things. I think society is moving into a more enlightened approach to developmental training for all people, but it is going slowly.

They are completely deceptive and anyone who thinks otherwise is probably naive.

They can be deceptive. Being deceptive is a survival skill, after all. I don't think they are invariably deceptive, not at all. I'm with you to the extent that we should be realistic about the mentality of children. They are us, after all.

Worshipping children is problematic. Cherishing them and being solicitous in their care, and realistic about them is the way, I think.

reply to post by OmegaOwl


Children can get way out of hand today, but in this particular case, the investigation proved that the child did nothing wrong and the Principal admitted that he made a mistake.