"I like that they give each other aids and die"......

[LSN80]

Said arkansas school board member Clint McCance on his private Facebook page.

Some of his other "enlightening" comments included, ""Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way I'm wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide", after five homosexual kids within his own school district committed suicide, and "I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid, "we are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE." One of the many articles covering this story is here.

Spoiler

Originally posted by Lexis Nexus:

Clint McCance, a member of the Midland School Board who posted inflammatory comments on his Facebook account about homosexuals, announced Thursday night he would resign his position on the board.

The announcement came during an interview Thursday with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

McCance, 31, of Pleasant Plains in Independence County also apologized for his remarks during the interview.

He said he doesn't agree with bullying and that his use of "strong language ... wasn't correct." "I picked the wrong words," McCance said. "All I can do is extend an apology for my poor speech. ... I went too far." McCance could not be reached Thursday night by telephone.

The calls for McCance to resign began after he wrote on his social networking page, "Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way I'm wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide.

"I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid," he continued. "We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE." He made the remarks after homosexual-rights groups called for people to wear purple on Oct. 20 in memory of homosexual teens who have died recently.

After his initial remarks, McCance also posted, "I like that **** can't procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die." The Facebook posting led to a protest Thursday in Midland by homosexual-rights activists and rebuke from the Arkansas School Boards Association, as well as national attention from media outlets and homosexual-rights advocates.

McCance said Thursday in the television interview that he does not condone suicide and wanted to apologize to anyone affected by suicide.

Midland School Board member Robert Beel said Thursday night that McCance appeared sincere in his apology and that he was "floored" by McCance's remarks.

"It wouldn't have taken me this long to apologize," Beel said, noting he would not have made such remarks in the first place. "I hope that we don't lose any students [from the negative attention]." Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates equality for homosexuals, released a statement Thursday night saying the resignation is a "step forward for the community." "What remains troubling is that Mr. McCance focused his regret on particular word choices [and] not the animus behind those words," Solmonese said. "We hope he will take this time to reflect not only on the language he used but on what he can do to make the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people better."

I didn't see a thread on this, which genuinely surprised me. Following the comments, Mr. McCann was greated with hundreds of death threats, apparently bad enough that he sent his wife and daughter out of the state, and re-signed his position as a school board member.

The major issues here are obviously intolerance and freedom of speech. The man claimed that his remarks were due to his "strong Christian beliefs" that homosexuality is a sin, and honestly, people like him are a big part of the reason that so many people abhor religion and Christians in general, due to this intolerance.

But the other issue that comes into play is the fact that this man made these comments on his Private Facebook page. They were only leaked when one of his students got access to the his page. The devils advocate would argue that he wasn't making these statements "publicly", thus he should be afforded his constitutional right of Freedom of Speech. Further, one could argue, that people say ignorant things on Facebook or other forms of social networking every day, just voicing their opinions and frustrations. Which leads me to a couple of pertinent questions.


Please understand, Im not condoning this man's words in any way. I believe them to be despicable. In much of what Im saying, Im playing Devil's advocate, to show the "other side of the story", if you will. Personally, I think this type of man gives religion and christianity a bad name in general. Given his position as a school board member, he should have never posted what he did, "private" or not. His words were insensitive at best. The man apologized, but failed to address the heart of the matter in my opinion, which to me is obvious by his follow up "apology." Feel free to pick that apart as well. Thoughts?

 

[gd]

He definitely should've gotten fired. Regardless of how it came to light, should a man who makes such comment have an important part in leading a school district and making decisions that affect thousans of children? I don't think so.

He shouldn't have gotten death threats or anything, those people are just as silly, but he also shouldn't have kept his job or any respect he had. He's a cunt, clearly.

 

[Chardee Macdennis]

I'm glad he made the decision easy and resigned instead of getting fired, because honestly, morally, I would've loved to see him fired, but my political views lead me to the conclusion that he SHOULD NOT have been fired. In other words, he's an asshole that shouldn't be teaching our youths, however, under the constitution, I don't see his actions as a "fireable" offense. Now, I'm not the biggest supporter of gay rights, because of my own religious beleifs, but I also see NO POINT whatesoever on expressing such hateful slurs. Private or not, opinions like these should be kept to yourself and your family, in the privacy of your own home! As far as death threats go...ridiculous. I'm assuming here, but let me do so to make my point. These same people are the ones up in arms over the hateful comments made by McCance. How in the world can you, on one hand bash someone for hate speech, while writing a damn death threat with the other. If we are to teach our children tolerence, than it must be uniform, and not tolerence for some and not others. It seems a bit hypocritical if you ask me.

