A Modest Proposal: Don't Try To Censor Students Who Have This Thing We Call The Internet
from the only-positive-stories-around-here... dept
Way back when I was in high school, I wrote for the school newspaper, and occasionally we had some problems with either the paper's "advisors" or the administration not liking something that went into the paper. While we were able to get plenty of stuff published, there were occasional arguments. The best we could do at the time was complain -- and eventually some of us started a non-school-sanctioned paper to allow us to be more free. That, of course, was in the days before the internet was widely available. These days, things work quite differently. Romenesko points us to the somewhat ridiculous story of a principal confiscating the school newspaper and demanding that the students write more "positive and uplifting stories" after he freaked out about a student's attempt to mimic one of the most famous pieces of satire: Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal. Apparently, the principal didn't get the satire of the piece, which proposed executing all of those who score in the bottom 25% on an IQ test. Of course, in censoring the paper, the immediate response is pretty much what should be expected these days. The editor of the paper resigned and posted the whole ordeal to Facebook, where it spread quickly, not only making the principal a laughingstock for not recognizing a clear homage to Swift, but it gave the actual column much more attention -- even to the point that the major newspaper in Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, republished the student's modest proposal within its own pages. Now that's a positive and uplifting story.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: high school newspaper, modest proposal, streisand effect
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
lol wut?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: lol wut?
Don't worry about it, slip off quietly back to your own site where I am sure you and your visitors will feel much more at home :-P
LOL!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
i herd u liek me?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
>call anyone who does not leave a name an
>"anonymous coward" is a coward themselves.
It takes one to know one.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
LOL
Also, you used "whomever" incorrectly. ^_^
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: LOL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: LOL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
More radicalism
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
not a good idea
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: not a good idea
I seem to remember a lot of your posts in the past used to always contain a simple, "F*** you towelhead!" That fact right there would disqualify you from the over 80%...unless, of course, you are a different potato.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
First off, charity should be outlawed. No longer should people be allowed to use their children as a source of income. People who cannot afford to have kids simply should not have kids. Unemployment benefits also must be disbanded — go get a job. That isn't to say those with disabilities should not be helped, but not with handouts, just a hand.
Things became unhitched immediately following in 'Second', standardized testing would indeed be good but there is no need to execute anyone over their ability to learn, after all it ain't their fault, have a look at the genes.... unless you could make the action retroactive one generation ....
Hmmmmmm
Regards,
A Coward Too
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If anyone reading this is a bored billionaire please run for president as an independent. The people need a voice, and our elected officials only seem to want to listen to ATT, Comcast, [Insert Any Other Evil Corporate Entity Here].
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So Long
So long and thanks for all the fish.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: So Long
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Take it to court.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Take it to court.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re #9
Really liked a few replies up there. Like the "different potato" comment.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Could have been better
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Smart Kid
He accomplished what a kid journalist should do, spread his word through any media possible. It happened to be the Internet that gave him the needed exposure so yes, that is "Tech" related, and yes, some of these posts confirm the "Dirt" part.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Too late!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hey Pele; thanks for signing off and NOT leaving an actual post on the way out. You are nominated for the bottom 25% club. Seconded anyone?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
On the other hand...
Schools seem to focus far too much on making kids conform to the administrations standards and ideals rather than teaching kids to be individuals and to think for themselves. Conformity is a valuable skill to learn because if you stray too far from the masses your odds of success are greatly diminished but every single person who has created something great or done something truly noteworthy has dared to be an individual; to stand apart from the crowd. They understand that though there is value in likeness, it cannot, it must not define us. School administrators have never understood this. Crushing dissention has always been the norm, so this seems like more of the same. But how would you react as a parent to read this in your kid’s school newspaper? Remember, you need to see this not just thru your own eyes but the eyes of your child, your child’s friends and the nutty kids who your kid goes to school with. Many of them won’t recognize this as the satire that it is. Even though I feel a bit too responsible, too rigid – too old fogeyish, if you will, as I say this; I believe the principal was on the right track. Although he should have rather worked with the school newspaper staff to explain how this could be a problem and discuss ways to explain the meaning and purpose of the piece to those who wouldn’t have otherwise understood it – as the ATL Constitution and Facebook undoubtedly did. Don’t kid yourself, though many people who read about it after the fact got a kick out of it many wouldn’t have gotten it if they’d read it in a school newspaper. It’s fun making fun of the old principal but how many would have made exactly the same decision if they were responsible for the safety of however many hundreds of children?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
PS: sup /b/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]