Kansas teen won't apologize to governor's office for Twitter post

[belimom]

I think the bolded part from the SCHOOL DISTRICT bothers me more than anything. Seriously? No one proof reads anymore.

Also, this is exactly what I said 2 pages ago.

I think that's a media typo. Here's another quote with the correct spelling of "intend":

"The issue has resulted in many teachable moments concerning the use of social media. The district does not intend to take any further action on this matter."

http://www.ktka.com/news/local/stor...or-tweet-reaction/7mvV6rvMXUqjBqqmBjG5ZA.cspx

 

[Chewy]

Context. If you met Obama and told him to his face that you thought he sucked and blowed and then tweeted it. Yes I would say you are low class.

In general low class behavior is stupid, uneducated, bigoted or disrespectful. As humans we all do things like that, but when you do a decent person will own up and apologize. She isn't wrong for her opinion, just the manner in which she chose to express herself and the context.

IMO it is low class to go around saying things suck and blow. That's just my opinion though, I'm sure others disagree. I use profanity and people probably think that is low class. It is a matter of opinion.


Also porn stars have large followings as well. It doesn't make them classy. Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian and Courtney whatserface all have large followings as well.

Popularity has no relevance to decency.

 

[oh_gal]

Tweeting Kansas Teen Gets Apology from Gov. Brownback, Her Following Soars

A Kansas teen who refused to apologize to Gov. Sam Brownback for an insulting tweet got an apology today from the governor himself for his staff

Well, sometimes, someone has to act like a grown-up.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Context. If you met Obama and told him to his face that you thought he sucked and blowed and then tweeted it. Yes I would say you are low class.

In general low class behavior is stupid, uneducated, bigoted or disrespectful. As humans we all do things like that, but when you do a decent person will own up and apologize. She isn't wrong for her opinion, just the manner in which she chose to express herself and the context.

IMO it is low class to go around saying things suck and blow. That's just my opinion though, I'm sure others disagree. I use profanity and people probably think that is low class. It is a matter of opinion.

Yes. I do disagree. I do not consider "suck" a profanity.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Well, sometimes, someone has to act like a grown-up.

Even if they are pushed into it by media coverage and public backlash.

The teen is not a grownup.

There is the difference.

 

[Chewy]

Don't get me wrong, gitana, I think what this girl wrote was intellectually lazy and, on the whole, childish. (What do you want to bet she was parroting the views of her parents?) I also think it was disrespectful to the office of governor of the state.

But if I were one of your jurors, you'd have a hard time convincing me that it was sexually vulgar UNLESS some sexual object were attached to the "suck". I just don't believe people who use the verb without an object necessarily think of the sexual context any more. For most people, "the governor sucks" just means "the governor is a bad governor"; and the latter may violate some school rule, but in and of itself, it's protected speech.

BBM great term, intellectually lazy. Unfortunately I agree.

 

[Chewy]

Yes. I do disagree. I do not consider "suck" a profanity.

Not everything needs to be explained in a hundred words. If you say something sucks, people know you don't like it.

No essays needed.

I don't either, I just think it's low class to walk around saying things "suck" and 'blow." Intellectually lazy is a good way to put it. Funny I had a friend of mine who also thought it was intellectually lazy to use the word "Stuff." He pointed out that people just said "stuff" because it was easier than coming up with an actual explanation. I guess that is how I see "sucks" and "blows."

You don't need to use a hundred words to explain things. There is a middle ground between one word grunting and using a few words.

 

[mysteriew]

No, actually I didn't.
She may have acted "disrespectful" in your opinion but I'm not sure that makes her low class.
I have not read anything that says she's uneducated, bigoted, or stupid.
So I was wondering what makes her look low class? By expressing her opinion of the governor? I can't count how many times I've said Obama sucks. Does that make me low class?

And I'm trying to figure this out:
"I'm sure you know are familiar with low class behavior."

She is entitled to free speech. It's a MAJOR part of our freedom. She thinks he sucks. After his reaction, I think I agree with her.

BBM

:floorlaugh: :floorlaugh: :floorlaugh:

I noticed that! There seemed to be an implication or inference that you have sort of special knowlege of low class behavior! Question, it is a personal knowlege?

Just another example of how we (me included) can over analyze someone else's words.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Not everything needs to be explained in a hundred words. If you say something sucks, people know you don't like it.

No essays needed.

