#under reaction

[wrongweaponsdrawn]

Tippet: (examining the lounge) Just checking.

Pink detective: Is everything alright?

Tippet: Yep. Two corpses, everything's fine.

(Source: Clue)

[eye-prophet]

Im like the king of under reaction

[titans-no1-hater]

I HATE TITAN SO GODAMN MUCH OMFG

[baldspotsputterings]

What time is it Ahmed?

Public schools and law enforcement continuously live in the world of, “We can’t do anything right.”

As most of you know a young inventor, justifiably proud of his work, brought his homemade clock to school to show his teachers.  I don’t know exactly what transpired.  I only know what I read.  I know from personal experience that the media doesn’t always (ever?) get it right and the media often shapes the story to suit their company’s needs.  So it’s possible that the teachers/administrators Ahmed showed his clock to acted appropriately by having him arrested and then suspended. I don’t think they did, but that would be pure speculation on my part.

As we know now, it was just a clock from just an inventive kid.  The kind of inventive kid we are always saying we need more of in our country. The kind of kid that doesn’t need a STEM class to do STEM like things…for fun.  In hindsight the school gets pilloried in the media (Gee public schools getting slammed in the media, that’s new.) and by public opinion. The cops get blasted in the media, and to top it all off President Obama says to come on by for a visit.

But, what if?  What if instead of being a bright inventive student, Ahmed brought bomb parts to the school?  What if Ahmed brought the clock to school to get help from his teachers to make the clock work?  What if the teachers helped Ahmed and then Ahmed attached it to some crude explosive and brought it back to school?  Then what? That’s the world schools operate in. It’s the same world that prevents kids from bringing a butter knife to school, the same world that charges 8th graders with assault for kissing a girl, the same world that brings the wrath of “insert your deity of choice’s name here” down upon a child that gives another student an aspirin, the same world that finds schools fighting lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit.  

The world of Columbine and Sandy Hook and all the other school shootings that seem to happen with increasing regularity.  A world where more and more public schools have to install metal detectors, where they have to have “Safety” Officers and security staff.  A world where schools can do no right.  

Did Ahmed deserve a suspension and to be treated like a criminal?  Did the police need to take Ahmed into custody and treat him like a criminal?  Not from what I can tell.  And here I will speculate: A few minutes of conversation with Ahmed and his parents and no one would be talking about Ahmed’s clock.  But…

I’m glad I’m not in the position to have to make these decisions.  I’m glad I’m not the one who is going to be second-guessed when I err on the side of caution.  I’m glad I’m not the one who is going to be blamed for the horror that may happen, when I don’t err on the side of caution and something horrific happens.  

 What time is it Ahmed? Not a very happy time.