More notes on Brandon Rosario, school reaction, and media fall-out
Doc Searls added to the threads on Brandon Rosario’s performance with the wonderfully titled entry, Think softly and punish a big schtick. We know where the soft thinking is…
Doc found a bonus link, Meet Brandon Rosario by Red Tory, a local blogger I hadn’t seen before. (His profile picture is of Francis Urquhart, or “FU,” as he was known to staffers, of House of Cards — a very funny BBC series worth watching.)
Red Tory’s comments board includes an extended discussion of the effect of Brandon’s remark about the physical attributes of a particular teacher. I added a comment to my own April 24 Brandon Rosario entry, partly in response to some of the Belmont students who expressed ambivalence about the “rack” remark. The teacher could use any fall-out that might occur as a teaching opportunity (teachable moment).
There have been a couple of follow-up reports — if one can call them that — in the mainstream media. They’re really laughable — except for the fact that the pot they’re stirring is the pot of stupidity. To see them all, please go to the Facebook group page, Support Brandon Rosario’s fight for Free Speech. There you’ll find not only all the relevant media items (including tv clips), but also the voice of the students and other youth themselves.
The main thing that comes through in those voices is this: Fuck the media.
Every single person on the Facebook comments board is upset by the way the mainstream media are blowing this thing up, and turning it every which way, to create a sensation. Of course the media always manage to find fools to do their bidding — case in point, the class-A fool (a professor of rhetoric) featured on A-Channel’s second report who calls Brandon’s performance totally inappropriate. Professor?
The really “totally inappropriate” thing here is just how incredibly stupid the media assume people are.
They’re digging their own grave, and as far as I’m concerned they can’t fall into it quickly enough.
Another interesting point i just wanted to point out is that now in the media, its being said that although Brandon won’t be punished the person who filmed it should. The media has gone ahead a said that it was filmed with school equipment and it was with a group to review the speeches. I happen to be a friend of the guy who filmed it and I know for a fact that he used his own camera, and had the permission of the candidates to post the videos. Being a student at Belmont, I can say that we never got to “review” these speeches. It seems some media (A-Channel) is going out of their way to blow this whole thing out of proportion. They’ve even gone as far as making things up now.
Comment by ashton — April 27, 2008 #
When i walked into that gym with my camera, and filmed all of my friends speech’s it wasnt “preplanned” or which “school equipment” like the media is saying.
He did the speech for the class of 08, that should be the only people who are aloud to comment on it, there is inside jokes parents and media aren’t going to be able to understand. Like the Columbian joke; we have a Columbian exchange student in our school, he was running aswell, and Brandon just poked at him a little bit. It wasn’t an attack towards Colombians
And from what i have heard through the grape vine, i should expect a meeting with the principle first thing Monday to discuss my punishment for putting it on youtube as i “breached school privacy policy”
what i don’t understand is there are other kids who filmed our dodgeball games(on youtube) or walks the halls and takes pictures for facebook without asking permission, i film the rugby games and nothing has gotten me in trouble until now; when this video makes the administration look bad.
I guess i can’t blame them… they cant touch Brandon so might as well go after someone else.
Comment by Dustin — April 27, 2008 #
Hi ashton and Dustin — thanks for stopping by and commenting. I agree with you that trying to go after the person who posted the video is stupid. This too is a freedom of speech issue, and the school can’t jump on the “privacy” bandwagon if it has so far allowed other videos to be uploaded to Youtube. Sorry, school administrators, you don’t have a leg to stand on as far as I can tell.
Dustin, hold your ground. If the school hasn’t made posting any video of in-school events verboten, then how can they single this one out?
Comment by Yule — April 27, 2008 #
Seems to me Dustin, that if you were the one posting to youtube, yeah, you would be the one that crossed the line. I doubt talking about groups in general is an issue, but he called out this teacher by name (if he was politically correct, maybe saying Ms T would have been obvious to everyone there and still get his point across, but safely vague to everyone else?). I assume that is the one Brandon had to apologize to? If she still teaches somewhere, thanks to you, she has to worry about whether or not her kids saw the video and what they may blurt out or whisper as she goes by. Doesn’t sound like fun to me. If this was america, she’d probably sue you for deformation of character for putting her through unnecessary hell. That sucks.
Comment by John G — April 27, 2008 #
I don’t know, John. What line are we talking about crossing, exactly? I don’t see it — and that’s part of the school administration’s problem, isn’t it? They’re trying to draw lines where none exist, and instead ending up with pretty ridiculous attempts to censor the free flow of information and speech.
As for Brandon “calling out” the teacher — did you watch the video? It was a passing comment, which would barely have merited attention if it weren’t for the feeding frenzy of the mainstream media and its prurient interest in tits ‘n bums. They’re the ones who focused on the “rack” remark and the “peeing while sitting” comment — tits and bums, see? Monty Python predicted it all.
As I wrote in a comment to the previous entry, Ms. T can use this as a teaching opportunity. She certainly doesn’t need to cower in fear — or are you suggesting that’s the Canadian way? As for bringing forth a lawsuit, oy veh. Canadians have this weird idea that everything in America is settled via lawsuit.
Believe me, this one, were it attempted, would have no merit.
And let’s stop trying to pin blame, ok? First, the media pounce on Brandon. Since it’s pretty obvious even to the terminally brain-dead that this isn’t going anywhere, Dustin (or whoever filmed & posted the tape) is next — and why is he next? Because the media are guiding and directing this. They’re driving this.
The “unnecessary hell” is entirely and completely manufactured by the Times-Colonist and A-Channel. If you’re going to talk about silly things like lawsuits (and like I said, don’t hold your breath — this has no merit), those outlets are the ones who have the most to answer to.
And I’ll do everything I can in the court of citizen journalism / blogging to remind everyone of that.
A-Channel and the Times-Colonist are the real culprits here. Without them, Ms T and anyone else named by Brandon would sink into well-deserved obscurity. They are the ones who are manufacturing the titillation which they then tut-tut over. What a pile of stinking hypocrites.
Comment by Yule — April 27, 2008 #
yeah, saw the video, that was first I saw the reference. Passing comment, naw, seems to me that was the highlight of it judging from response of audience. What media you talking about anyway? Times col didn’t use that specific term at all, they focused on the ‘racial’ comments. I didn’t really even take into consideration about the rack thing until watching the youtube video and piecing together the ramifications of targeting the individuals name.
Yeah yeah, was joking about the lawsuit thing, although the yanks DO have this perception that they do every chance they get – no idea how true it is or why they get it…that countries got their own problems right now to worry about.
Unneccesary hell, entirely, completely? huh? This wouldn’t have been picked up by media if it didn’t end up on youtube SIMPLE. This Dustin guy started this chit, the media then blew it up. You and me wouldn’t be discussing right now if he didn’t hit the upload button. END OF STORY
Guess everyone gets their 15 minutes now.
Comment by John G — April 27, 2008 #
Quick follow-up: I held a comment by “anonymous” in moderation for 5 days b/c I wanted to write a whole new post in reply. “Anonymous” was commenting on my first entry about Brandon, posted April 24, and he used the word “titties.” That kind of made me think he really missed the point.
.
Anyway, I wrote a long comment back to him after finally passing his comment just now. Read it here. It’s not the free-standing blog post I thought I should write, but I’ve been sick with flu all week, so that’s it for now.
Comment by Yule — May 3, 2008 #