Yeah, I think the main point is that it doesn’t really matter; either he’s a super smart kid who hacked some microchips together to make a clock, or he’s just a curious kid who hacked an existing clock to make something more interesting. In the first case, great; let’s give him 2nd place in the next science fair. In the other case, great; let’s find a teacher who is able to recognize and harness that curiosity and turn it in to real knowledge of electronics and empower this kid to be an engineer. Neither was done, of course, by the science-hatin’, muslim-fearin’ FUD complex of Texas.
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I just saw the pic of the clock. What kind of idiot thinks that is a bomb? Really, how can someone be so incompetent yet still pull off “normal” daily living? The people involved have soundly failed at intelligent adult.
As to the complexity of the clock project, doesn’t matter. This is a case of appropriate proportional response to actions of the enemy.
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It’s all part of operation Jade Helm. First get the kid to make the timing device. Check.
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PLEASZE KID SUE THE CRAP OUT OF THESE MORONS… thank you!
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They’re getting hammered on their facebook page 
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Nah, physics, the laws of which even Greg Abbott can’t repeal.
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The ability to empathize with people who’ve faced similar prejudices in life does not preclude the ability to empathize with others who have not, or others who might have faced other prejudices of which one has shared experience. Compassion is not a zero-sum game.
And while it would hardly be practical for the President to invite every victim of police brutality to the White House, perhaps he recognizes a teachable moment when Americans can be reminded to embrace, not fear, the pursuit of knowledge.
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Compassion is a finite resource.
“Journalism analysts argue that the media has caused widespread compassion fatigue in society by saturating newspapers and news shows with often decontextualized images and stories of tragedy and suffering. This has caused the public to become cynical, or become resistant to helping people who are suffering.”
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I stand partly corrected. However, I would argue that this case is not decontextualized and compassion fatigue is probably more complicated than that informative but necessarily brief WP summary. It’s self-evident that humans can only focus on so many things at once. I suspect our ability to process empathy is both highly individualistic and highly dependent on how we’re presented with the stimulus for the empathy. E.g. it may be easier to generate more compassion when it’s given context.
Even so, I stand by my assertion that it isn’t a zero-sum game. Compassion isn’t something outside of people that once it’s used up is permanently depleted. It comes from us and, while they’re may be limits to how much one person can sustain over a period of time, I would also suggest that our ability to exercise it depends on its regular engagement, much like the balance between muscle development and muscle fatigue.
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Yeah that mains transformer looks a bit ordinary. Wouldn’t want the President poking his fingers into that. My recent projects have had USB power connectors on the board because USB power supplies are so easy to get. But I could believe a cheap chinese clock radio would have a transformer like that.
The same kind of idiot who thinks that someone trying to blow up parts of a city’s infrastructure would decorate their bombs with attention-getting blinky cartoon characters.
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Expecting teachers, cops and elected officials to do their jobs right, not bully and abuse children and violate their rights, and be punished if they do act like that is not some tit for tat tribal exclusionism. It’s exhibiting basic human decency, not slavering for revenge.
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not sure if I would describe it in this way - sure, Obama used the internet rage to make a point. But his invitation is a powerful symbol:
A kid was handcuffed because of a few cables and electronic elements and got blamed by his environment (school, police district, mayor) for building a fake bomb. The parties involved can make his life miserable (especially the school is able to hinder or destroy all his plans, trying to find a decent job without highschool graduation sucks). And now, while the pile of shit is steaming, the fucking president invites this kid.
I grant you the singular case argument and it plays well for Obama’s political agenda, but the [imho important and proper] symbolic value outshines the populistic manipulation (your words, not mine).
I know! Right? I end up starting to say, “Anyone with a high school science education should…” And then I realize what I’m about to say and trail off as I start to scream internally.
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I think it’s just the manifestly counter-intuitive disastrous stupidity of it that brings people to their feet to yell, “Come the fuck on!” I mean, we’re talking about the arrest of a person for learning related activities at school. It’s beyond all sense and reason. If you want to have a broader conversation about the draconian school system and police overreach, believe it or not, the BBS is a very receptive audience. But I sense you don’t want to have that conversation and instead want to focus on your weird icky feeling that someone is getting more than they deserve. And you know what- that happens sometimes. Look at Donald Trump; I’ll take this case as a win.
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Here’s to symbolism trumping ignorance and racism for a better Texas.
And exactly how else was Obama supposed to reach out to this 14 year old kid? Kids aren’t on Facebook anymore and a good chunk of the population don’t have a phone number that’s listed in a bloody phone book. It’s not a “populist” method, it’s a rational option.
Except our exclusionary manner of choosing which kids deserve to have public outrage makes it exactly that. I’m just arguing that we need to recognize that this story has existed for a long time and we didn’t react so strongly until it happened to a privileged nerd. Without at least acknowledging this things will only improve for one person.
Compassion is a muscle that needs to be exercised.
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Mod note: Stay on topic and stop concern trolling.
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