 

[Arkham Noir]

He definitel should've gotten fired. Regardless of how it came to light, should a man who makes such comment have an important part in leading a school district and making decisions that affect thousans of children? I don't think so.

I completly agree with you. Looking past the homophobic statements, this guy showed absolutly zero remorse for the fact that these kids are dead.Why in the blue fuck should this guy be allowed in any matter involving students.As far as the actual remarks go, it's disgusting.Private account or not, why can't this guy keep his damn ignorance to himself.Hiding behind religion is bull, and he's a coward for doing swn up to your remarks.

A for the "apology" , it comes across as very insincere and like he felt obligated to say it to save his own public image.This guy just doesn't get it.The fact is that he is hating these kids over the fact that they are gay and wishing that all other homosexuals would kill themselves as well. Than calling them out on the fact that suicide is a sin?

What the fuck is wrong with this guy.I think that freedom of speech should be revoked for people like this.

 

[Navi]

I read the story and obviously the guy is an idiot. Resigning was the only option for him. Once you put anything out there in cyberspace it has a chance of going viral and you're screwed.

The bigger problem here is the separation between church and state. The Constitution states you have the right of "Freedom of Speech". But when your religious views conflict with that right, your done. This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Working for a school board myself, I know that you have to be so politically correct in anything you say, as the least little slip-up can be taken the wrong way. One of the first things I learned was not to bring your religious views into the classroom. He learned his lesson the hard way.

On the other side though, he is entitled to feel whatever way he feels and shouldn't be prosecuted for it. Also he shouldn't have to wear anything he feels are against his belief's. He just should have kept his mouth shut and not let his fingers do the walking.

But there is a time and place for everything and Facebook isn't the place for anything. He didn't cause the students who committed suicide to do so, and most listening to what he said should take it with a grain of salt.

I watched him on CNN and he didn't really seem apologetic at all, just pissed that he was caught. Chances are he would do the same thing again if he had the chance.

 

[shattered dreams]

The internet is not deemed private in anyway. I thought most schools had a seminar by now that talked about the pratfalls of thinking facebook is a private place where you can do any number of stupid things without ramifications. It is certainly not, even legally speaking (internet is public domain). This guy is an absolute idiot tool and deserves everything he got and then some. Freedom of speech does not mean you can say whatever you want, whenever you want, without ramifications. He can say it but that does not mean people have to like it. Death threats are over the top but this guy stopped just short of saying I burn the ******s out back which is pretty heinous itself if eye for an eye is your "morality."

 

[Calderownz]

1. How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments? Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place?

2. Did this man have the right to say the things he did? After all, he didnt take a podium and express these things, nor did he put them out there for the world to view. They were on a PRIVATE facebook page. Does all of the outrage and lashing out undermine his constitutional right to freedom of speech?

1. Violence is rarely justifiable. Then again, that's very subjective. Regardless, it's understandable. I can understand some gay people being very angry. If my son was gay, killed himself and this man said this.... Lemme put it this way; I'd murder him.

Doesn't justify it, but I'm just stating the fact. In terms of the public outcry, I'm all for it. This man, in one way or another, controls what some of these kids are taught. No man with this idiotic of a stance on a relatively touchy subject should be controlling education in any way. He's an ass. I sincerely hope his child ends up being gay.

2. Of course you have the right to say anything you want. However, freedom isn't free. People also have the right to respond and be angry and confront you about it. People also have the right to fire you due to certain remarks.

Nonetheless, he has the right to say virtually anything he so desires.

 

[LSN80]

1. Violence is rarely justifiable. Then again, that's very subjective. Regardless, it's understandable. I can understand some gay people being very angry. If my son was gay, killed himself and this man said this.... Lemme put it this way; I'd murder him.

