Newsweek's Hate Crime
I am stunned by an article put out by Newsweek, Young, Gay and Murdered. At best, it is poor journalism, at it's worst, it is a hate crime in itself, paving the way for a "gay panic" defense for the kid who pulled the trigger.
Remember? Larry King was killed? Shot point blank in the head?
Read the article and you'll be informed that in fact, Larry was the problem. He was always the problem. And while kids are experimenting with sexuality at younger and younger ages overall, being gay is dangerous. Heterosexual play is fine but, "Kids may want to express who they are, but they are playing grown-up without fully knowing what that means."
What does that mean?
The article is one of the poorest forms of journalism I've ever read. If it is an Opinion piece, okay, but to write "Even as homosexuality has become more accepted, the prospect of being openly gay in middle school raises a troubling set of issues" and to state it as fact?
To whom? The author? Is he an expert?
I can go on and on about this piece- and I will- but for today I am so deeply troubled by yet another piece of crappy, sensationalist reporting that is only geared towards selling magazines. It is obviously too boring and too common to focus on a 15 year old boy who snuck a gun into school and blew off another kid's head. A kid with drug abusing parents, with divorce and lack of parental supervision. A kid with an obsession with Hilter.
I know, been there, done that. No one wants to read that story.
Instead, let's focus on the victim. Let's dissect homosexuality at a young age. Not all kids sexuality, not all kids experimentation at younger and younger ages, but homosexuality.
Young, Gay and Murdered. Lesbian assistant principal suspected of a "gay agenda." King's troubled past leading him to a group home placement shrugged off as a minor event in a series of his own trouble causing.
As if kids get taken out of homes because they "accuse" their parents of hitting them. Another top notch effort of reporting, the adoptive father gets to simply say, "Not true," and that's it.
Because it's really about this bad boy, who wore girls clothes, got what he deserved. Homosexuality was the evil here. Playing "grown up" without knowing it could get you killed.
The article takes a kid who is dead and reports how he asked for it?
That, in my opinion, is a hate crime.
Remember? Larry King was killed? Shot point blank in the head?
Read the article and you'll be informed that in fact, Larry was the problem. He was always the problem. And while kids are experimenting with sexuality at younger and younger ages overall, being gay is dangerous. Heterosexual play is fine but, "Kids may want to express who they are, but they are playing grown-up without fully knowing what that means."
What does that mean?
The article is one of the poorest forms of journalism I've ever read. If it is an Opinion piece, okay, but to write "Even as homosexuality has become more accepted, the prospect of being openly gay in middle school raises a troubling set of issues" and to state it as fact?
To whom? The author? Is he an expert?
I can go on and on about this piece- and I will- but for today I am so deeply troubled by yet another piece of crappy, sensationalist reporting that is only geared towards selling magazines. It is obviously too boring and too common to focus on a 15 year old boy who snuck a gun into school and blew off another kid's head. A kid with drug abusing parents, with divorce and lack of parental supervision. A kid with an obsession with Hilter.
I know, been there, done that. No one wants to read that story.
Instead, let's focus on the victim. Let's dissect homosexuality at a young age. Not all kids sexuality, not all kids experimentation at younger and younger ages, but homosexuality.
Young, Gay and Murdered. Lesbian assistant principal suspected of a "gay agenda." King's troubled past leading him to a group home placement shrugged off as a minor event in a series of his own trouble causing.
As if kids get taken out of homes because they "accuse" their parents of hitting them. Another top notch effort of reporting, the adoptive father gets to simply say, "Not true," and that's it.
Because it's really about this bad boy, who wore girls clothes, got what he deserved. Homosexuality was the evil here. Playing "grown up" without knowing it could get you killed.
The article takes a kid who is dead and reports how he asked for it?
That, in my opinion, is a hate crime.
Labels: hate crime, journalism, Lawrence King, newsweek
posted by Sara at 6:21 PM
7 Comments:
"Kids may want to express who they are, but they are playing grown-up without fully knowing what that means."
The mere fact that they can write this phrase, without applying it to the kid wielding the gun stymies me.
it reminded me of articles i have read in the past about rape victums, and their having some responiblity for the rape by having dressed provocatively.
the writers talked of ms epstein having an agenda. i would say they had an agenda as well.
When I read this article, it left me speechless in its Neanderthal view of human sexuality. I haven't been able to find the words to write a post about it. So I hope you don't mind that I linked to your post here.
It's still win. Let people look at the crudity of the Nesweek's "he was asking for it" thesis,the trashing of Epstein, the top reaction has got to be, "People still *think* that way?"
It's not win for Larry, though, and my heart aches for the loss to all of us of his gifts and his presence.
This comment has been removed by the author.
geezus have any of you actually READ the article?! such knee-jerk,shrill, thoughtless rhetoric. oh and by the way, the author of the article is GAY.
It seemed pretty clear to me that Larry was trouble boy, and the author explores how he acts out and doesn't get the help that he needed. Also, I don't see why noting that Larry acted out and sexually harassed his classmates should be omitted, or why mentioning it should be equated with minimizing the crime. It's simply telling the facts.
I don't think he's accused of getting what he deserves (it's sensationalist and preposterous to think any major magazine would suggest that about a child,) but I think it does an excellent job of exploring the many facets of this case and how many opportunities were missed to prevent this tragedy.
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