Brickbat: Hateful Humor

An Illinois high school student has been sentenced to two years' probation and 100 hours of community after  pleading guilty to two counts of felony hate crime and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The Naperville Central High School student, a minor whose name was not released, posted an ad for a slave for sale with a picture of a black classmate on Craigslist. The victim's mother said he and the boy who posted the ad were once close friends but had a falling out. She said her son was taunted at school after word of the ad spread.

Comments

[Cal Cetín]

You don't have to be a snowflake to object to a joke like this, but I'd like to see the legal theory under which this Blanche Knott-worthy joke becomes a crime.

[perlhaqr]

Yeah, I agree. It's vile and shitty, but still within the scope of the first amendment. Presumably he did not intend to actually complete the sale, after all.

Did this kid not have a lawyer?

[Davy C]

I wasn't sure at first - are they automatic in juvenile cases? But the linked article says:

The defense attorney of the student who was charged said at the time that a formal apology would be made, The Associated Press has reported.

So, he had one.

By the way, the kid was 14 at the time.

[perlhaqr]

Ridiculous. *headshake*

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[mad.casual]

Presumably he did not intend to actually complete the sale, after all.

I'll agree that it's in bad taste, but as far as the internet goes, it's far from vile. Especially if you consider that the same thing as an inside joke between two friends could've/would've probably garnered the same response.

[RachelNelson]

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[Fist of Etiquette]

Craigslist is interstate. Time for a federal prosecutor to jump on the kid now. The Hague next.

[Chumby]

That slave ship saled….

[loki]

Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society and will not be tolerated, regardless of the accused’s age,” State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a statement.

He's right. "Hate crime" shouldn't exist. No crime here. This is an ass whooping at best.

[perlhaqr]

Or just a lot of peer contempt. I seem to recall that's something people that age care about, even if it's been a while.

[Dan]

You have got to be shitting me. A 14 yr old with a bad sense of humor was taken to court!! And convicted!! I'm surrounded by pussies

[m4019597]

“The victim’s mother…”

There was no victim. There was no crime.

This was a total abuse of government power on a child who now has a criminal sentence for a joke.

Shame on the judge, police, parents and lawyers who made it possible. They should all jump into a woodchipper.

[Jerryskids]

Why didn't they go after Craigslist for running the ad? Because Craigslist could afford a decent lawyer?

[Jefferson's Ghost]

I think an appeal in this case would be automatic. At least I really hope so. This is beyond the pale.

[Crackers Boy]

If the black classmate had posted the white kid's picture on craigslist with a "Slave for sale" header, would it have been a hate crime?

CB

[mad.casual]

If he had posted the white kid's picture online with a "white racist" headline, would it have been a hate crime?

[Longtobefree]

Under the established "common sense" rules for guns, we need to establish the training courses and fee schedule for a Craigslist permit, starting with a minimum age of 21.

[perlhaqr]

We should probably just forbid anyone from accessing the internet until they're 21. At least. Possibly 25. Immature brains and all that.

[mad.casual]

^slavers^

[Longtobefree]

Best option; not until they have paid off all student loans.

[Moo Sharpton]

Now THAT's funny. Moo.

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[Earth Skeptic]

Welcome to Social Justice Land. From now on, "crimes" (and punishments) will be determined by perceived insults felt by anyone higher (lower?) on the intersectional race/gender/sex/class scale.

Survival hint: humor, especially satire and insults, will NOT be tolerated.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Intersectionality and CRT is what you are describing. If only how select others who belong to an identified victim class "feel" about something could become the law of the land.

[Tom Morrow]

The charge and punishment are absurd. Left-world is a place of absurdity based on idiocy.

[Longtobefree]

Bette Midler had a line about those who "can't take a joke".

[Unicorn Abattoir]

Good thing this didn't happen in CA. They would have gone after Craigslist for human trafficking.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

You joke...

[Redbrick]

So what is "felony hate crime" exactly? Is it posting mean things? Physical violence? This is a very vague term.

[Rubbish!]

I'd like to hear what Dave Chapelle thinks of this one. It could have been a skit in his show.

[perlhaqr]

He wasn't a party member.