March 11, 2008
Wilson High Student Suspended for YouTube Video
The Examiner reported this morning on a case of some dumb high school kids, the internet and potential free speech issues colliding at Wilson High School. The basic story is this: sophomore Jafaar Mohammad was videotaped by some friends making derogatory remarks about an unnamed Wilson teacher. The video is above, and its audio contains swear words that make it NSFW. It runs only about 17 seconds, and depicts Mohammed as being at a social gathering at a private residence. In the video, which is pretty garbled, Mohammed says that someone is "gay as shit," "the worst teacher ever," and then jokes that he "almost dreamed he was fucking him once." At no time in the video does Mohammed name the teacher or the school he attends.
The problem, according the Examiner, came when someone started emailing the video to students and staff members at Wilson. School administrators were alerted to the video, and Mohammed received a 15-day suspension, which was eventually reduced to 10 days. Mohammed's parents and some other sympathetic parent advocates are saying that it's not the school's business to punish a student for something he said or did off school grounds. Mohammed himself has claimed he was not the one who distributed the video around the school, and that he doesn't know who did.
As blogging and posting videos to the internet has become a standard pastime for kids all over the country, schools will no doubt have to deal with issues like these more and more. In this particular case, there's no doubt what Mohammed said in the video is offensive and stupid. But he's also a 15 year-old kid, and 15 year-old kids are pretty much offensive and stupid by definition. The Examiner story says Mohammed's parents are also alleging racism in the case, due to their Iraqi background. What do you think - were Wilson officials justified in suspending this student because of this video? Or did they overstep their bounds? Does a student posting something to the internet add up to the same thing as them mouthing off while in class?
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you have to put some blame on the school for allowing this to become a story. now that the media has its hands on it i'm sure it'll bring much more negative attention their way than if they had dealt with the matter with a bit more caution
Bong hits for Jesus!
since when did being iraqi become a race?
since when did being iraqi become a race?
These kids are baked out of their 15 year-old gords..
These kids are baked out of their 15 year-old gords..
These kids are baked out of their 15 year-old gords
These kids are baked out of their 15 year-old gords
OMG I AM SO TIRED OF PEOPLE QUADRUPLE POSTING THEIR COMMENTS. ITS NOT FUNNY THE 1ST OR THE 4TH TIME.
once more now, with feeling....
looks to be more drunk than high. he had a nice little half burp at the beginning. As far as racism goes - pretty much sick of everytime someone disagrees with the treatment they get it's racism. They should tack on an extra ten days for making that accusation without evidence.
As a gay man I say send him and his family back to Iraq.
Am I the only one that is disgusted that the parents are blaming the school for punishing their child's attrocious behaviour? His behaviour was completely offensive and he should have to pay some consequences for that.
he did nothing against the school, he had the bad luck of being filmed at an unrelated event, he said no names, this is bs, not racisim but still bs
I'm sure you were an angel when you were 15, right?
I dont think they repost on purpose, I have accidentally posted three times before.
Why should he have to pay for what at the time were private feelings that were leaked on to the internet? His comments are horrendous but this is America last I checked and he can say whatever dumb shit he desires. Why is he being suspended for comments that were made at a party that had nothing to do with school or for that matter naming anyone?
I heard that kids are baked out of their 15 year-old gords.
If he said that to a teacher or at school - kick him out.
Says it at a party? So what. He's an idiot teenager. I still bad mouth some of my crappy teachers 10 years later.
And whatever happened to detention? Everything seems to deserve suspension nowadays?!? Make the kid sit in a room and do math problems or something. Sending him home to play Guitar hero for two weeks isn't punishment.
If he said that to a teacher or at school - kick him out.
Says it at a party? So what. He's an idiot teenager. I still bad mouth some of my crappy teachers 10 years later.
And whatever happened to detention? Everything seems to deserve suspension nowadays?!? Make the kid sit in a room and do math problems or something. Sending him home to play Guitar hero for two weeks isn't punishment.
oh, by the way - if the forum would stop generating database errors every time I try to post, I wouldn't hit the post button again.
Sure, nothing really bad was said. But once it was e-mailed to school staff, it should have been little surprise that action would be taken. Also, fyi kids: It's no longer "private" if you put it somewhere that a couple of billion people can see it.
(when I say "bad" - I mean, specifically mentioning a person or the school or anything that would be a bit more obvious)
Just ignore the errors.. 99% of the time your comment goes through.
Off topic a bit, but did that Austrian kid every apologize for that party he threw.
Can I speak for the homos for a minute?
I thought his comment was sortof funny and fairly harmless.
Cut the kid some slack. He was drunk, or high, or whatever.
If we kicked every kid that used the term 'gay as shit' out of school we'd have a whole bunch of empty schools.
Am I thrilled with 'gay as shit' being synonymous with worthless or bad? No. Is it the end of the world? No, not when a 15 year old drunk kid is saying it.