Doesn't justify it, but I'm just stating the fact. In terms of the public outcry, I'm all for it. This man, in one way or another, controls what some of these kids are taught. No man with this idiotic of a stance on a relatively touchy subject should be controlling education in any way. He's an ass. I sincerely hope his child ends up being gay..

Id like to weigh in on my own thread. I don't advocate violence in any way, but this man, in essence, was. Suicide is violence against onsself. As a school board member, he weided power and influence. Further, five children who were homosexual in his own school district had just committed suicide, and he was using that power and influence to encourage more "homosexuals" to do the same.

I don't feel that people overreatced in this situation, at all. While I think committing violence against him would be just as bad, he was deserving of the death threats to he received. Hopefully, that outpouring against him will wake his dumb-ass up and make him realize that you can't say things like that without consequence, and sometimes, those consequences are dire.

Honestly, I wish there was a way to prosecute the man. He was encouraging children who were most likely vulnerable to commit suicide, right after their fellow peers just did. That's heinous, and I wish to God there was a way to lock the man up for awhile, just based on the fact that he was in essence, influencing the kids who were likely already vulnerable.

2. Of course you have the right to say anything you want. However, freedom isn't free. People also have the right to respond and be angry and confront you about it. People also have the right to fire you due to certain remarks.

Nonetheless, he has the right to say virtually anything he so desires.

Agreed completely! With great power comes great responsibility. The man was in a positon of power, and through his freedom of speech, he compromised that freedom by being a bigot. One of my employees could come to me tomorrow and say, "Fuck you Adam", and sure, they would have the right to do so. Its their freedom of sppech right? But I would still have the right to fire their ass.

So much of that freedom of speech comes down to context. The when, how and why of the execution of that freedom of speech can drastically influence and cause problems for someone, regardless of whether its their right. He took his homophobia to a social networking sight, private page or not. He was a dumbass to think there would be no reprecussions. Freedom isnt always free, based upon the consequences you create.

And yes, he has the right to say whatever he wants. And he deserves everything that he got in return, no matter what was said. I feel bad his wife and daughter had to suffer as a result, but HE deserved to have his head f*cked with, if only to scare him straight. It pains me as a Christian to say that, but you reap what you sow.

 

[Xemmy]

Thanks for bringing this up Life. You are the Law.

There is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. The man was promoting hate, but more importantly Death. Saying someone or some people are assholes, or expressing extreme distaste are one thing, but promoting the suicide of a sexual orientation, and claiming to hope 'they' all do that is sickening, and certainly hate speech.

1. How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments? Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place? As a society, no action should be taken against him. By society, I mean anything legal should be left out(Don't sue, or throw him in jail). That's a given with Free Speech, so we can't do that anyway. However I would neither condone or condemn anyone who wished to take physical action against him. That's just me personally, and it's probably a little bit hypocritical say that.


2. Did this man have the right to say the things he did? After all, he didnt take a podium and express these things, nor did he put them out there for the world to view. They were on a PRIVATE facebook page. Does all of the outrage and lashing out undermine his constitutional right to freedom of speech?

Ofcourse he has the right. Freedom of Speech means exactly what it sounds like.
However that constitutional freedom only protects him from the government. It doesn't protect him from the public. It's wrong to discriminate or be hateful to someone because of things they cannot help, such as skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or even religion. It's perfectly fine to discriminate against someone for being an asshole.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

So a school board member was telling children that they should commit suicide, while preaching his religion via hate? Sounds like three strikes to me.

How the fuck did he get elected to the school board in the first place? Oh, that's right, people don't vote in local elections, and if they do, they vote for the name that sounds the coolest.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This is a perfect example of the hypocrisy that's driving so many people away from Christianity. Even if you're not a religious person at all, it's all but impossible to not just shake your head with disgust at the garbage that man was spewing. So, he's actually glad that 5 troubled kids took their own lives...Wow...I mean that's just about says it all right there.

I sometimes wonder why so many young people in this country today seem to have lost faith and belief in so many things. Whether it be religion, educators, elected officials or whatever and I think this man is an example of why that's happening. This man is supposed to be a representative of his community, he's supposed to be the type of person we hope that our children will look up to and maybe even been inspired by. So many people in this country that we should believe in and, to some degree, want to be like have completely let us down and the trash that this man wrote is just one example of how and why a lot of young people in America just don't believe in anything.

