Brickbat: Be Careful Where You Point That

Jarrod Belcher was stunned when he found out Alabama's Jefferson County School system had suspended his 6-year-old son for pointing his finger like a gun while playing cops and robbers with another student. The school system gave his son a class 3 violation, the most serious and the same one given to students who actually bring weapons to school. After he complained, the school system dropped that to a class 2 violation. In a statement to local media, the school system said that after "further review of the circumstances" officials had determined that only a "discussion with the student" was needed, not a suspension. But Belcher said the class 2 violation remains on his son's record.

Comments

[Jerryskids]

The kid was pointing with the wrong finger.

[Stuck in California]

I was a sweet kid at first. Up until about the 5th grade, when I went bad. At age 6, I would have been horrified to have that on my permanent record.

But from age 10 or so on I'd have held up a class 2 violation, whatever the fuck that is, with pride. In fact, I kind of wish I'd gotten one in kindergarten just so I could brag about it here on the internet.

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[Adans smith]

And of course, the 'robber' got off scott free. Just like real life.

[Longtobefree]

Good point; if the kid was playing the cop, he gets QI, if playing the robber, he gets a walk.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

What about skin colors?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sorry, kid. These days we're either playing Defund the Police or Up-Armor the Police. Either make believe sit on your ass at the donut shop or pretend gear up for the MRAP ride to serve a 3AM drug warrant. No middle ground with your school bureaucracy.

[rbike]

We played army at recess in second grade. Some were Germans ( the bad guys) and some were the allies. There were a lot of imaginary guns used and fired at each other. A lot of dramatic, fake deaths. Fun times.

[jimc5499]

We played "War" in 3rd Grade. This was 1973. We brought toy guns to school. Our Cloakroom looked like an Armory.

[A Cynical Asshole]

This was 1973. ... Our Cloakroom looked like an Armory.

I have a hard time believing anyone called it a "cloakroom" in 1973. Admit it, you're way older than that, aren't you.

[rbike]

We called it that also. 1971-1976 timeframe.

[ducksalad]

3rd grade in 1968.

We were vaguely aware of a word "cloakroom" but it was something only fancy-ass pampered brats at private schools had. We wore our coats all day to avoid them getting stolen or having someone put a "surprise" in one of the pockets.

[mad.casual]

I like the fact that it's *C*loakroom, as in *The* Cloakroom.

All the solaria, conservatories, parlors, lounges, wings, grottos, dining halls greater and lesser, and even other cloakrooms... that one was *The* *C*loakroom.

Presumably, they are aware of several armories named "Armory" as well.

[MatthewSlyfield]

Did you have a dagger room to go with the cloakroom?

[Ride 'Em]

My high school had a rifle team. During hunting system cars in the student parking section would have shotguns on the back seat and guys would compare them. And this was in New Jersey during the 1960's. My how things change.

[Davedave]

Are kids in America still allowed to play nasty games like that? FFS. Get with the modern world, people. Guns aren't toys. Shooting people isn't a game. Modern-day kids don't do that shit in other countries unless the parents are seriously delinquent.

Seriously, how the fuck is the USA so incredibly backward?

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Seriously, how the fuck is the USA so incredibly backward?

Seriously, yeah, why does it still have that First Amendment that allows people like you to comment? What a backwards country.

[jimc5499]

Davedave,
You're right. In many other countries children don't "play" war. They have real AK's, RPG's and grenades.

[Davedave]

So you want the US to be like the worst kind of third-world hellhole? Got it. Making America great again...

[Don't look at me!]

Can you imagine living next door to davedave? What a nightmare.

[Idaho Bob]

You KNOW he's the president of a suburban HOA, measuring the grass length with calipers.

[A Cynical Asshole]

I'm also picturing an egg shaped "man" with a neckbeard and a severe case of soylent grin.

[Idaho Bob]

DaveDave forgets that video games exist and are played internationally.

