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Today's strip, and in fact this entire storyline, is based to a large degree on some research I did for a report a couple years ago... see, there's this program called W.A.V.E. that's based on the desire to make America's schools safer. Grand. I'm all for that; I never really liked having to pass the groups of big scary marijuana-smoking guys on the way to the high school farm. It's just that something about this program seems fishy to me. The site has been redesigned since I first saw it, and most of the really juicy info is gone, but what it USED to say was that, basically, any kid who was acting "suspicious" could be anonymously phoned in by his peers to this toll-free hotline. Anyone thus fingered could face expulsion or mandatory counseling at his parents' expense. W.A.V.E. had a lovely list of what counted as "suspicious" behavior, and offered links to several other lists, like this one and this one. What's amazing is the range of stuff that counts as "reportable" behavior... and how much of it I myself match up with (barring #8, all the items on Ondine's list describe me perfectly. And all are considered danger signs). So either I need to be locked up before I open fire on my polisci classroom, or someone needs to explain to these fine people that McCarthyism is no longer cool. |
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