I have a niece that's four years old and I sometimes wonder if she's ever going to be exposed to garbage like this from a teacher or principal or counselor or some other adult that she thinks she can trust and look up to.

 

[LigerBomb]

Certainly unlike, in say, a trial setting, his words can not simply be "stricken from the record". Once he put his opinions out there there's no going back. Since his message is rather repugnant, regardless of how it came to light, his position as educator and shaper of young people's minds and character should be revoked; I'm glad to know he's in fact been removed/resigned. His opinions are his own and he has every right to express them as he sees fit, just as society has the right to say they actively resent his opinion and won't have him be involved in their children's lives.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I've never heard of a private facebook page before. If you put something online for the whole world to see you are obviously naive thinking that no one will see it. Even if someone hacks into his account, why would a public figure write comments like that?
Can't people keep racist and homophobic comments to themselves? I understand freedom of speech and all, but there are some things you shouldn't talk about for the whole world to see.

Maybe if he wasn't a public figure this wouldn't even be news, but he is. Resigning the job is in the best interest for him and the school. That is why so many people aren't going away from religion because small minded people like this preach intolerance. Religion is supposed to teach peace and love for your fellow man.

I will never understand hatred for gays, black people and other races. Especially in the 21st century. People like him are disgusting and should keep their hate filled comments to themselves.

 

[Minnesota Connection]

My thoughts on school bullying are this.

You are yourself. If you can't live with yourself and want to do. That's ok, go ahead.

Might be a messed up kind of view, but I have that view with everyone. White, black, green or grey, straight or homosexual... If you are seriously stupid enough to kill yourself, then it's none of our concern.

It is rather unfortunate that the gay kids are targeted in school.

 

[Slyfox696]

What really amazes me, is that people like him are not the exception to the rule, but more the norm. Now, of course, not every school board member says stupid things like he did, but I don't think enough people realize just how silly some of the candidates they elect to the school board can be. People gripe all the time about the educational system in this country, and then elect yahoos like this to the school board. Compound that with the incredible inefficiency of our government, and THAT'S where the educational process fails. Most teachers and administrators in our schools care. It's the government and the school boards that hold people back.

But the other issue that comes into play is the fact that this man made these comments on his Private Facebook page. They were only leaked when one of his students got access to the his page. The devils advocate would argue that he wasn't making these statements "publicly", thus he should be afforded his constitutional right of Freedom of Speech.

Nothing is considered private on the Internet. Just because he blocks access to groups of people, that doesn't mean his page is private, it just means certain groups of people cannot see. But obviously, there were groups who COULD see.

If you put it on the Internet, it is not private. And no one denied him his Freedom of Speech, they just told him what a fool he made of himself because of it.

1. How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments?

No, of course not. You don't react to hate with more hate. That's just stupd.

Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place?

It's "resigning". Re-signing means he signed a new contract (or whatever).

Second of all, what more action can be done? I don't get your question. The guy resigned his position, what else can you do? As you noted, he is free to express his opinion...there's nothing else that can be done.

2. Did this man have the right to say the things he did?

The right? Yes. Should he have? No.

Does all of the outrage and lashing out undermine his constitutional right to freedom of speech?

Without intending offense, I'm guessing you're still in high school, as you don't seem to grasp fully what is going on.

He definitely should've gotten fired.

You can't fire a member of the school board. School board members are elected. I don't know procedures for other states, but in Missouri, the only way to get rid of a school board member, short of felony conviction (I believe), is if the person misses "x" number of meetings in a row, and even then I'm not sure if it's a for-sure thing.

Regardless of how it came to light, should a man who makes such comment have an important part in leading a school district and making decisions that affect thousans of children? I don't think so.

No, but who then should we really be upset with? The guy who made the comments, or the people who voted him to be on the school board?

I'm glad he made the decision easy and resigned instead of getting fired,

Especially since he couldn't be fired, right?

What the fuck is wrong with this guy.I think that freedom of speech should be revoked for people like this.

