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Comment by x5n1 | Hacker News Reader

That's not even the issue to me. It's like fine you "suspected" it. How difficult was it to not suspect it anymore? Like did the arrest and the accusations need to happen. It's almost like attempting to traumatize the kid and his peers for no good reason and for what? Security theater? Because he was brown or a Muslim and did not know that brown or Muslim people should not bring electronics that might be suspected with them to school because they should fear being suspected? Perhaps we can excuse his ignorance for not being old enough.

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> How difficult was it to not suspect it anymore?

Excellent observation. It's really about people conditioned to follow scripts.

These people were missing the "de-escalation script" in which a teacher laughs, puts their hand on their forehead and says,

    "Wow, That scared the shit out of me for a minute there.  Now let's show you how to make a tidy wooden box for your amazing clock project."

Well I guess they could logically suspect that he might be doing something more sinister than just bringing around a clock project. So fine get a court order to search his house while keeping him detained at school. Find nothing. Apologize and let him go.

I have a feeling a lot of this behavior from teachers and school middle management is driven by fear of having exactly the same sort of irrational punishment come down on them.

Didn't treat the clock like a bomb? Might get fired. Did treat it like a bomb, turned out to be wrong, apologized? Might get fired. Did treat it like a bomb, turned out to be wrong, uhhh... maybe if I get the police involved I can make this not my fault?

Reasonable errors on all levels are often greeted with harsh punishment and sometimes demonization by news media. It's not just kids who are subject to it. People are rightly terrified of being blamed for errors that anyone could make, and their behavior makes a lot of sense in that context.

It all stems from not having a backbone. Less weasels, more passionate people with some step in their walk. But all the political bullshit that educators have to waft through kills most passion and flare to go against the grain, to do what they feel is right. Unfortunately the nazi-effect is in full swing for most salaried office workers. No one wants to get fired, so everyone just obeys arcane rules and doesn't do anything the least bit outside the box. It's basically raining with grey skies every day.

It doesn't help that the consequences of losing a job are substantially higher in the US than in most other advanced economies. And we're easier to fire, on top of it[0]. It's harder to take a stand over small(ish) things when it can bring financial ruin for one's family.

[0] yes, even many teachers. The power of unions in preserving teachers' jobs is highly regional, and often exaggerated.

When did DIY electronics become actionable evidence of terrorism?

"..AAANND HOOOOMME OF THE BRAVVVEEEE!"

It's almost like attempting to traumatize the kid and his peers for no good reason and for what?

That's pretty simple -- their "authority" depends on never, ever, admitting that they were wrong.

The response is pretty simple. If they can never, ever admit they were wrong, we need to deprive them of their "authority".

Who's the we? These administrators are put their by their buddies in city and state positions. They almost never are educators themselves. In order to get competent caring administrators, who know what education is about, we need reform that actually puts educators in the hotseats.

Right thinking people? Of course it only works to the degree we have critical mass. But it seems worth encouraging, that we might more quickly get there in more cases.

Exactly! Apparently it's really difficult for some people to admit they were wrong. How difficult would it be to just say: "I'm sorry, we screwed up."? Instead they still insist on calling his clock a "hoax bomb".

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