The Telegram and Gazette's Letters from Idiots

I love reading the T&G's letters section online, because it is filled with choice, uninformed opinions that would be depressing if they weren't so genuinely stupid. Especially worth noting are the comments to news stories left by idiots. These folks all have in common a worldview that divides the world into good and bad (policies, presidents, teachers, students, people in general). It's as thought they must ascribe blame to someone, all the time.

A recent event at Wachusett High School spawned a long list of letters about kids involved in a beating. It was a nasty beating, and it was caught on video and put on Youtube for all to see. The opinions mostly fell into the category of "kids these days are spoiled rotten; punish them and they will improve."

Many of the comments on this story fell back on the "bad kid, bad family" explanation; others asserted that school choice was bringing bad Worcester kids in to mix with those really nice kids from Holden, who never get into trouble (I'd love to hear the vice principal of Wachusett address that one!).

One of the kids who was a perp in the beating is well known to me; I've watched him grow up. His folks are hard working, decent people. His father had him involved in all kinds of sports, at which the son usually excelled, because he's a gifted athlete. They sought out the best education for their son, which is why he was involved in school choice. In spite of this, their son is a mixed-up kid who has gotten involved with some serious trouble. He's under house arrest and has been expelled from school -- his parents did not attend the hearing (perhaps because they agreed he should be expelled for what he did; I don't know) -- and will certainly face legal consequences that might include jail time.

He's not a bad kid; his parents are not bad parents. People are not good or bad, unless you happen to view them that way. And if you do, you are at least half blind.