No offense, but that's an incredibly stupid thing to say. The moment you begin arbitrating who does and does not have free speech, is the moment the concept of free speech goes out the window.

I understand you were making the comment in the heat of the moment, but that was truly silly to say.

I read the story and obviously the guy is an idiot. Resigning was the only option for him.

Not really. He could have continued to be on the board, at least until the next election.

Working for a school board myself, I know that you have to be so politically correct in anything you say, as the least little slip-up can be taken the wrong way. One of the first things I learned was not to bring your religious views into the classroom. He learned his lesson the hard way.

That's not actually true. It depends upon the community you're representing. For example, where I work, NOT being religious would cost you a job far more quickly than being religious.

 

[Navi]

Not really. He could have continued to be on the board, at least until the next election.

Of course he could have stayed on, but when he was the target of death threats, resigning his position was the right thing to do. Actually keeping his mouth shut would have been better, but that boat had already sailed.

That's not actually true. It depends upon the community you're representing. For example, where I work, NOT being religious would cost you a job far more quickly than being religious.

The public schools here in Toronto are non secular. We don't say the Lord's prayer and we don't teach any religion at all. That is left up to the Catholic School Board, where religion classes are mandatory.

One day I made the mistake of saying "Oh God" out loud and a small Muslim boy went home and told his parents. I heard about it the next day from my principal and believe me I never did it again. We have a very diverse community in our area, and they believe in many different God's. So any mention of the word is prohibited.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

1. How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments? Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place?

No more action should be taken. He expressed a hateful opinion and was disciplined for it. Why keep kicking a dead mule?

2. Did this man have the right to say the things he did? After all, he didnt take a podium and express these things, nor did he put them out there for the world to view. They were on a PRIVATE facebook page. Does all of the outrage and lashing out undermine his constitutional right to freedom of speech?

Of course he had the right to say whatever came up in his mind. He could have easily disrespected an ethnic group or a religious sect if he wanted to. Free speech and all that. Doesn't make it right and just like McCance found out, there is a consequence for every action.

And Facebook is not private in the slightest. Don't say shit that will bite you in the ass on a public website. Even between friends it's stupid to discriminate- especially when you're in a seat of power like he was.

This is coming from a guy that resides in Arkansas. I have been very displeased with this man's choice of bashing homosexuals (not just homosexuals either; suicidal ones). It was a bad move and shouldn't be praised in any way.

With that being said, I am no longer outraged. What's done is done. I'm just glad he is off the board so we all can get on with our lives down here in the Bible Belt.

It's bad enough to have the Westboro Baptist Church condone your actions.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I find that the comment that Clint McCance had said over facebook was a bit harsh. His facebook page is his private webpage and he's entitled to post whatever he wants on it. However that doesn't excuse him from making prejudiced remarks like that. I disagreed with the whole thing of wearing purple just because five homosexuals killed themselves. I'm not bashing their lifestyle in any way, as it's their choice.... and it really sucks that they killed themselves.... but I don't know any of those people personally. Why should I wear purple just to mourn the death of someone I know nothing about? The people who did participate in that weren't necessarily gloryfing the fact that these people killed themselves. I think most of them were just mourning the fact that it had come to that.

He went too far with his comments and they were rather uncalled for. That should not be tolerated due to how hateful it is.... but it IS his web page, and therefore he's entitled by freedom of speech to say whatever he wants. We need to set better examples and not be like that. It's not nice. How would you like it if someone said prejudiced remarks regarding a stereotype you might fit? It hurts.

The right way to react to this would be to keep comments like that to yourself. He should not have publicly posted it, honestly. That way there are less death threats involved. Those who made the threats reacted incorrectly too though and should not have made any threats. That's just as sinful as the remarks were. I don't blame him for resigning from the school board though since this incident will follow him for life.

When it comes down to it, freedom of speech and intolerance will always be fighting each other. There is no law saying "you can say anything you want.... unless it's hateful". What it DOES say is that we are entitled to freedom of speech. We still need to be respectful of other cultures though, even when we disagree with their lifestyle choices. I don't agree with homosexuality but I don't say hurtful remarks about them either. All cultures should be respected, otherwise you don't deserve to have any of their respect in return.

