“So, Kid A jumped Kid B in the hallway, called them a bigoted slur, then beat Kid B so badly he had to go to the hospital. Kid B tried to fight back, but was overwhelmed. Our solution is that kids are going to be suspended for an equal amount of time and suffer equal repercussions, because zero tolerance.”
Zero tolerance is the absence of humanity as a policy. It’s abhorrent.
My mom would always ask, “Why didn’t you walk away?” And I would respond “I get suspended either way, at least this way everyone knows not to fuck with me.”
I am so glad I haven’t had to hit someone in a long time.
Oswald was only doing it to get a rise out of him. Kennedy should have been the bigger man. Really, he’s just as culpable for giving Oswald the reaction he wanted.
Zero tolerance is how you market abdication of responsibility to dipshit parents. “We have a zero tolerance policy” means “We do not value your children, especially the boys. We’re itching for a reason to throw them in the trash.”
It’s more about self preservation. While I won’t claim they give a shit about the children. This is ALL about them covering their own asses. By going “zero tolerance” it takes all judgement and decisions out of the system. The administrators are safe from any backlash or lawsuits.
“Zero tolerance” is just a code word for “zero brain cells.”
And it’s not just stupid on the part of school administrators, it’s actively cowardly. Just insist that right and wrong don’t matter and no one can hold you accountable for anything.
“So, Kid A jumped Kid B in the hallway, called them a bigoted slur, then beat Kid B so badly he had to go to the hospital. Kid B tried to fight back, but was overwhelmed. Our solution is that kids are going to be suspended for an equal amount of time and suffer equal repercussions, because zero tolerance.”
Zero tolerance is the absence of humanity as a policy. It’s abhorrent.
Totally.
My mom would always ask, “Why didn’t you walk away?” And I would respond “I get suspended either way, at least this way everyone knows not to fuck with me.”
I am so glad I haven’t had to hit someone in a long time.
That, and have you ever tried to “walk away” when there are like five people chasing you with the intent of beating you up? Good luck with that.
JFK should have just walked away from Lee Harvey Oswald instead of encouraging him
Oswald was only doing it to get a rise out of him. Kennedy should have been the bigger man. Really, he’s just as culpable for giving Oswald the reaction he wanted.
Or my favorite, “just walk away” when dickhead would sneak up behind me and put me in a headlock…
Zero tolerance is how you market abdication of responsibility to dipshit parents. “We have a zero tolerance policy” means “We do not value your children, especially the boys. We’re itching for a reason to throw them in the trash.”
It’s more about self preservation. While I won’t claim they give a shit about the children. This is ALL about them covering their own asses. By going “zero tolerance” it takes all judgement and decisions out of the system. The administrators are safe from any backlash or lawsuits.
“Zero tolerance” is just a code word for “zero brain cells.”
And it’s not just stupid on the part of school administrators, it’s actively cowardly. Just insist that right and wrong don’t matter and no one can hold you accountable for anything.
Is being suspended even a punishment? I would have been psyched to be suspended, I hated going to school.
Depends on your home situation. My mom made being suspended so much worse than being at school, and I hated school.
I used to cut class, then get suspended as “punishment”. I called it two for the price of one…