Maybe his teacher is gay. Who knows?
But the kid does seem fixated on the gay butt sex. I give him two years and he'll either be looking for gays to bash, or he'll be doing drag full time. Or both.
Off topic a bit, but did that Austrian kid every apologize for that party he threw.
I doubt it, but I'm pretty sure I read his parents were gonna ground his ass into the next decade.
Also ... if you get a server error. Just wait a few minutes before trying again. The initial post will usually appear by then.
I'm just happy when school administrators or people in positions of power refer to the site as 'the YouTube'.
RE: Hillman
Can I speak for the homos. NO! You're right when you say he'll be out looking for gays to bash. Perhaps you can go ahead and submit your name. How is being drunk, or high, or whatever a excuse for discrimination? You should meet Mathew Shepard's mother and ask her if this is excusable.
For me, I still say send them back to Iraq.
did anyone see the eyebrows on that kid? holy hell.
oakton: Are you for real? You're comparing this to a brutal murder?
I was gonna say, that kid is one ugly little shit.
Do 15-year-olds get baked out of their gords?
And does anyone know how to spell GOURD?
It is so sad to see so many people have such little experience of true and authentic love, the love that only comes from God alone. It would be wise to thank our church leaders and the vicar of Christ to remind us that our individual actions really do have an effect on others...our sins truly do not effect us alone.
All Glory be to God.
Also, I posted a video of me talking smack about my chemistry teacher and lighting my farts and nobody made a big deal about that.
way to bring matthew shepherd's name up in the case of a drunk 15 year old. Using shepard's name as an example is potent, but not if you reference it every time some drunk high schooler says 'fag.'
I don't think suspension is a reasonable punishment. You want to deter kids from breaking school rules, make them pick up trash and do yard work at the school in front of classmates.
That being said, ten days is an awful lot for some stupid shit like this, but to claim racism is fucking absurd. I really wish they'd go after the parents for that aspect of the disagreement. People flinging unsubstantiated charges of racism is not only a cheap shot and wrong, but it's a detriment to the cause of addressing real cases of racist behavior.
whoever distributed the video is the real culprit here.
Oakton:
Oh please. Get off your pink pulpit for a minute.
Comparing this kid's stupid remark to the torture death of Matthew Shepard is ridiculous.
[Hillman snip] I give him two years and he'll either be looking for gays to bash, or he'll be doing drag full time. Or both. [end Hillman snip.]
Soon enough he'll be the junior Republican Senator from Virginia with a hero worship for Larry Craig.
oakton, sorry I don't have a better way of putting this: you're a fucking idiot.
You want to deport a teenager for using the word "gay" in a disparaging manner?
And WTF Matthew Effing Shepard?! Are you kidding?
I am too distracted by the kid's eyebrows to listen to anything he is saying.
I'm for real. I'm I comparing this to a brutal murder, no. What are you saying, it's ok now? When do you start getting concerned? When he beats up one gay, two gays. I still say start now and send him and his family back to Iraq.
Oakton:
Earlier I offered Jim Graham and Rosie O'Donnell to the straighties in a trade.
Care to join them and make it the Perfect Pink Trifecta?
I'll make you a special outfit for it and everything....
oakton, have you ever met a teenage boy?
Nearly all of them say dumb and offensive things. It doesn't mean they're going to beat or kill anybody. Get a grip.
Or do you think we just kill all straight teenage boys? You know, just to be sure? I mean, plenty of them are using this language off-camera. We'll never be able to catch and deport them all. We can't wait for them to become gay-bashers. How 'bout we start now and just gas 'em all when they turn 14?
im going to speak for the gays and say:
This conversation is a hot tranny mess.
Am I a bad gay if I don't know what 'hot tranny mess' is?
Can I assume it doesn't mean an overheating transmission?
They're Iraqi, eh?
I wonder if his dad's uncut? The kid got the swarthy eyebrows - I'm betting Dad is one giant uncut swarthy furball....
What with him claiming racism and all maybe it's time I met with him in person to discuss the chip on his shoulder and how we can best resolve his anger issues...
This happened out of school, so how can you suspend somebody for it?
Out of school, out of their powers I think. On the other hand, if anyone should be punished it should be the people who keep passing it around throughout the school. I mean come on, that's entirely more of an agitator then the kid making the comments in the first place. What about the kid who posted it online in the first place?
Kids do and say stupid things, it's part of life, detention, ok not a terrible idea. But, if he's going to get suspension for it the folks who are passing it around should be hit for it as well.
Am I a bad gay if I don't know what 'hot tranny mess' is?
Can I assume it doesn't mean an overheating transmission?
Should've kept up on your project runway this season. It's one of the fierce quotes from Christian.
Get over it people. He's 15 and a boy. They make gay jokes.
And how does Wilson know this kid was talking about a teacher at the school? What if it was an SAT tutor or someone at a church?
This is ridiculous.