 

[LSN80]

What really amazes me, is that people like him are not the exception to the rule, but more the norm. Now, of course, not every school board member says stupid things like he did, but I don't think enough people realize just how silly some of the candidates they elect to the school board can be. People gripe all the time about the educational system in this country, and then elect yahoos like this to the school board. Compound that with the incredible inefficiency of our government, and THAT'S where the educational process fails. Most teachers and administrators in our schools care. It's the government and the school boards that hold people back..

We agree here. My dad is a teacher and I, amongst other things, work as a behavioral consultant within school districts across my county. What Ive found to be the case is that many of the teachers I deal with are stressed, flustered, and often, depressed, because they care too much. They're the ones who receive the backlash when things go wrong. The school board is nothing more then a poluarity contest, and in my school district, an old boys club.

Nothing is considered private on the Internet. Just because he blocks access to groups of people, that doesn't mean his page is private, it just means certain groups of people cannot see. But obviously, there were groups who COULD see.

The point that has been brought up across news media and deabted heavily has been the privacy issue, that being the fact that while the man did apologize, what he posted was only meant for his friends. As you pointed out, it did get out, which DID cause a debate over the difference between things said out loud and things said online within the media.

If you put it on the Internet, it is not private. And no one denied him his Freedom of Speech, they just told him what a fool he made of himself because of it.

Yeah, i think you said that already. And I never implied that he was denied his freedom of speech. I think you're making the incorrect assumption that the questions that I asked are leading, or based upon personal opinion. And I think people went a little bit farther then just telling him he's a fool, simply based upon the thousands of death threats he received.

No, of course not. You don't react to hate with more hate. That's just stupd.

I agree here. I feel terrible for his wife and daughter that they had to endure the backlash they did because of this ignoramus.

It's "resigning". Re-signing means he signed a new contract (or whatever).

Thanks for the vocabulary lesson, chief. It was a typo, nothing more. I quite understand the difference.

Second of all, what more action can be done? I don't get your question. The guy resigned his position, what else can you do? As you noted, he is free to express his opinion...there's nothing else that can be done.

I didn't think I would have to spell everything out to the letter, but I guess I do. As I alluded to, I was asking if the thousands of phone calls he received were warranted. That goes above resigning, correct? People, through their words, took action against him.

The right? Yes. Should he have? No.

Agreed.

Without intending offense, I'm guessing you're still in high school, as you don't seem to grasp fully what is going on.

Without being offensive back, it's not hard to look to the far right above my location and see that Im 28. And as a behavioral psychologist, I can guarantee I have a better grasp on this situation then you ever will, no offense. I work within schools every day and also have done 100's of sit-downs with people like Mr. McCann.

You can't fire a member of the school board. School board members are elected. I don't know procedures for other states, but in Missouri, the only way to get rid of a school board member, short of felony conviction (I believe), is if the person misses "x" number of meetings in a row, and even then I'm not sure if it's a for-sure thing

.

Outside of a felony conviction, the only way a school board member can be removed in Pennsylvania is if someone fails a complaint with a civil courts judge, and the judge rules that the school board's actions or words were so egregious that they would be detrimental to the school. That's in theory, because its never actually happened.

No, but who then should we really be upset with? The guy who made the comments, or the people who voted him to be on the school board?

Im going to say the man who made the comments, since each and every onbe of us is responsible for our own words, not the words of others. Mr McCann could have been a good ole Christian young man who never utterred a slur in his life prior to the Facebook incident. In fact, if you've read any of the articles, the people who knew him were schocked he made the statements that he did.

Especially since he couldn't be fired, right?

I don't know what the policy is in Arkansas myself.

No offense, but that's an incredibly stupid thing to say. The moment you begin arbitrating who does and does not have free speech, is the moment the concept of free speech goes out the window.
I understand you were making the comment in the heat of the moment, but that was truly silly to say.

You say "no offense" alot, then proceed to insult that person you "dont mean to offend. It was Noir's opinion, and he's entitled to it. That being said, I agree with you. The day we begin legislating what people can and cannot say, we in essence become a dictaorship.

Not really. He could have continued to be on the board, at least until the next election.

