WTF, conspiracy theorists about Ahmed Mohamed on Hacker News
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I really appreciate that school did pay attention
No, don't say that.
Blakey's going to go rant-mode if you suggest that schools have a right to know what the students are carrying.
they should have simply confiscated the thing and with the help of a science teacher (no English major) see if further fuss is needed
Agreed.
At first glance, there's nothing saying there can't be explosive material behind the digital. Although anyone with electronics experience will see it's just a mutilated off-the-shelf clock.
But, I don't expect an English teacher to know the difference.
But, I will say that I know for a fact, had it been me, at my school, I would have been suspended too.
Schools act stupidly to all kids.
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It needs an external power source.
This is great.
Because you know the local police department showed photos of the clock.
And you know that right there, FRONT AND CENTER IN THE PHOTO, is a plug specifically designed to fit the top of 9-volt batteries.
So it's like you're just in flat-out defiance of all reality at this point.
That thing he brought to school does not look like a clock at all.
It doesn't look like a bomb at all. Bombs (even the Hollywood kind) usually have this thing called "explosives" somewhere in them.
Blakey seems to think we're all racists unless we believe the entire family are just innocent victims.
I just can't figure out why the conspiracy theories exist. Since most conspiracy theories are by and for racists, it's a safe assumption that these ones are, too.
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Since most conspiracy theories are by and for racists
Bush blew up the levees during hurricane Katrina.
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If that's an off-the-shelf clock, the 9V battery lead will only allow it to keep time when unplugged. It won't light up the display, mains power is required for that.
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@blakeyrat said:
Since most conspiracy theories are by and for racists
Bush blew up the levees during hurricane Katrina.
But only because the Jewish bankers ordered him to!
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It doesn't look like a bomb at all. Bombs (even the Hollywood kind) usually have this thing called "explosives" somewhere in them.
Are you talking about the round bowling ball shaped ones or the red sticks with "TNT" written on the side? How would an English teacher know what explosives look like?
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Bush blew up the levees during hurricane Katrina.
And?
I know you're a conspiracy theorist, but surely you know the meaning of the word "most".
If that's an off-the-shelf clock, the 9V battery lead will only allow it to keep time when unplugged. It won't light up the display, mains power is required for that.
Oh, well thank you, random Internet poster! I wholeheartedly believe you because I am gullible and stupid!
How would an English teacher know what explosives look like?
You don't need to know what they look like, you only need to know that they require volume.
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If that's an off-the-shelf clock, the 9V battery lead will only allow it to keep time when unplugged. It won't light up the display, mains power is required for that.
Oh, well thank you, random Internet poster! I wholeheartedly believe you because I am gullible and stupid!
You've never used a clock before, apparently. This is common knowledge among those who have.
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It doesn't look like a bomb at all. Bombs (even the Hollywood kind) usually have this thing called "explosives" somewhere in them.
It is in a freaking Samsonite and has 7-Seg counters, it does look like a bomb to most non-science majors, and definitely to a lowly English teacher. Kid goes to school, shows it in 4 classes until the 5th one (I remember reading it was English) finally gets the bait. This is called actively seeking trouble.
P.S. Hollywood rarely show explosives, and mostly concentrates on 7-Seg counter. The bag could be filled with the chemicals, plus that transformer in the middle could look like an explosive to someone who has not seen one and does not know science.
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And you know that right there, FRONT AND CENTER IN THE PHOTO, is a plug specifically designed to fit the top of 9-volt batteries.
The battery backup is only designed for short duration outages. Relying on it to keep time for days at a time is not a good idea. A 9v and if lost power for anything more than 5 minutes, the clock's time when power came back on was off by a significant amount of minutes.
And it's cute that the cops removed the battery before taking the picture.
It doesn't look like a bomb at all. Bombs (even the Hollywood kind) usually have this thing called "explosives" somewhere in them.
It doesn't look like a clock.
And, it takes about how much C4. That's a big fucking digital panel right there. What's behind it?
A small amount of C-4 packs a pretty big punch. Less than a pound of C-4 could potentially kill several people
That's not a lot of volume.
And besides, not everyone is going to tell all of this at a glance.
What's your expectation here?
