[ExI] local crisis

[Kelly Anderson]

On Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 6:45 PM, spike <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

> ** **
>
> ExI friends, I have an interesting crisis in which I would welcome any
> advice you may offer.****
>
> ** **
>
> A dear friend from a long time ago posted me yesterday saying her 15 yr
> old daughter was threatened at her high school by a boy she didn’t even
> know, who was just in her class.  He explicitly threatened to shoot her in
> the back of the head, said he had a gun in his backpack.  He is 16.  The
> girl told her mother, who went to the principal, who tried to excuse the
> boy since he doesn’t understand the American way, being two months in the
> country from Egypt.****
>
> ** **
>
> As you might expect the 15 yr old girl is vigorously shunning the
> spotlight.****
>
> ** **
>
> I advised her to go to the superintendent, and if he didn’t immediately
> react convincingly to go to the local news agencies.  She posted back a few
> minutes ago saying Mohammad got a 3 day vacation from school.  He offered
> an apology, but my friend’s family refused, requesting no contact at all,
> for they understand the difference between a threat and an insult.****
>
> ** **
>
> There were at least two teenage witnesses whose stories match, and now at
> least three ranking school officials know about it.  I just replied back
> saying it absolutely does not matter what she does at this point: this
> story has legs; the whole sordid affair is likely headed for the front page
> on both CNN and Fox, among others.  Anyone here with children will get this
> immediately.  There are too many elements in it that stir far too much
> marketable emotion to just go away quietly.****
>
> ** **
>
> Any and all advice welcome.
>

On a slower news day perhaps. This story has a lot of competition today
though. Perhaps it will get picked up in a few days. But the news cycle
covers the real news very unevenly. There are many cases similar to those
that get coverage. A lot of things have to do with that. For example,
Elizabeth Smart got coverage because her parents were rich, white and
Mormon, and that sort of thing isn't supposed to happen to rich white
Mormons.

-Kelly
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