 

[oh_gal]

Even if they are pushed into it by media coverage and public backlash.

The teen is not a grownup.

There is the difference.

I thought she was 18. Isn't that considered an adult?
Regardless, the guy apologizes (even though HE wasn't the one tweeting things) and people are STILL not satisfied!! Unbelievable.

 

[Chewy]

BBM

:floorlaugh: :floorlaugh: :floorlaugh:

I noticed that! There seemed to be an implication or inference that you have sort of special knowlege of low class behavior! Question, it is a personal knowlege?

Just another example of how we (me included) can over analyze someone else's words.

Being asked to explain my opinion about low class behavior is what started the conversation.

And I'm sorry a typo threw you into a fit. I'd already corrected it by the time it was quoted but hey anything for a cheap laugh right.

LOL


In my opinion, and it seems several others that I've seen comment here and elsewhere the girl's behavior came across as low class.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.


Cheers.

 

[Chewy]

I thought she was 18. Isn't that considered an adult?
Regardless, the guy apologizes (even though HE wasn't the one tweeting things) and people are STILL not satisfied!! Unbelievable.

I thought that was odd as well. Suddenly 18 isn't an adult any more.

It's not very surprising that people are not satisfied. Some people just like to complain. :twocents:

 

[mysteriew]

Context. If you met Obama and told him to his face that you thought he sucked and blowed and then tweeted it. Yes I would say you are low class.

In general low class behavior is stupid, uneducated, bigoted or disrespectful. As humans we all do things like that, but when you do a decent person will own up and apologize. She isn't wrong for her opinion, just the manner in which she chose to express herself and the context.

IMO it is low class to go around saying things suck and blow. That's just my opinion though, I'm sure others disagree. I use profanity and people probably think that is low class. It is a matter of opinion.


Also porn stars have large followings as well. It doesn't make them classy. Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian and Courtney whatserface all have large followings as well.

Popularity has no relevance to decency.

You are right it is a matter of context.

One the one hand we have a teen who comes right out and gives her opinion of a politican. Something innately honest about that.

In contrast to many adults who would rush to shake the politican's hand, maybe hit him up for some political favor, then turn around and badmouth him.

On the other hand we have a politican who gives his opinion of someone else's words, uses his office to demand an apology and then when he sees the public backlash, backs down.

It's all a matter of context and how we choose to look at the event.

 

[mysteriew]

I thought she was 18. Isn't that considered an adult?
Regardless, the guy apologizes (even though HE wasn't the one tweeting things) and people are STILL not satisfied!! Unbelievable.

BBM

She's in that no man's land. By age she is legally an adult. But by social position she is still in high school. And associating with high schoolers.

The same paradox in reverse is the high schooler who is not legally an adult, but commits a crime and is tried as an adult.

 

[Chewy]

You are right it is a matter of context.

One the one hand we have a teen who comes right out and gives her opinion of a politican. Something innately honest about that.

In contrast to many adults who would rush to shake the politican's hand, maybe hit him up for some political favor, then turn around and badmouth him.

On the other hand we have a politican who gives his opinion of someone else's words, uses his office to demand an apology and then when he sees the public backlash, backs down.

It's all a matter of context and how we choose to look at the event.

He did not. I thought this site was careful about posting misinformation. She was on a school sponsored trip and his assistant contacted the school to tell them how she behaved and what she said both IN PERSON and on twitter.

The school asked her to apologize and she refused.


The Governor issued an apology to get rid of it, but who is the one that contacted the media?

 

[gitana1]

life sucks

http://images.google.com/search?sou...8&bih=674&sei=mArUTvqgA-bQ2wWe0dW8Dw&tbm=isch

Just Black Fri. I remember texting to my son, and this is a direct quote

"Parking sucks".

Low class it might be. Begun by the kids maybe. But I am afraid it has joined the vocabulary and common use of many many people including me.

When I hear complaints about the kids use of language, their dress, their music, how they act or how they do this or that I laugh. I keep hearing my Dad's voice talking about those hippies. They had a very bad rep but I thought they were the most exciting romantic group there ever was when I was a teen.

I never got to be a hippie. And they had a terrible rep. But they did accomplish some things. They are the only young people's group that I can think of that shook up the system, that made social changes to such a large extent. LOL yes they may have been unwashed dope smokers. And they may have contributed to the population explosion. And maybe all the changes they began haven't worked out great. But at least they did something, they got involved they showed interest in things outside themselves.

