Blame It On The Cameraphone, Not The Criminal
from the misplaced dept
This is a few days old, but probably worth mentioning: politicians in Greece have banned children from using mobile phones in school. Not because they're a distraction, or for any semi-legitimate reason, but because a 16-year-old girl was gang raped, and some of her female classmates recorded the attack with their mobile phones. This is just the latest iteration of a common trend, like blaming phones for the idiots who "happy slap" people, or blaming YouTube for stupid people and criminals. Banning mobile phones from schools won't stop another rape, all it does is make the Greek politicians look like they're being tough on crime when they're really doing nothing. While the article says "Teachers and psychologists have concluded that the video taping of bad behaviour encourages further disorder as well as competition amongst pupils to create increasingly shocking images," that's a cop out -- the ability to record these disgusting, disturbing acts doesn't make anyone do anything; to insinuate that this rape occurred because it could be easily recorded with a mobile phone merely abdicates the rapists of any responsibility. That's the real issue here: none of these technologies are causing this behavior, and to blame violence on them is to let those that are actually responsible off the hook.
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Reader Comments
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absolutely
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Re: absolutely
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heh
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Ahh once again Greece...
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What!
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Re: What!
That's not even close to being funny...
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Re: Re: What!
Well if someone has a link to the video I would really appreciate them if they would let me have access to it in case I need to dispute the evidence..........
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Re: Re: What!
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It's not an either or proposition
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More of the Same
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wtf?
what a retarded place..
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Can't see why 'evidence' like that's bad... maybe I missed something.
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Reality
I do however think banning phones in school is a good thing, not because of them recording illegal acts but because it distracts from their education. Do the right thing for the wrong reason (the Greek authorities), or because it's an excuse to do the right thing is the cowards way out, but that makes it no less the right thing to do.
Cameras of any ilk, like games or rock-n-roll, do not cause peoples behavior, they do make it easier for people to excuse their behavior. Cameras escpecially can cause a mob like behavior, but they are not the cause of it.
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A sad day...
I'm not versed in political double talk but I have a hard time believing even a politicain can make a believabale argument that would prove removal of the cameraphones would prevent rape.
If you're gonna ban something then at least have the balls to do it for a real reason.
And to comment #8:
People always seem to want to find a single cause for everything that goes wrong.
Reason they do that is so they can push some magical cure all law that will save the children, evironment, or whatever the cause is for that election term.
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It hurts to know...
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Details are vague ...
All of the articles seem REALLY vague on details, except for the lunacy which has resulted ...
Whew, I thought things were screwed up here ...
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Appalled
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I agree with you
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Hmmm...Sounds like...
I'm tired of the cop-outs get tough on the guilty and make people responsible - is it pretty - no, but it must be done to have affect on society.
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If you deny that cameras don't encourage and even cause behavior then you are either lying or stupid.
As for the case in Greece, the thing that surprised me was that a girl was the victim. I am surprised it wasn't a boy.
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Re:
i didn't know that the invention of rape and cameras coincided
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Listen all I have to say is I dare you get get out from your keyboard and say that to my face. I'll show you what Army SF training can do to someone that pisses us off.
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To Disgusted
Here's to hoping..
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Re: Dumbass
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Blame It on The Camera Phone not the Crimminal..
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morons
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Re:
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We dont deny that...
If you deny that cameras don't encourage and even cause behavior then you are either lying or stupid.
We don't deny it. But to think that simply banning camera phones is going stop outrageous behavior like that is gullible. We're not just talking about making noise or disrupting class, this is rape. I highly doubt these guys saw a camera phone and were suddenly inspired to rape someone.
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they just "pracitced" on little boys. well there was no penetration, and it was a learning expierence over a sexual pleasure one. or so i've been told in my greek studies classes.
but hey, what do i know? im not greek, nor did i live with the ancient greeks.
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Re:
But they were'nt gay. It was just a drunken orgy!
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political statement
Quick ban those phones the people my catch us raping them
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Re: disgusted
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Re:Disgusted
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Freedom Requires Responsibility
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I less than three scapegoats.
"In other European nations parents provide their children with mobile phones because they are worried about sexual predators.
However, Greece remains a relatively safe country in that respect.."
So...this is what I got from this: Parents worry about sexual predators, so they buy their kid a phone. Okay, so then sexual predators attack a little girl at school.. so... naturally the school should take away they phones. Makes perfect sense. Obviously, the phone raped her.
I'm just glad politicians are the same across the globe.
and, to show some unrelated navy love to my meathead friend-- a degree doesn't make you a smart person, but how you handle yourself, on and off the computer, can make you seem pretty foolish. Remember you're not just making yourself look foolish, but you're dragging everyone's opinion of the military with you. We've got enough things going against us as it is. I was a submarine sailor, and if that little gay joke offended you, they need to issue you fellas some thicker skin.
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"Queers"
What were they supposed to do? they just got a brand new Vodafone treo 750v with an unlimited data plan and they're not supposed to use it to post on youtube.......geeez.
I think the illegal aliens are to blame,.....or maybe Muslims,.....or maybe Jews,......or maybe Michael Richards,...... or maybe Elvis.
The truth is so simple, let everyone do whatever they want to whomever they want and dont do anything to stop it.
or maybe Blame the rest of us for passively standing by the wayside while our entire civilization crumbles around us because our parents were too scared to let us fight the bullies at school. if you dont take care of yourself, no one will.
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It prevents crime
These criminals would know that people have cell phones and not commit crime through fear of having their face captured.
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It prevents crime
These criminals would know that people have cell phones and not commit crime through fear of having their face captured.
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Camera Phones
But maybe I am ignorant
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Seems to me the only person exhibiting keyboard courage here is you. That isn't surprising though. You are either a troll or an idiot, and to tell the truth, I care about neither.
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to disgusted
you are no more a terrorist to them as they are a terrorist to you. the difference, is that i think you are the good guy and they are the baddies. but if the iraqui were saying this, US are baddies and iraq are good.
so....yeah, it's all on judgement.
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Disgusted
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To Disgusted
I opposed the invasion of Iraq for a number of reasons, first and foremost - people like you, who go do the dirty work while the rest of us sit back and kvetch. It is unfortunate that the civilians that forced us into Iraq had absolutely no clue what anyone with even a little knowledge of the history of the region could have foretold. It is unfortunate that the US military has been forced into a role for which it is not designed nor trained (reconstruction and economic development) It is CRIMINAL that the same politicians that sent you off with a fanfare then snuck around in secret, attempting to slash funding for hazardsous duty pay, medical benefits to the injured, survivor's benefits - need I go on?
It is equally criminal that approximately 40% of the population once supported the invasion and then, after seeing what a mess it became, decided that maybe they didn't support it after all. Absolutely nothing has happened in Iraq, including the lack of any WMD, that could not have been foreseen by anyone who took an afternoon to do some research on the region and specifically, the US-Iraq (Hussein) alliance/enimity.
I may not believe in the reason for you being in Iraq but, as long as you are there, you have my support. The least i can do to show it is to continue to be viligent in doing what I can to safeguard your benefits and rights and those of your family.
(In the interests of full disclosure, my father retired from the Army Reserve as a Lt. Colonel; my mother worked for Selective Service in Southern California and Arizona for most of the Vietnam War years.)
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