"Tim, you just described Zero Tolerance exactly! Stupidity; narrow-mindedness; scared of thinking for themselves. That is the ZT mindset!" (italics mine)
As a culture, we re being taught not to think for ourselves - that doing so just gets you into trouble.
Express an opinion? Get shot down via internet, editorials, and media, depending on how important you are and how controversial the opinion.
Do something one way, get sued. Do it the other way, get sued by someone else. It's no wonder that so many of us follow the "Only Following Orders!" way - the ZT mindset. We need to spread the idea that there are no perfect solutions, and that sometimes you have to accept a judgement that you don't agree with. Otherwise, we will not have any judgements - just ZT.
Posted by
Mekhong Kurt, Bangkok, Thailand on January 21, 2009:
This ZT stuff really gets me. On the rare occasion I visit the U.S. (my home country), I'm *very* careful to obey all people in authority -- especially in this post-9/11 era. I'm also careful in all my interactions with anyone to try to avoid doing or saying anything that others might find objectionable. Happily, I've had no problems on those visits. But I dislike being on edge every time I'm in public, at a stranger's home, etc.
I suppose had the parole officers (or the regular police, for that matter) had said up front they were holding Washington while the case was investigated, I guess there's something of an argument there. But to hold him for parole violation was ludicrous. At least he was released fairly quickly. And I'm no apologist for ex-criminals, but I do believe in fairness -- including for parolees who are meeting their obligations.
Posted by
Susan in Mississippi on September 24, 2009:
Just thought I would add my story. My 17 year old A student son was recently expelled from his senior year for consuming alcohol in route to a Friday night out of town football game. First, let me say he was not driving nor was the alcohol taken onto campus nor were there any problems associated with my son while attending the game. A teacher smelled the alcohol and that was it, expelled! Let me also say that I was in attendance at that game and never had any idea that he had had the alcohol. We are your average middle class family in small town USA and now we find our son in an alternative school.
Posted by
Richard, Texas on January 1, 2010:
I had two occurrences with my ten year old son and twelve year old son. My ten year old has ADHD and ODD during a critical medication change prescribed by his Dr. He was subject to four hours of harassment by the behavioral specialist and later forced to sign a citation from the police department for threatening the aide.
My other son twelve is an A & B brilliant student that just wants to do his work and then read on his own. He is harassed as school and in self defense threatened another student that was taunting him about his mother. Today he was booked at the police department for "terrorist threats" and will have to appear in court.
I have tried to file formal complaints with the school board but they will do nothing. They hide behind the zero tolerance law. I am unable to file charges against the students that harassed my children. I am going to pull them and home school them. The school system has lost it directive.
ZT Madness is Spreading! - Comments
Posted by Jim from Canada on December 20, 2008:
"Tim, you just described Zero Tolerance exactly! Stupidity; narrow-mindedness; scared of thinking for themselves. That is the ZT mindset!" (italics mine)
As a culture, we re being taught not to think for ourselves - that doing so just gets you into trouble.
Express an opinion? Get shot down via internet, editorials, and media, depending on how important you are and how controversial the opinion.
Do something one way, get sued. Do it the other way, get sued by someone else. It's no wonder that so many of us follow the "Only Following Orders!" way - the ZT mindset. We need to spread the idea that there are no perfect solutions, and that sometimes you have to accept a judgement that you don't agree with. Otherwise, we will not have any judgements - just ZT.
Posted by Mekhong Kurt, Bangkok, Thailand on January 21, 2009:
This ZT stuff really gets me. On the rare occasion I visit the U.S. (my home country), I'm *very* careful to obey all people in authority -- especially in this post-9/11 era. I'm also careful in all my interactions with anyone to try to avoid doing or saying anything that others might find objectionable. Happily, I've had no problems on those visits. But I dislike being on edge every time I'm in public, at a stranger's home, etc.
I suppose had the parole officers (or the regular police, for that matter) had said up front they were holding Washington while the case was investigated, I guess there's something of an argument there. But to hold him for parole violation was ludicrous. At least he was released fairly quickly. And I'm no apologist for ex-criminals, but I do believe in fairness -- including for parolees who are meeting their obligations.
Posted by Susan in Mississippi on September 24, 2009:
Just thought I would add my story. My 17 year old A student son was recently expelled from his senior year for consuming alcohol in route to a Friday night out of town football game. First, let me say he was not driving nor was the alcohol taken onto campus nor were there any problems associated with my son while attending the game. A teacher smelled the alcohol and that was it, expelled! Let me also say that I was in attendance at that game and never had any idea that he had had the alcohol. We are your average middle class family in small town USA and now we find our son in an alternative school.
Posted by Richard, Texas on January 1, 2010:
I had two occurrences with my ten year old son and twelve year old son. My ten year old has ADHD and ODD during a critical medication change prescribed by his Dr. He was subject to four hours of harassment by the behavioral specialist and later forced to sign a citation from the police department for threatening the aide.
My other son twelve is an A & B brilliant student that just wants to do his work and then read on his own. He is harassed as school and in self defense threatened another student that was taunting him about his mother. Today he was booked at the police department for "terrorist threats" and will have to appear in court.
I have tried to file formal complaints with the school board but they will do nothing. They hide behind the zero tolerance law. I am unable to file charges against the students that harassed my children. I am going to pull them and home school them. The school system has lost it directive.
Read the article that everyone's commenting on, or post a comment about it.