Oh come on! People say things suck all the time. It does not refer to a sexual act in the context it's being used.

One of my favorite sayings...
"CANCER SUX!!!!"

As far as I'm aware cancer can not perform sexual acts.

Same as kids saying homework sucks, school sucks, softball practice sucks, this show sucks, that movie sucked...
None of those things can actually "suck" (verb).

Saying a political figure sucks is in no way saying what he or she does sexually.

The use of the word has moved way past that literal meaning.

JMO

I actually use the term myself: "Man, that sucks." I'm not a prude. I don't freak if someone says that. But she publicly tweeted about the governor when she said it and she claimed to have said it to his face. That caused her school to become upset, which is understandable.

It's context. It's not okay to tell someone "you suck." It is not the way to get one's opinions out there.

It's called FREE speech.

We can't do that at WS because it's against TOS.

But as far as I know, Twitter doesn't have that rule.

Twitter doesn't. But she wasn't being threatened with arrest or expulsion. Her school was telling her she needed to apologize. I don't think they had the right to do that but they do have the right to take disciplinary action against a student invited to a politcal event who subsequently embrasses the school.

Like someone else said, we have the right to say certain things but not everything is free speech. That's why kids are allowed to be sent to the principal if they tell a teacher "you suck".

Don't get me wrong, gitana, I think what this girl wrote was intellectually lazy and, on the whole, childish. (What do you want to bet she was parroting the views of her parents?) I also think it was disrespectful to the office of governor of the state.

But if I were one of your jurors, you'd have a hard time convincing me that it was sexually vulgar UNLESS some sexual object were attached to the "suck". I just don't believe people who use the verb without an object necessarily think of the sexual context any more. For most people, "the governor sucks" just means "the governor is a bad governor"; and the latter may violate some school rule, but in and of itself, it's protected speech.

Yes, I don't see it as a sexual term either when I say it, but that's what it means, just like the F word. And she knows that, which is why she added that the governor blows a lot. Blows what, exactly? The point is, she behaved rudely and offensively and there may be consequences to that that are constutionally protected. My concern is that we are a society that condones rude behavior, celebrates offensiveness, at times. Other times, we go overboard in being too senstive, as the governor was here. But for me, this is not about Emma's right to express her opinion of the governor. It's about teaching kids that what they do in public can have a negative impact if it is rude or childish or offensive and that the internet world can record things that last a long, long time. And, it's about not celebrating vulgarity or rudeness when protesting a politician, a policy or anything else.

Like I said, the civil rights movement would not have gone very far had they acted in such a way. And neither will Emma, twitter followers or not.

 

[mysteriew]

Being asked to explain my opinion about low class behavior is what started the conversation.

And I'm sorry a typo threw you into a fit. I'd already corrected it by the time it was quoted but hey anything for a cheap laugh right.

LOL


In my opinion, and it seems several others that I've seen comment here and elsewhere the girl's behavior came across as low class.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.


Cheers.

LOL Chewy I really wasn't laughing at you.

We have all done it. Had times when we thought we were putting out a very clear position, but somehow some way someone else saw it differently. And when I saw that I just had to laugh.

I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, that wasn't the intent of that post.

 

[mysteriew]

He did not. I thought this site was careful about posting misinformation. She was on a school sponsored trip and his assistant contacted the school to tell them how she behaved and what she said both IN PERSON and on twitter.

The school asked her to apologize and she refused.


The Governor issued an apology to get rid of it, but who is the one that contacted the media?

BBM

Good question

 

[belimom]

He did not. I thought this site was careful about posting misinformation. She was on a school sponsored trip and his assistant contacted the school to tell them how she behaved and what she said both IN PERSON and on twitter.

The school asked her to apologize and she refused.


The Governor issued an apology to get rid of it, but who is the one that contacted the media?

Her older sister. I'll find a link...

The situation exploded after Sullivan's older sister contacted the media.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/emma-sullivan-apology-sam-brownback-tweet_n_1115382.html

 

[waltzingmatilda]

BBM

Good question

Ms. Sullivan's sister contacted the media.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/emma-sullivan-apology-sam-brownback-tweet_n_1115382.html

The situation exploded after Sullivan's older sister contacted the media. Since then, Sullivan's following on Twitter has grown to about 3,000 people, up from about 65 before the tweet. She said she thinks the tweet has helped "open up dialogue" about free speech in social media..