I know, it’s an unfair question… we really don’t know from the article if this group of aspiring degenerates is vicious or simply your run-of-the-mill-almost-normal mean-spirited little pricks.

On the surface though, this looks like far too much attention for less than I endured in 6th grade.

Raskalnikov-Harry Haller-Mersault-Cartman

A man was brutally stabbed on the D train NYC city early this morning bc of an altercation over a seat. This was not nearly as disgusting as the many many comments saying the guy deserved it in the NY Post (yeah yeah I know, but still…).

I wonder if these people laugh at South Park too. Is South Park the thin edge of the wedge?

Not that it was they only reason. For years, despite my love of their brand of humour, I’d be getting steadily more and more annoyed at their snide conservative overtones. The ginger episode annoyed me not because it was a parody of prejudice, but rather because of the DVD mini-commentary of the episode, where Trey Parker basically goes on a 5-minute long spiel about how he genuinely feels ginger kids are creepy and is genuinely glad he married someone Asian so that there’s no chance of him ever having them.

I’ve got to say, that sort of thing pissed me off. So when I heard about little redheaded kids getting beat up and told things like “This won’t hurt you because you don’t have a soul,” (which directly reference the episode), well, I can’t say I want South Park to be a part of my life anymore.

South Park can make fun of christians and blacks and jews and gays as a point of satire, but if the DVD commentary had one of them saying, “No really, those people are creepy and weird,” you know they wouldn’t be able to get away with it.

http://boingboing.net/2009/08/10/are-red-headed-peopl.html

Damn straight anyone who assaults people should get a visit from the law. Assault isn’t trivial just because it’s kids who do it.

This actually seems like pretty clear proof that our media and our culture send us behavior signals all the time– this is funny, this is OK, this is normal, this is pretty, this is seriously fucked-up. I mean really how else would you explain the popularity of crocks or mullets. If media has no effect on our behavior, I would like someone to explain away the multi-billion dollar advertising industry.

The reality is that, sure, some kids are just waiting for permission to be mean, to brutalize, to humiliate. When popular culture and social networking give them that permission (it’s funny! it’ll be cool! let’s all do it!!), they will take it gladly. Millions of people were killed by their neighbors in Rwanda after popular radio shows started calling for the slaughter. Permission given, action taken. It doesn’t do us any good to pretend there is not a connection.

Also, Jamie Sue, the “fire in bed” mythology doesn’t actually ease anything for redhead girls. It just makes us fodder for creeps who want a fetish object. Some of the most uncomfortable interactions I’ve had with men have been due to that mythology. Frankly, given the choice, I’d have rather been beaten up by grade-school peers.

Which I do, with a passion.

The hell?

Physical assault is illegal. How hard is this to understand? If half of of your co-workers beat you up one day, you’d probably go to the cops. Why should it be any different if it’s a kid?

I’m not generally in favor of zero tolerance stupidity, but zero tolerance for an actual ASSAULT is something I can get behind.

Anyone who thinks physical assault is acceptable shouldn’t be allowed to coexist with the rest of us.

Clearly, Harry Potter’s kids are likely to be gingers.

How cool is that?

The children who did this should be taught a lesson. But to suggest facebook or southpark, rather than ignorance and childhood stupidity are the root cause is sensationalist media BS.