Anonymous, Sexual Blog Comment Costs School Employee Job
HuffPo reports that a man in St. Louis lost his job at a local school after posting a vulgar response to an online poll, when the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last Friday asked readers the following question: "What's the craziest thing you've ever eaten?" Spotting a hanging curveball, the employee posted a one-word vulgarity, alluding to a certain female anatomical feature. Web site administrators deleted the comment, only to have it re-posted. At that point, Kurt Greenbaum, director of social media at the newspaper, used the IP address to trace the original obscenity back to a school. Job loss ensued.
The following Monday, Greenbaum wrote an article titled, "Post a vulgar comment while you're at work, lose your job." One reader argued, "You guys don't like moderating so you call his work and get him fired." Greenbaum's reply, dripping with sarcasm, read, "Yeah, you caught me! I made him log on to his computer at work, visit STLtoday.com's Talk of the Day, read the item, type a vulgarity and hit the 'submit' key."
The guy shouldn't have been making these comments from a school computer, but isn't Greenbaum overstepping his bounds here? It's the responsibility of the newspaper to filter its readers' comments (Ed. Note: Wouldn't know anything about that at Switched. Our commenters are all angels.) -- not to monitor its readers' behavior. For whatever reason, the site maintenance team couldn't just color within the lines of their own Web site; they had to go "tell teacher." The most reprehensible part, though, is Greenbaum's smug self-righteousness, regardless of right or wrong. The only thing that resulted was someone losing their livelihood. Let's take it down a notch on the sarcasm, shall we? [From: Huffington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
James said 1:46PM on 11-19-2009
The moderator was probably bored and on a self rightousness kick and decided to take the thing to the end. I'm a network administrator and a Moderator on two forums.. I know EXACTLY what this guy was doing. He may also have been irritated that this anonymous user reposted again. No big deal, you just ban the IP.. but no.. he had to go rabbit hunting. Unfortunately the school employee WAS in the wrong.. totally. I would say put him on probation but he was an idiot and just quit. Bad all the way around.
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Wish Belkin said 10:19PM on 11-19-2009
Ms. Greenbaum may well find the meaning of karma in the fullness of time.
Ethan said 2:24PM on 11-19-2009
Your commenters are all spammers.
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Leila Brillson said 3:27PM on 11-19-2009
Goodness. You have NO idea.
Lisa said 8:16PM on 11-19-2009
Oh give me a break. The newspaper site DID originally act within its own server - it deleted the comment, only to have the sender re-post it. Yes, I believe action was necessary. This teacher was obviously on the internet for more than just a minute, not to mention that school children all over Missouri read the newspaper online for class projects. Teachers have more to do than to stand guard and make sure students don't read the comments at the end of the articles. If you tell your child not to do something and they do it again, do you ignore it? I'd hope not. The guy KNEW his comment was rejected by the site, yet chose to repost it - deserves what he got. You are a teacher - teach, don't play online - no wonder kids aren't learning anything these days.
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Silent Josh said 8:45PM on 11-19-2009
The article never said anything about the emplyee being a teacher.
Guy should've just put "taco."
pinkthenred said 8:24PM on 11-19-2009
The moderator should have just blocked this man from continuing to post. I do think Greenbaum over stepped here because posting rude things has nothing to do with the teacher's job. Furthermore, how did Mr. Greenbaum know that surfing online while at work was prohibited or even if this teacher was posting on their lunch break? Telling on someone over a naughty word, he should be ashamed of himself. I bet he cusses once in awhile, I hope the same happens to him then someday.
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pinkthenred said 8:28PM on 11-19-2009
Also, if Mr. Greenbaum finds himself getting so angry that he has to look up ISPs for information about a poster, he needs to quit being a moderator.
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Angel said 8:39PM on 11-19-2009
Whatever. Give teachers students who actually want to learn then maybe we can discuss freedom of speech which by the way gives little punks the right to disrespect teachers!
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Marti said 9:10PM on 11-19-2009
Freedom of Speech does not give anyone the right to disrespect anyone else. The First Amendment says that "Congress shall make no law," it doesn't say a little brat can mouth off to a teacher without being punished for it, and then enable him to claim that it's his First Amendment right.
While Congress may not be able to pass a law prohibiting free speech (slander and libel are not included), any other establishment (school, workplace, restaurant) is free to enact penalties for those that are vulgar, disrespectful, etc.
drummlaw said 8:54PM on 11-19-2009
So, maybe the moderator shouldn't have asked the question. After all, if that was the craziest thing . . . . :-0,
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Keith Brooker said 9:59PM on 11-19-2009
Kurt Greenbaum sounds like a self righteous moron. I hope he loses his job some day over something equally ridiculous, at the hands of someone as stupid as himself.
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Keri Byrd said 10:01PM on 11-19-2009
How ignorant to reply from your work PC, filters are used for a reason.Specially at a School
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ccrider said 10:21PM on 11-19-2009
No one should of gotten fired over this...I was spared but it was a mistake...fifrst I had no idea at the time just how monitered we were at work until one day I was called into the office...my boss said he had no idea I was IRISH...for the record I look very Italian...told him I was not Irish and why would he ask...it seems while I trying to find something on Ireland for a customer a very RADICAL IRISH newspaper poped up...I did read the first three lines and almost SHIT myself...got rid of it ASAP....also on my side was I am not a real computer god and all turned out ok....this guy should of only been suspended wo pay but not loose his job
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cmeljc719 said 10:22PM on 11-19-2009
WHEN HE POSTED THE QUESTION WAS HE SO STUPID AS TO NOT REALIZE HE WOULD GET AN ANSWER OF THAT CALIBER!!!!!! I AGREE THE GUY SHOULD OF JUST STOPPED WHEN HE WAS REJECTED AND DELETED FOR THE ANSWER,BUT HE ONLY ANSWERED THE QUESTION WITH AN HONEST ANSWER OR HE ANSWERED KNOWING HE WAS BEING MONATERED.AT ANY RATE THE POOR SAP LOST HIS JOB FOR TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THA CRAZIEST THING HE EVER ATE.
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upurs said 10:31PM on 11-19-2009
everything in this country is so f*cked up anymore,sure ,childish prank with profanity..big f*ckin deal...!..and then people get on here and complain about how hateful the postings are...everybody is getting pushed with their backs against the wall..and some of the offenses aren't that bad...no wonder everybody hates everybody..this garbage is happening to all of us poor/common people,but you hardly ever see the ultra rich,or the diplomats getting harsh penalties for the sh*t they pull..when they do something wrong,it ruins many peoples lives...i hate what this country has turned into..!
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Jayd0811 said 10:47PM on 11-19-2009
He should have said he eat her Puscuit ,
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mpc said 10:57PM on 11-19-2009
I don't think he shud have mixed a unadult site with his penthouse letter and was immature to put. There's a time and place and that wasn't it.
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Clint said 12:20AM on 11-20-2009
I don't think antone is saying that it was his God given right to post a "vulgar" comment during company time. We're saying, he didn't deserve to be fired for it!
Pops said 11:12PM on 11-19-2009
WTF is wrong with you people, have you never taken a personal call at work? What is your home page? bet it is not work related, what if that is the next cause for a firing? Oh no, someone seen me reading that newspaper in the lobby, will I loose my job over that? Where does it end?
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