tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post4215083331465119443..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Open criticism on the InternetBarry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-17734710197468233832010-03-02T15:07:25.126-05:002010-03-02T15:07:25.126-05:00I agree that it's a difficult question, but I&...I agree that it's a difficult question, but I'd want to err on the side of openness.<br /><br />To your specific examples:<br /><br /><i>«encouraging students to ask the teacher to resign? »</i> — I see no problem with this. The students can make up their minds about whether to participate.<br /><br /><i>«encouraging parents to write to the school board to having the teacher fired?»</i> — Same as above, and one would think the parents would think it out even more soberly than the students might.<br /><br /><i>«rude analogies comparing the teacher to bad people in history?»</i> — This is where it might cross into poor taste, but still remains as protected speech. As I recall, I've compared a U.S. president to a bad person in history, right in these pages.<br /><br />I'll also point out that all of these can be done without the Internet, and have been done that way in the past. In my youth, we certainly did the "Mrs Fotzie is a Nazi" sort of thing. People recognize that for the hyperbole that it is.<br /><br />I worry more about spreading lies as damaging rumours, in the hope of getting the teacher fired. Implying that the teacher molests children, runs a pornography ring, or the like. It doesn't even have to be lies: try just "outing" the teacher as <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1070157" rel="nofollow">belonging to the wrong religion</a>.<br /><br />Yes, it's murky. But when it's not done on school time or furniture, I don't see that the school should have control of it.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-20451383188130571702010-03-01T16:24:38.171-05:002010-03-01T16:24:38.171-05:00As with any free speech question, is there a limit...As with any free speech question, is there a limit? Clearly threats of physical violence are beyond the pale (a nice phrase you might want to blog about). How about encouraging students to ask the teacher to resign? Or encouraging parents to write to the school board to having the teacher fired? Or rude analogies comparing the teacher to bad people in history?<br /><br />Public schools are a funny place when it comes to free speech - at least from a precedent point of view...Brenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13094923391435871078noreply@blogger.com