[Davedave]

Only delinquent parents allow young kids to play violent video games. I think that's a pretty standard view even in backwardsville USA.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Suck that totalitarian, er, sophisticated dick.

[Rossami]

Sarcasm? Honestly can’t tell.

Update - Looking at your follow-up comments, probably sincere. In which case, it counts as "sincerely stupid" and wildly out of touch with human nature.

[Davedave]

No, it's just completely normal in places that aren't as backwards as the USA. There's no wonder the world considers you lot mostly a bunch of undereducated, straw-chewing, slack-jawed yokels. You take pride in refusing to be dragged kicking and screaming into the latter half of the 20th century, let alone the 21st.

[Idaho Bob]

Says the clown that likely lives under the protection of the USA.

[Davedave]

Like I said, you're living in the past. A long, long time in the past.

[Rossami]

Americans have a stereotype of being ignorant of other cultures. Having now lived in many places around the world, I have to concede that there is a lot of truth to that stereotype. Unfortunately, Davedave confirms it in spades.

Despite his claims, no national-level culture anywhere in the world actually espouses the beliefs that Davedave is claiming here. The Amish and the Quackers do have pacifist beliefs but even they aren't as rabid as the self-loathing rants above.

[Davedave]

Twat. I'm not American. And I don't mean I'm unamerican, like the loony wannabe-Russians here, I mean I'm not American.

[Wizard4169]

I always find it bitterly amusing when people from other countries invoke the "ignorant American" trope only to reveal their own vast ignorance about the US.

[mad.casual]

Oh, good. Rev. Kirkland puts down the "Let's play retard for no other reason than to make myself look stupid and piss people off." mantle only for the next person, indistinguishable from him except for their handle, to pick it up.

[Longtobefree]

#eliminategovernmentschools

[Jerry B.]

Jefferson County is part of the only Democratic Congressional District in Alabama.

[Brandybuck]

Would never have happened in a Real(tm) Red State!

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Blame it on the 19th Amendment.

[Dillinger]

blame much on the 19th Amendment.

[Brandybuck]

1) Damned blue states, why can't they all be red states? Would never have happened in a red state!

2) Yet another reason to abolish government schools. We need real school choice, backpack funding, tuition vouchers, tax credits, repealing anti-homeschooling laws, etc, etc.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Isn't it time for your weekly gender change?

[Wizard4169]

What in the actual fuck are you babbling about?

[AT]

What class violation would he get if he mimed throwing a grenade?

[Vernon Depner]

That would add a Terrorism upgrade.

[Dillinger]

wear it like a badge, kiddo.

[Its_Not_Inevitable]

Imagine how much trouble they'd have been in if they'd been playing Cowboys and Indians.

[Vernon Depner]

If the cowboys were Black it might be OK.

[Wizard4169]

Well, black cowboys are historically accurate. Plenty of ex-slaves had experience dealing with livestock and were only too happy to get far away from their former masters.

[Daddyhill]

Jerry B: The Congressional District I live in was fire engine red until the most recent redistricting plan took effect. The Democratic Party didn’t even have a local office in the ’90s, when my son was in grade school here. Nevertheless, in 2nd or 3rd grade he and a couple of pals were pulled in off the playground and “investigated” because they were heard talking about forming a gang, or their gang vs. some other gang. My son was tagged as the supposed gang leader.

Turned out this happened shortly after my children and I watched “West Side Story” together 2 or 3 times (they loved it, as do I). My son got into trouble because he was interested in the Sharks vs. Jets tribal dynamics and racial divisions on the West Side. Classic story, classic music, classic intro. to Romeo and Juliet which my children read later on, in middle or high school.

So this kind of fucked up, paranoid, power-drunk adult behavior seems to happen just about everywhere. Politics has nothing to do with it.

[Agammamon]

On the kid's PERMANENT RECORD too!

[Wizard4169]

Clearly we need commonsense finger control!

PS: You can take my fingers when you pry them from my hot, smoking gun.