A California middle school has suspended a student who posted "graphic threats" directed at another student at his MySpace page. Fine. But the school also suspended another 20 students just for viewing the threats — even though they apparently had no reason to know what they'd be seeing once they got to the page.
Police are investigating the boy’s comments about his classmate at TeWinkle Middle School as a possible hate crime, and the district is trying to expel him.
According to three parents of the suspended students, the invitation to join the boy’s MySpace group gave no indication of the alleged threat.
The hysteria surrounding MySpace is fast making the site a modern version of Medusa: Look at it and you will be turned to stone. Or worse. (In the case of MySpace, the state is playing the role of serpentine hair quite nicely.)
And TeWinkle Middle School? Christ. Haven't these kids suffered enough already by having to go to a school named TeWinkle?
More here.
[Cross-posted at To the People.]
Why is it that I just searched GOOGLE for womething and MYSPACE.COM showed up on thier list of sites to visit? My search had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING associated or could possibly be associated with anything MYSPACE.COM has to offer me. Why hasn't this site been removed from GOOGLE?????? Just curious as to the protection from this site. It seems to be WAY TOO EASY for people/kids to find the site (underage kids/potential victims?) especially since it is a "curiosity factor 10) as it has been splattered accross the media lately.
Someone is obviously not doing thier job and monitoring this hainus problem of child molestation, predation from pedophiles, exposure, etc... JD, Westport, CT
Posted by: Jodi | Sunday, March 05, 2006 at 01:57 AM
Jodi, it is 't-h-e-i-r', and it is 'h-e-i-n-o-u-s', sorry, just my Australian i-d-i-o-s-y-n-c-r-a-s-y about s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g. (comment sponsored by Snidley Whiplash).
Incidentally, I'm positive I read a blog re myspace that theorised that it is funded by the Pentagon as a means of gathering recruitment data about school students. Unfortunately I can't think where, it was probably one of those wacky blog sites...
Posted by: GreginOz | Monday, March 06, 2006 at 11:36 PM