Zero Tolerance for Zero Tolerance

This rantís about a subject a little more controversial than spoilers in previews. Iíll admit that up front. Youíve been warned.

There has been a lot of violence perpetrated on kids in the last few years, and more than ever before, itís been by other kids. That sucks, no doubt about it. However, itís also shown that thereís apparently some inert genetic trait that every human has, only activating when that person has kids. I call this particular bit of DNA coding the Overreacting Code, and itís a bigger threat to kids than any number of automatic weapons.

The Overreacting Code forces parents to put pressure on educators. The educators then come up with something as inane as ìZero Tolerance.î This means that the school system will tolerate no potential threats of any kind. Sounds okay at first blush, maybe, but think about it a bit more. Little Billy isnít exactly like the other kids. Heís picked on sometimes, and that makes him angry. Suddenly, Little Billy looks like a Columbine killer, so Little Billy is kicked out of school.

Zero Tolerance means that if you fit a certain profile, you are a potential murder suspect, whether thereís been a murder or not. This is a profile consisting of some of these characteristics: smart, picked on, non-conformist, computer-user. Different.

I am a successful member of my chosen profession. Iím married, own my own home, and have no criminal record. Most people would consider me an upstanding member of society. If I were a high school student, I would be Enemy Number One.

As online columnist Bill Bickel put it in a piece called ìZero Tolerance Must End Now,î ìOutrages aren't anecdotal anymore: They're epidemic.î Shortly after Columbine, a teacher asked her class what they were feeling about the incident. After many kids said that they were scared or sad, one boy got up and said that he was also scared and sad, but could understand how the perpetrators felt, because itís so horrible to be picked on and ridiculed. This boy was suspended immediately for sharing these feelings.

Two boys in Florida were expelled (and cops -- in flak jackets -- were summoned to the scene) for talking about the Columbine incident in school. Kids have been expelled and turned over to the police for doodling missiles in their notebooks. A third-grader from Ohio, participating in a school fortune-cookie-writing project, was suspended from school for writing the words "You will die an honorable death." A 7-year-old Cincinnati girl was expelled from school for holding a cap gun on school bus. A 7-year-old girl.

And some examples hit even closer to home. A school principal learned that a group of kids was playing D&D. He called the kids into his office and told them that they had two choices: Quit playing the game and get counseling, or be expelled. Thatís right, playing D&D -- along with video games with violence, listening to heavy metal, and wearing black clothing -- is part of the Education Systemís new profile for dangerous students. This profile comes straight from the FBI, no less. (How whacked is that: The FBI is meddling in all this now?)

As if things werenít bad enough for these kids already. Letís face it, school can really suck when youíre on the outside, youíre different, youíre smart, and youíre not all that athletic. Nobody seems to be suggesting that we help these kids cope with their problems or learn to fit in, or -- heaven forbid -- actually suggest that nonconformity is a good thing. No, they want the frigginí FBI to watch these kids, because weíre all supposed to assume that theyíre killers. That genetic Overreacting Code hasnít activated in me yet. Iím not willing to give up my civil rights and the civil rights (and well-being) of others, all in the name of ìmaking things safe for my kidsÖî

Iím even a little leery of writing this rant, because thereís a chance some kid will be looking at my site while at school, and he could get in trouble for reading this.

Oh, and the Overreacting Code doesnít stop there, either -- itíll put pressure on the government to regulate violence in the media (from movies to TV to games), mark my words. While Iím not a big fan of graphic violence in movies myself, the Overreacting Code hasnít forced my brain to forget the First Amendment. But I suppose thatís actually Another RantÖ.