The twenty seven second video of an after school altercation at Long Reach High School in Columbia has become a lightning rod for caustic commentary on Columbia Patch. Predictably, a couple of school board candidates attempted to fan the flames of the viral video hysteria in order to further their own political ambitions.
I’m not so sure that this is a great strategy. The comments are more about schoolyard taunts than they are a thoughtful discussion of school violence. Andrew Metcalf, the Patch reporter who wrote the story, has deleted at least five comments that he apparently felt went little too far. You can only imagine how bad those comments must have been when you consider that the following ones were deemed acceptable:
“You're not a concerned parent, you're psychotic.”
"I'm sure that there are still SOME good teachers left, but in general, a POX on the teachers and their greedy union bosses!
"shutup"
Fighting at Long Reach is as frequent as heroin at River Hill
"First of all, I'm not a drug addict and I do not go out every night. I am an AP student. But the fact is that when I do go out to have a good time I get all my illegal shit from people that go to Centennial, Mt. Hebron
"Everyone is stupid. Long Reach is Stupid. Howard County
"I deserve to be world star hip hop. I woulda punched the foo in the mouth. See me in baseball"
"Most of you are pathetic. From an unbiased view, most of you seem like out of touch snobs"
Choose civility indeed…