You're really grasping at straws here. Sure, he could have stayed on, and he and his family would have continued to have been terrorized until that next election. He made the only sensible choice possible.

That's not actually true. It depends upon the community you're representing. For example, where I work, NOT being religious would cost you a job far more quickly than being religious.[/QUOTE]

I dont understand this in the slightest. How so?

 

[Slyfox696]

The point that has been brought up across news media and deabted heavily has been the privacy issue, that being the fact that while the man did apologize, what he posted was only meant for his friends. As you pointed out, it did get out, which DID cause a debate over the difference between things said out loud and things said online within the media.

I guess I don't understand what is to be debated. If it's on the Internet, it's public domain. What's the debate?

Yeah, i think you said that already.

Indeed I did. It's called "reiterating". I do it so people fully understand my point.

And I never implied that he was denied his freedom of speech.

Who said you did? Wasn't me. I was simply responding to the point you made about free speech.

I think you're making the incorrect assumption that the questions that I asked are leading

And I would argue YOU are the one making assumptions, since I never once attributed that comment to you.

Thanks for the vocabulary lesson, chief.

You're welcome, sport.

It was a typo, nothing more. I quite understand the difference.

And yet, your typo was quite important here. If he had re-signed, then people would ask why in the world he'd want to continue to take abuse. Typos are okay, unless they drastically change the context of the writing.

But I'm sure you knew that too.

I didn't think I would have to spell everything out to the letter, but I guess I do. As I alluded to, I was asking if the thousands of phone calls he received were warranted. That goes above resigning, correct? People, through their words, took action against him.

Then you need to become a better writer. Your exact quote was the following:

"How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments? Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place?"

The second sentence was not connected to the first sentence, so naturally, a reader would assume the third sentence would be independent of the second. Additionally, the third question indicates you're referring to future punishment from some unknown entity, while your second question refers to what had already happened.

Either you're covering for a mistake, or you wrote your first question incredibly poorly. So, in that case, when it's obvious the problem is on your end, yeah, I guess you need to spell it out for us.

Without being offensive back, it's not hard to look to the far right above my location and see that Im 28.

People lie about their age on here all the time. According to the forum, I was 10 years old on here for three years.

I tend to not pay attention to age.

And as a behavioral psychologist, I can guarantee I have a better grasp on this situation then you ever will, no offense. I work within schools every day and also have done 100's of sit-downs with people like Mr. McCann.

I've had multiple principals in my family who have gone on to be superintendents. The entire side of my father's family going back several generations have been involved in education. My mother is currently a superintendent, and I've been teaching for several years now.

My point? I sincerely doubt you "have a better grasp on this situation" than I ever will.

Im going to say the man who made the comments, since each and every onbe of us is responsible for our own words, not the words of others. Mr McCann could have been a good ole Christian young man who never utterred a slur in his life prior to the Facebook incident. In fact, if you've read any of the articles, the people who knew him were schocked he made the statements that he did.

I find it quite difficult to believe his homophobic comments came from a newly developed attitudes about homosexuals.

I agree though, we blame the individual.

I don't know what the policy is in Arkansas myself.

Well, Arkansas has school board elections, so he'd have to get voted out.

You say "no offense" alot, then proceed to insult that person you "dont mean to offend. It was Noir's opinion, and he's entitled to it. That being said, I agree with you. The day we begin legislating what people can and cannot say, we in essence become a dictaorship.

If I say no offense, I don't intend my comment to be an insult. When I want to insult someone, I assure you I don't bother being passive aggressive.

And just because something is someone's opinion, doesn't change the fact it's a stupid opinion.

You're really grasping at straws here. Sure, he could have stayed on, and he and his family would have continued to have been terrorized until that next election. He made the only sensible choice possible.

I completely disagree. I have no idea how large the district is, but it's well known that people are only upset about something until there's something new to be upset about. I've seen it SOOO many times where I live. As soon as something else came up that people cared about, then the calls would have stopped, especially if he had given a sincere apology.

I dont understand this in the slightest. How so?

It's pretty self-explanatory. If people thought you were not a good Christian, they wouldn't vote for you. Think of Mayberry, only with a much lower class of people. That's where I live.

