Is it "gay-bashing" if the person you're calling gay isn't?

I'll never get the hang of this "political correctness" crap.

A picture of the offending teacher and principal along with their respective home addresses and phone numbers circulated over the internet with the title of "Pedophile" seems appropriate.
The intent of this moronic "educator" seems unclear: was it to ruin the boys' lives?; ruin a relationship between two hetero students?; or to cause so much anguish for the two boys that they would be ostrasized by their peers leading them to depression and potential suicide from being labeled something they are not? This "educator" and his principal, who chose to tamper with a witness, should both be fired without question (if the story is true). Had it been my son who was the victim of these two idiots' recklessness I would make their lives a living hell.

Quite frankly, a seventh grade teacher ought not be referring to students' sexuality period. Further, teachers ought not be trying to ridicule students.

Hence, I agree that the teacher and principal ought to be punished in some way. However, the "pedophile" idea is way over the top. One is talking about tarring someone with a label that goes well beyond ridicule to one that could destroy a career. This is over the top. Further, regardless of one's opinion of homosexuality, being called one is not the equivalent of being called a pedophile.

There are some things one ought not sling around, even in jest, and that is one of them.

So...it's wrong to say that someone is a homosexual (even a child)?

I've been hearing for years how being homosexual is a normal, healthy thing. I would think that the neighborhood, school, and parents would rejoice at a teacher labeling their boys as normal, healthy, and members of a group that is striving hard not only for civil rights but preferred status.

Are we sure the teacher wasn't complementing them?

Of course he wasn't complimenting them, Jimmie. He didn't call them the c-word -- which as we've all recently learned "can be a term of endearment."

This is kind of a ridiculous topic. There really can't be a conventional argument about this teacher's actions (aside from what I hope to be Jimmie's attempt at sarcasm). The teacher should never refer to the sexuality of a student (gay or straight). Inappropriate. I don't think it would have been okay, in the alternative, for teacher to say in the middle of class, "hey Jimmy - you puttin' the wood to Samantha over there?"

Of course "some kind" of punishment should be levied. Career? Someone with such a lack of understanding of their position as a teacher should not have a career in teaching. The purpose and effect of the punishment should be the elimination of his "career" as an educator of young people. Labeling as a pedophile would require actual touching of small children. Maybe labeling him as a moronic bigoted asshole would be more appropriate.

I do have some questions about the teacher's motivations. I don't think he was trying to ridicule the student. My opinion is that the teacher was trying to get into the kid's girlfriend's pants. Maybe he really is a pedophile - or at the very least, a statutory rapist (under my theory).

I would ask this teacher, in public view, "Mr. Smith, are you a homosexual?" Of course, he'll answer "No!"

Then get on the phone to the local daily and tell them that Mr. Smith has just denied being a homosexual. Nothing more; nothing less.

The very least you can expect is that the paper will print an article headlined, "Local Teacher Denies Charge Of Homosexuality." And then the fun begins.

Damn, looks like I picked the wrong weekend to quit sniffing glue...

A New Hampshire story and I missed it? Oh, yeah, it was on Snooze9, the station that's a 90% clone of Boston's Channel 5, and is so proud of it's "home-town" reputation that it's recently been sold from it's previous owner in Texas to... geez, I dunno, I think some outfit from Chicago or something.

I gave up on Snooze9 years ago, after they pulled some corporate shenanigans and forced another station out of a deal to become a Fox affiliate and into infomercials 24/7, JUST to preserve their status as Cow Hampshire's only network affiliate.

Maybe some time I'll post a rant about their particular brand of scummery at some point...

J.

Kids these days know so much more than we did when we were in school. We had no idea why the Village People were so glad to be staying at the YMCA? I had a 7th grade math teacher who was always staring at my ass and making comments about my trailer. It was years later that I figured out the creep was gay. Was that sexual harassment?

Humbert Humbert was a pedophile (dirty old man who likes little girls). Teach's hangup seems to involve the sexuality of little boys, which would move him out of the realm of pedophilia into that of pederasty (the affection of dirty old men for little boys). Two different kinds of perversion, folks.

It maybe that the boys blew off his advances and to get back at them he tried humiliation. That is a very difficult age for boys and to be humiliated in front of their peers is absolutely uncalled for. This teacher should have his teaching certificate taken away. He shouldn't be allowed to work with children in any capacity again. And the principal should also be reprimanded and suspended from his duties as principal for a period of time without pay, for his actions in the matter. Obviously, he didn't have the best interest of the students in mind.

Didn't this raise a red flag with the school system?