So I found out I'm on my schools "Shooting Watch List"

[La Barata]

"Grades: Excellent, excels in science.
Interests: Shows an interest in death and goth culture.
Music Choice: Heavy metal, shows interest in death.
Religion: Atheist, shows lack of empathy.

Comments: Staff are urged to act nicer to NAME to keep him at a stable emotional level."

Which is weird, because I don't have any interest in goth subculture or a death fascination. I do like metal, but so? Also the part about me being an atheist is ridiculous (the school is in a Protestant/Catholic town).

Anyone else think this is a bit weird?

i would call it very weird but i'd currently be storming into the principals/head teacher office and demand an explanation to these out right lies/total miss communication (and i assume the "lack empathy" bit was an immediate conclusion base on the sole fact that you are atheist and they dont really know much about it?, question that in detail as well) (?).

I completely agree here. This is absolutely ridiculous. I might even switch schools over this, if I were you. Seriously, you might even have grounds for a lawsuit for discrimination and labeling due to religious beliefs. It's been proven that labeling a student can severely affect their performance in school, too, so take from that what you will

If the information was obtained illegally I don't think you can lawsuit

I've seen people who, when falling through a skylight and themselves while breaking into a home, successfully sued the homeowner for having a faulty skylight. I'm preeetty sure reading a file pertaining to you might not have much effect. As well, how he found out doesn't really change the situation at all, does it?

Well, think about it,

So he didn't intend for the subject to read it, he was recording his thoughts so he wouldn't forget them. If he'd published it, yeah maybe, but it was a personal file. So, if he thought that thought, and never told anyone but the OP could read minds and prove that he really did think that thought:

Is he legally accountable?

It wasn't just a personal file, though. I'm guessing, since it had suggestions for teachers, that it was accessible, if not directly given, to his teachers. In Canada, teachers aren't allowed to read students' files because they'll form opinions and label students based on them, which affects them for the rest of their school careers. There was a huge study done (which would be illegal today based on the ethical ramifications) that proved students live up to their teachers' expectations. Ones expected to do well do well, ones expected to do poorly do poorly. And who knows, ones expected to shoot up the school...

 

[Steve the Pocket]

I agree that serious action should be taken, but I'm not sure a lawsuit is the best way. You can't get the people responsible fired or jailed by suing them; you can only get money out of the district, which probably doesn't have very much to begin with and certainly not enough to spare. (Ever see that South Park episode where they sued the school, and the school ends up having to cut down their budget? That's pretty much how it would end up.) Can you press criminal charges against a school, or any other non-human entity? I'm not a lawyer.

Legal proceedings of some kind would definitely accomplish two useful things: It would get the news media's attention, and it would require them to cough up the paperwork that proves they've been doing this. That second one is important, because you can go to the media directly, but then all you've got is your word against theirs, and you know they'll deny everything and claim you made it all up.

Anyway, this is a big deal, and one of the worst things you can do is nothing. Nothing is what people do every day about problems like this, and that's why those problems still exist and continue to get worse.

 

[Memor-X]

Seen walking to Midvale Shopping Center and/or waiting at Busloop (in evenings) or Library (before Recess/Lunch). When no work available, plays handheld video games.

Bro, they even noted where you went after school.. That's... I dunno. That file was crossing a bunch of lines, but that's another one entirely. It's like they would have rigged up a friggin camera in your house if they were aloud.

they used to have a teacher patrolling the Midvale Shopping Center looking for people skipping class, and all my free periods was in the morning or in the afternoon which meant i didn't have to be at school, problem was i had to take a bus home and they only show up in the afternoon

 

[Womplord]

Oh well. Don't worry about it, they are going to treat you nicer. I wouldn't make a big deal of it... Also, I think it is likely that school shooters are often atheist, but I'm not sure why it apparently shows a lack of empathy....
I wouldn't be surprised if I would have been on some list. I was pretty depressed in high school...

 

[Jamous]

I guess some people like jumping to conclusions; in a lot of people's minds Metal=Goth.
Also; why on Earth does that make you more likely to be a shooter? Just out of interest? I mean, I -show- a lack of empathy, but I still feel a lot more than I'd like to admit (Because I'm a silly and it amuses me). Actually; I can imagine that a bunch of people probably -would- think I'd go on a rampage of sorts. Ah. Bugger.