 

[LSN80]

I guess I don't understand what is to be debated. If it's on the Internet, it's public domain. What's the debate?.

The debate was over whether or not the man should have resigned, and if people were being too harsh on him due to the fact that he blocked his Facebook usage to supposedly his friend's eyes only. Obviously, that's not what happened, but was the subject of debate nonetheless. If you had read the entire post thoroughly, you would have picked up on that.

Indeed I did. It's called "reiterating". I do it so people fully understand my point.

It could also be called "beating a dead horse."

Who said you did? Wasn't me. I was simply responding to the point you made about free speech.

.

Fair enough.

And yet, your typo was quite important here. If he had re-signed, then people would ask why in the world he'd want to continue to take abuse. Typos are okay, unless they drastically change the context of the writing.

Yet you and everyone else seemingly knew exactly what i meant by it. How else would you be able to point out the difference if you didn't? It didn't "alter" anything, as you so alledge.

"How, as a society, should we react to comments like this? Are the death and personal injury threats this man received justifiable in this instance, given the nature of his comments? Was him re-signing from the school board enough, or should more action be taken in this place?"

The second sentence was not connected to the first sentence, so naturally, a reader would assume the third sentence would be independent of the second. Additionally, the third question indicates you're referring to future punishment from some unknown entity, while your second question refers to what had already happened.

The second question followed up on the first in that it was asking if what was said(death threats) were the right and justifiable actions of society. A follow-up to the first question. And the third question was simple reiteration of the first two questions, in a direct manner. Simple and straightforward.

I saw noone else struggle to grasp what I was asking in those questions.

Either you're covering for a mistake, or you wrote your first question incredibly poorly. So, in that case, when it's obvious the problem is on your end, yeah, I guess you need to spell it out for us.

I don't see how the problem is on my end when every other person who responded answered the questions in a succint and disinctive way that showed they knew exactly what I meant by the questions I asked.

I've had multiple principals in my family who have gone on to be superintendents. The entire side of my father's family going back several generations have been involved in education. My mother is currently a superintendent, and I've been teaching for several years now.

My point? I sincerely doubt you "have a better grasp on this situation" than I ever will.

That's certainly up for debate. My dad has been a teacher for over 30 years. Ive spent the past 7 years of mine both working within school districts as a consultant and on the outside, working with a wide variety of people, many who are like Mr. McCann in some ways. Im sure we could go back and forth in a quest to prove whose more knowledgeable on the situation. I sincerely think it's great that you're a teacher, because most of the ones I know and work closely with do it for all the right reasons. But that and your family lineage hardly gives you a better grasp on the situation then I.

I find it quite difficult to believe his homophobic comments came from a newly developed attitudes about homosexuals.

I didn't suggest that he developed a newfound attitude about homsexuals, I merely put out the idea that this may have been the first time he vocalized them in a public setting. His peers were shocked that he made the comments, actually.

Well, Arkansas has school board elections, so he'd have to get voted out.

So does Pennsylvania. There's still law that denotes a civil court judge could rule "malicious intent", and remove him from the board.

I completely disagree. I have no idea how large the district is, but it's well known that people are only upset about something until there's something new to be upset about. I've seen it SOOO many times where I live. As soon as something else came up that people cared about, then the calls would have stopped. Especially if he had given a sincere apology.

Yet that's not what happened. We can deal in "buts" and "what-ifs" all we want, but the fact remains that he was under tremendous pressure and stress following his comments, so much that he moved his wife and daughter out of the freakin state. At that given time, he made the only rational decision that gave him an out somewhat.

Especially if he had given a sincere apology.

Again, we're playing the "what-if" game here again. His apology was the farthest thing from sincere. He acknowledged that he shouldn't have made the comments, not that they were wrong. He went on to attribute them to his strong "Christian" beliefs. Given the circumstance he was in, he made the only logical, reasonable decision.

It's pretty self-explanatory. If people thought you were not a good Christian, they wouldn't vote for you. Think of Mayberry, only with a much lower class of people. That's where I live.

I get the Andy Griffith reference, and honestly, I like it. I take it your previous statement solely pertained to school boards, rather then jobs in general?