Save Ferris, er, I mean Let James Tate go to The Prom!

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/social-media-explosion-for-teamtate

Social media explosion for #TeamTate

Updated: Wednesday, 11 May 2011, 6:05 PM EDT Published : Wednesday, 11 May 2011, 4:46 PM EDT

By: Jeff Bailey

(WTNH) - The reaction to Shelton High student James Tate's being banned from his prom exploded across social media websites and news sites around the world.

From Facebook to Twitter and other sites, Tate's prom ban went viral like nothing before in Connecticut.

Tate was banned from going to his prom after he attached his prom invitation to the wall of Shelton High in giant cardboard letters.

When word of the ban began filtering out Tuesday, someone created a Facebook page "Let James Go To The Prom Facebook" . In a little over 24 hours, the page went from nothing to having more than 38,000 likes (as of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday).

A second Facebook page was created Wednesday afternoon, suggesting there be a " New Shelton Prom ." It also generated thousand of supporters.

On Twitter, the hashtag #TeamTate took off and was a trending topic, with people expressing support for Tate and condemning the school administration, while news sites including @WTNH and @CTPost provided updates throughout the day.

@TeenVoice Tweeted "The school headmaster should apologize - in 12" cardboard letters taped to the school wall". Commenting on the social media reaction, Quinnipiac University professor Alex Halavais told the Connecticut Post newspaper "Any time there's a sense of injustice, people want to rally around it."

The Tate story went from local to national to international within hours, including a story on The Daily Mail in the UK.

About the only people not talking about the Tate story were Shelton's superintendent and Beth Smith, the headmaster who suspended Tate. Shelton's superintendent issued a statement saying "I am aware of the local, state and national media attention surrounding the situation and I have no further comments regarding the matter at this time."

Vandalism...end of discussion.

Taping cardboard on public property is vandalism?

Better stop putting up those flyers for your garage sale.

It is if you don't climb up the ladder risking a broken neck to take them down yourself. And yes, posting yard sale signs on public property is vandalism. Especially since 90% of the people who put them up there never bother to remove them after the sale is over.

Cone_Junky wrote: Vandalism...end of discussion.

Sounds like your prom was a real barn burner.

I think maybe it's time we, as a society, put some of the effort we put into "zero tolerance" policies into removing the collective stick from our asses. Zero tolerance policies are, for the most part, a chickencrap way for people to absolve any real responsibility and not make difficult decisions.

"Brought an Advil to school? No, sorry, I can't critically analyze the situation and weight risks and benefits and perhaps make a different decision for you than I would make for someone else. Zero tolerance."

Rules are great and all, but we have to recognize that the rules can't account for all the variables.

In any case, this kid is now an international personality, and he's probably going to get some mad 'tang off of this stunt, which is probably all he was looking for in the first place. Well played, sir.

jg

Yep, he'll get laid over this (asumming Sonali has any interrest in him).

My prom was just fine. But hey, nice job making it a personal attack on me. Tate a friend or lover of yours?

So where do we decide rules aren't a big deal? What's so special about Tate? Why does he get a flyer on the rules the rest of us have to follow?

If some kids toilet papered the school, is that OK? It's just tissue paper.

Let's say your house is veiwable from a local freeway. One day while you are at work some local kid does this on your roof. Are you pissed? Are you filing charges? Or do you just laugh, slip him a condom to use on his prom night, and then climb up and clean it yourself?

OMG! He can't go to the prom! It's not like they kicked him out of school, or pressed charges against him.

+1 to every word JG just said

JoeyM wrote: +1 to every word JG just said

+1

+1 to what JG said. FWIW, I don't think there was any question that he would take the letters down later; if so, just ask him to take the letters down. I think calling it vandalism and not letting him go to prom is a way harsh. And seriously, zero tolerance = zero sense. If you rely on a zero tolerance policy to avoid exercising judgment and making tough calls, you're effectively telling the world you are so useless that you could be replaced by a robot.

I understand wanting to punish him. They do want to prevent kids from doing stuff that might get the school sued and looking the other way opens the door for a trend. Seriously though, banning him from prom is excessive, make the kid do after school detention and clean the school or something.

Cone_Junky wrote: Vandalism...end of discussion.

"Private citizens commit vandalism when they willfully damage or deface the property of others or the commons."

If he cleaned up afterwards, where is the damage?

I also agree with JG, too much law making is making the USA a society of wimps and takers.

He did something he shouldn't have done. He's getting punished for it. I've got no problem with that. If you allow this, where do you draw the line for the kid who gets the next "Bigger and Better Idea"?

Vandalism is a Crime If it doesn't belong to you and you deface, destroy, or damage it without the owner's permission - you have committed the crime of vandalism.

So all of you are OK if he did this to your personal property?

As long as taggers come back and clean thier paint, that's OK too?

I'm sure other kids and the following classes won't try to "one up" him either...

mtn wrote:

JoeyM wrote: +1 to every word JG just said

+1

+1

Wow I did way worse than that when I was in high school. God help me if when I have kids they are anything like I was...I ran multiple forms of gambling in the school from card games during lunch periods (where it was not uncommon for me to bring home several hundred dollars a week from) to racing. I sold Jolt out of my locker and had half the school addicted and I charged a minimum of $5 a bottle for (I bought out all the stores near the school). Those are just some of the milder things that I did. I also had a knife in my pocket everyday at school and even the teachers knew it. Some would even borrow it when they needed to cut something.