 

[Joccaren]

I'd personally tell my parents about it, and see if I could get moved. A psych profile being kept on me would be creepy.
Failing that, I'd pretend to walk into the councilor's office one day in a really bad move just to scare them. (Please note, this idea is not actually supported by me as it may cause more trouble than it is worth)

 

[Bobbity]

My advice: Act increasingly unstable as time goes on, and then in about a month, go back to being perfectly normal. Serves them right for profiling you.

 

[Vornek]

Personally, I'd make it hilarious. Freak them out just to punish them for thinking i'll shoot the school. take a toy gun to school, act weird(er than usual). And just screw around with them.
Then again, i love to see peoples faces the moment their brain imploded.

I'm a moderate believer in karma, or more accurately, the belief of "what comes around, will end up biting you in the ass"...or something like that. So i'd punish them for thinking i'll shoot up the school, by reinforcing the idea that i'll shoot up the school. Ah, the joys of disturbing people.

Note, going on a killing spree is bad. So is shooting the school, just so you know. I just love to scare people for laughs and giggles.

-V

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

I'd take advantage of that personally.If they think you're psycho,then use your power to push the boundary.

 

[crhoades]

that or just creep people out if you smile for no reason.

 

[crhoades]

lol. that sounds awesome

 

[busterkeatonrules]

You should tell people about this, man. Start by spreading the word among the other students, then contact your local newspaper. Any school that would randomly label you as "lacking empathy" and being likely to cause a shooting, not to mention keep a secret file on you, deserves both media and community attention.

 

[sora91111]

Well does it really matter you're pretty much out the door already.

 

[PinochetIsMyBro]

Well people who excel at science do tend want to kill people...for science reasons of course.

We do what we must, because we can.

FOR SCIENCE.

 

[iblis666]

So I was called into the office of my high school today to talk to my guidance counselor about college stuff (I'm a senior) and she had all my files and stuff on her desk. There was one folder she never looked at though during the meeting. I asked her about it and she said it wasn't important.

The bell rang and we both got up to leave. I went back to her office once she had left and picked up the folder. It was a report about my "school shooting potential". At my school, apparently, the SSP is based on grades, interests, music choice, and religion. It said this (from what I can recall, I skimmed it)

"Grades: Excellent, excels in science.
Interests: Shows an interest in death and goth culture.
Music Choice: Heavy metal, shows interest in death.
Religion: Atheist, shows lack of empathy.

Comments: Staff are urged to act nicer to NAME to keep him at a stable emotional level."

Which is weird, because I don't have any interest in goth subculture or a death fascination. I do like metal, but so? Also the part about me being an atheist is ridiculous (the school is in a Protestant/Catholic town).

Anyone else think this is a bit weird?

if they are in the US take them to court for slander, after all these are official records which could be seen probably by any teacher and maybe even by perspective schools god knows what damage these lies may have done all ready

 

[JochemDude]

Well confront them with it and talk to who ever made that statement and discuss a revision of it. Ofcourse they'll try to brand you and you have all right to disagree and put it right again. If they disagree to correct it just seek out some media, every sort of media likes a good story about discrimination and judgement based on random bullshit.

 

[Sandytimeman]

when it comes right down to it Atheist have as much reason to be empathetic and be a contributing member of society as Christians do, maybe more because they don't have this God Person to clean up their messes
we just have different reasons for it, while Christians do so because if they don't they'll be smited by their god or any passing paladins Atheists do it because they know that natural selection in Primates favors the team players, if you have three men in a village, a man who is a good person and helps out his community, a man who acts like a little kid, and a man who spends his time on the outskirts of the village being antisocial... who gets to pass on his genes to the next generation?

aka who gets laid?


hell that's a reason for Christians to avoid being a good person because apparently God hates in when people have sex

I mean shit, society has its own rules that dictate behavior for the most part. Christians and other religious folk believe in another life past this one. They strive for an eternal unending existence. They also arn't concerned to much with this life as a result imo. Where as atheist believe in the reality we are currently in, we don't get to go to another world, and the only legacy we will leave behind is our contributions to society, offspring, science, art, etc. There is imo only a drive to do more and life more fully with atheism, that with a religion that promises that you'll really get to live, and explore and do in the next life where you have eternity.