May 4, 2007
NYTIMES PHOTO EDITOR HAS A SICK/SLICK SENSE OF HUMOR
Remember when Newt Gingrich thought we should give laptops to every kid in America as a way to solve . . . .we're not sure what the hell that was supposed to solve, but it sure sounded like a stupid plan to us. High school-aged kids are interested in a few primary things: pornography (boys), gossip (girls), and cheating (all). Universal laptop ownership by teens just facilitates all of those things to the nth degree. Ten years gone, The New York Times takes a look at what a colossal flop such an idea would have been, by examining schools that tried it.
We don't actually care about the article; stupid in the past remains stupid in the present. We do love that the Asst. Managing Editor for Photography, Michele McNally used the photograph above (that we've enhanced for your enjoyment) as the graphic for the story. One's eyes are naturally drawn to the kid using the computer's tshirt. It reads "I'm a Drinker, Not a Fighter". That would've warranted a suspension back when we were in high school, oh so many years ago. What's crazy is the bumper sticker affixed to the laptop. It reads "Gun Control Means Using Both Hands." That's some serious gallows humor at that high school. Given that it's a school-owned computer inside a school in the age of school shootings, however, I bet that kid is suspended now. And McNally is our new favorite reason to read the Times.
Tagged: humor, new york times, photographyPosted by Lexiphane at May 4, 2007 7:35 PM
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Comments
Well guys, I attend Liverpool High School and I know the kid pictured with the “I’m a drinker not a fighter” shirt. Bottom-line, I just wanted to say you guys are all retards; he has not yet been suspended and probably won’t because action was not taken against him during that day he had the shirt on. Dealing with the laptops, its not the kids fault these days so much as it is the administrators. Our laptops are basically locked solid: we cannot install programs, some of which are for school classes. But yet as always, never give someone a locked laptop and think that after a couple days of twerking with it that they won’t find a way around it. We’re clever and make use of the inability for admins to lock the system32 folder, because it has explorer.exe in it, and so we install programs through there. Even so, why not just give us our own account on the laptop and one you can only access at school, wouldn’t that make more sense?
Posted by: Thomas at May 9, 2007 4:01 PM
Thanks for your remarks Thomas. I'm glad your schoolmate was not suspended for his t-shirt. I didn't think he would be, I just mentioned it because it's something that would've gotten someone suspended back when I was in high school. It's also good to hear he wasn't suspended over the sticker on his computer; I'm glad that zero-tolerance shit isn't as out of control as one would think from the news.
As per your thoughts on computers, I thought I was pretty clear that I didn't give two shits about that. Address your next letter to the NYTimes; that's the paper that wrote the article about computers in school. My post was about the Times photo editor's cool insertion of some subversive content into the paper that I'm sure most people didn't even notice.
As per the characterization of me as a "retard", ouch Thomas, really. Anyway, keep up with the reading comprehension classes no matter what school you're in. I'm sure you'll get it someday.
Posted by: Lexiphane ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.lexiphane.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 9, 2007 8:28 PM