Cone_Junky wrote: Yep, he'll get laid over this (asumming Sonali has any interrest in him). My prom was just fine. But hey, nice job making it a personal attack on me. Tate a friend or lover of yours? So where do we decide rules aren't a big deal? What's so special about Tate? Why does he get a flyer on the rules the rest of us have to follow? If some kids toilet papered the school, is that OK? It's just tissue paper. Let's say your house is veiwable from a local freeway. One day while you are at work some local kid does this on your roof. Are you pissed? Are you filing charges? Or do you just laugh, slip him a condom to use on his prom night, and then climb up and clean it yourself? OMG! He can't go to the prom! It's not like they kicked him out of school, or pressed charges against him.

Yes, I came off douchey. Sorry about that.

I don't think we ever decided rules don't matter. I like rules. I'm a rules kind of guy. What's frustrating is when rules take the place of critical thinking, and the sense that we're all in this together.

Unfortunately, the reality is that we'd all probably end up thinking critically in different fashions, drawing conclusions that would outrage some and delight others. To avoid those situations we hide behind rules and regulations and "I'm just doing my job" or "It's what the client asked for, it's not my fault it's wrong."

But we sometimes come to a point where the rules can't distinguish between mischief and terror. A kid that tapes some cardboard letters to the wall is lumped in the same category as a guy that throws a burning trash can through the window of an American Outfitters. Someone that moons a car on the freeway is lumped in the same category as a b-hole touching pervert.

You know, I don't really know the answer. There's got to be a balance point between authority and comfort for everyone, and I guess that's what we all seek in our communities and neighborhoods. Some choose to live in gated and HOAed areas, others need more Trans-Ams on blocks and broken driers in their front yards.

I do think if we all lightened up just a little bit, though, we'd probably be all the better for it. There's enough real reasons to be angry without constantly seeking ones that aren't right in front of us.

jg

What happens when rules become zero tolerance policies is people just begin ignoring the rules. completely. I have firsthand experience at this. I can't imagine how different my high school experience would have been if I'd have went to the office for my daily medicine after I had surgery on my arm, instead of just going to the bathroom to take my pill for a month. Make him clean it up, don't ban him from prom. Little bit harsh.

His big mistake is the size and scope of his deed. Now everybody in the school is aware of his prank (the point, of course). So if the school bends the rules for this guy, EVERYBODY would know. And since he can do it, the ones who feel entitled would also follow suit expecting the same leniency. Slippery slope.

The fact is that he trespassed and then vandalized in the eyes of the law. Even allowing him to come back and remove the message would involve serious liability on the school's part. Tall ladder + minor + school property = lawsuit.

This youngin just got one of his first lessons in action and consequences.

JG Pasterjak wrote: ....others need more Trans-Ams on blocks and broken driers in their front yards.

I strip my appliances for sheet metal in the BACK yard, thank you.

...and that car on blocks is a datsun 810 wagon, not a TA.

That's it before I pulled the drive train out.

Cone_Junky wrote: Vandalism is a Crime If it doesn't belong to you and you deface, destroy, or damage it without the owner's permission - you have committed the crime of vandalism. So all of you are OK if he did this to your personal property? As long as taggers come back and clean thier paint, that's OK too? I'm sure other kids and the following classes won't try to "one up" him either... Crying over the prom is wimpy. Making a big deal about a school dance is an example of the pussification of America.

I think we need a different made-up word. "pussification" is a silly word. The root of "pussificiation" is Bob Costas. I, for one, (call me crazy) don't mind "Bob Costas" at all or think it's a bad thing. Maybe dumbification? Lameifictaion? Stupidifucation? Something else.

Joey

There lies an important part... If he had been injured while putting that sign up, do you think his parents would have sued the school? They probably would have, and chances are, would probably be awarded a large settlement by a jury with it's head up it's ass.

Oh, the word filter is awesome!

Joey

Cone_Junky wrote: Vandalism is a Crime If it doesn't belong to you and you deface, destroy, or damage it without the owner's permission - you have committed the crime of vandalism. So all of you are OK if he did this to your personal property? As long as taggers come back and clean their paint, that's OK too? I'm sure other kids and the following classes won't try to "one up" him either...

It's not Vandalism webster's van·dal·ism    [van-dl-iz-uhm] Show IPA –noun 1. deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property: vandalism of public buildings. 2. the conduct or spirit characteristic of the Vandals. 3. willful or ignorant destruction of artistic or literary treasures.

It's littering. Nothing was destroyed. It's carboard letters. This is the exact type of dangerous thinking that zero tolerance leads too.

Now you are punishing him for what others might do to one up him? How is that justified? How is that fair? If the principle was remotely competent or actually interested in teaching the kid a lesson, I am sure she could come up with a more suitable punishment. Instead, she took the easy way out. That is a failure of our education system and an offense far greater than taping some carboard letters on a wall to impress a girl.

You are equating spray paint and cardboard. You are way too smart for that. We are supposed to be encouraging this children to think creatively and learn some lessons. To do this we have to allow them to make mistakes and learn these lessons about where the line is.

The lesson he is learning is that the establishment doesn't care. That is far worse than the "damage" he did to the wall.

Thank you Mental! Glad someone pointed out the "intent" which is always important "in the eyes of the law."

Cone_Junky, sorry. Completely disagree and no, I will not get off your lawn. That type of attitude toward this kind of harmless prank is really funny.

JG, YES! I tell my wife that all the time, "Why do you go out looking for something to upset you? You don't have enough to deal with anyway?"

racerfink wrote: "Bigger and Better Idea"?

Yea that's why they did it. I'm just glad I am not in school and my kids are out of school.