Comments on: A Proportional Response http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/ Thinking critically about the world so that you don't have to. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:25:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Alan http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-58 Alan Tue, 08 Aug 2006 23:59:05 +0000 http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-58 It ought to be remarked that any HouseWife worth her salt would see this as a golden opportunity to wipe her whole family's ass on the pranksters' dime. It ought to be remarked that any HouseWife worth her salt would see this as a golden opportunity to wipe her whole family’s ass on the pranksters’ dime.

]]> By: Keith http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-55 Keith Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:12:25 +0000 http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-55 The masked bias is exactly why this type of subtlety bothers me more than if they had explicitly said, "Gee, ain't this great?" It's the bias that is three steps removed from any conscious decision. There's just a certain way to write this type of story, and so someone wrote it without thought to the values that this type of article celebrates or ignores. I'm not calling for this article to be written any differently, or to not be written. It's a part of the machine that I don't like and I'm trying to make some of its automatic processes more visible. You're right, if this incident was racially charged I wouldn't have a problem with the story, because then it becomes about people mistreating each other instead of mistreating people's property. A story that has civic concerns instead of sending a message to teenagers that if they do something stupid then their lives will be fucked over, is far more aligned with what I believe news should be. Seriously, just make the kids pay for the damage and have their parents punish them. Lesson learned, scales balanced. I don't think this is cute, or OK. The masked bias is exactly why this type of subtlety bothers me more than if they had explicitly said, “Gee, ain’t this great?” It’s the bias that is three steps removed from any conscious decision. There’s just a certain way to write this type of story, and so someone wrote it without thought to the values that this type of article celebrates or ignores.

I’m not calling for this article to be written any differently, or to not be written. It’s a part of the machine that I don’t like and I’m trying to make some of its automatic processes more visible.

You’re right, if this incident was racially charged I wouldn’t have a problem with the story, because then it becomes about people mistreating each other instead of mistreating people’s property. A story that has civic concerns instead of sending a message to teenagers that if they do something stupid then their lives will be fucked over, is far more aligned with what I believe news should be.

Seriously, just make the kids pay for the damage and have their parents punish them. Lesson learned, scales balanced. I don’t think this is cute, or OK.

]]> By: Brendan http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-54 Brendan Sun, 06 Aug 2006 01:40:20 +0000 http://hesitating.org/2006/08/02/a-proportional-response/#comment-54 TPing isn't one of my treasured memories, sad to say, although there was a dog food related incident once involving a car with a "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Meat" bumber sticker. Perhaps this lack of personal history doesn't allow me to see any real bias in the Press Enterprise "news" piece you're talking about. Aside from the use of "extraordinary" in describing the mom's sleuthing the story seemed more moderate than most-- nary a pun or questionable adjective really leaps out at me. The fact that the story was covered could be a bias but as it's written it seems pretty straight and appropriate for community papers and police blotters the country over. If the vandals were adults then one would expect to have an opportunity to hear some comments from them but, as they're minors, that's not possible. It seems you're more insensed at what the article suggests as filtered through your bullshit detector than the article itself. If the same article was written about a single mother of six who happened to be black and the damage was confined to "nigger" spray-painted on the house once do you think you would have reacted the same way? Cheaper to fix than landscaping, car damage and busted lights. Less violent in a way but no less-- probably more-- violating than the TP and dog food. TPing isn’t one of my treasured memories, sad to say, although there was a dog food related incident once involving a car with a “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Meat” bumber sticker. Perhaps this lack of personal history doesn’t allow me to see any real bias in the Press Enterprise “news” piece you’re talking about. Aside from the use of “extraordinary” in describing the mom’s sleuthing the story seemed more moderate than most– nary a pun or questionable adjective really leaps out at me. The fact that the story was covered could be a bias but as it’s written it seems pretty straight and appropriate for community papers and police blotters the country over. If the vandals were adults then one would expect to have an opportunity to hear some comments from them but, as they’re minors, that’s not possible.

It seems you’re more insensed at what the article suggests as filtered through your bullshit detector than the article itself. If the same article was written about a single mother of six who happened to be black and the damage was confined to “nigger” spray-painted on the house once do you think you would have reacted the same way? Cheaper to fix than landscaping, car damage and busted lights. Less violent in a way but no less– probably more– violating than the TP and dog food.

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