That people just look at that and say, hmm.... must be a clock?
If he had left it somewhere in the school and you walked up to it.... at a glance, would you think it's harmless?
I can't imagine that you're being honest with us here.
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I know you're a conspiracy theorist, but surely you know the meaning of the word "most".
The vast majority of conspiracy theories have nothing to do with race.
The fact that you're injecting racism into conspiracy theories as a common theme, is telling of how you think.
I think your tin foil hat is the racist boogeyman.
"Everything is racist. Everything is sexist. Everything is homophobic. And you have to point it all out."
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This is called actively seeking trouble.
Ok so he was actively seeking trouble.
STILL FUCKING IRRELEVANT.
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You've never used a clock before, apparently. This is common knowledge among those who have.
I've obviously used clocks before. I've used clocks that ran on 9-volt batteries before. I've used clocks that ran on 9-volt batteries and had working alarms while running on 9-volt batteries before. I woke up to one pretty much every day for like 6 years.
But hey, even if I'm utterly wrong, and the clock I owned in the 90s never existed...
STILL IRRELEVANT.
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The vast majority of conspiracy theories have nothing to do with race.
Go up to someone espousing a conspiracy theory, any conspiracy theory it doesn't matter, and ask them how they feel about Jews.
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I'm just making a point that the family has a habit of engineering situations, and the school fell into it.
I'm not justifying the arrest, just saying that everyone acted stupidly.
When you say "the family has a habit of engineering situations, and the school fell into it", you are in fact justifying the arrest. You are saying that the family took actions whose consequences they knew beforehand and the result was what they wanted. You overlook the agency of the school, as if it was just a victim of circumstance that had no choice but to "fall" into this clever trap. Except that the actions of the school were wrong, and relying on someone being an idiot doesn't excuse them for being an idiot. If the family was "well known", then maybe don't play into their games?
And you've defended the arrest by pointing out that innocent people are arrested all the time since any time there's a "not guilty verdict", the person must have been innocent. You could even go further and claim that all arrests are of innocent people since "you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law".
The point is, the police doesn't have the right to just arrest people (or shouldn't have the right). They need something to charge the person with. At the time of the arrest, they knew they weren't going to charge him with anything. They were there, the kid was the reason they were there, so they arrested him because "I dunno, LOL".
That is what is wrong, and no amount of assholery on the part of the family excuses that. Pointing at the family being assholes doesn't add anything to the discussion, it simply tries to deflect attention from the important bit.
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I've obviously used clocks before. I've used clocks that ran on 9-volt batteries before. I've used clocks that ran on 9-volt batteries and had working alarms while running on 9-volt batteries before. I woke up to one pretty much every day for like 6 years.
But hey, even if I'm utterly wrong, and the clock I owned in the 90s never existed...
STILL IRRELEVANT.
It is irrelevant, but it was in response to incorrect (but also irrelevant) info you posted. In any case every alarm clock I've ever owned operated completely normally on 9V power except there was no display.
I have no stake in this game, I just find it fun to take a dump on the fires of a flamewar I'm not very interested in and see what kinds of smells come up.
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So he is trolling his teachers showing them something that looks like a bomb for giggles and lolz until he gets into trouble.
If you had a kid, what would you expect the school should do to make sure absolutely your loved one is safe? This is why there is zero-tolerance policy, and this sort of pranks at schools should result in a big warning and dismissal if continued.
Now, they called cops, that was dumb. Either cops should have called a bomb squad, or just leave it be, cops acted dumber than fucking a rat!!
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Every time I think you have hit rock bottom with your assertions, you up the ante.
Someone has to counter-balance @xaade.
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you are in fact justifying the arrest
No... I'm not.
You overlook the agency of the school
I did not
then maybe don't play into their games
That would be my advice.
And you've defended the arrest by pointing out that innocent people are arrested all the time
I'm simply saying that being arrested isn't as bad of an offense. But people act like they've been thrown in jail and the key thrown away, simply for wearing cuffs.
It's sensational.
the person must have been innocent
Now your logic is not following anymore.
Pointing at the family being assholes doesn't add anything to the discussio
No, it just shows that this is assholes treating other assholes like assholes.
Meaning that the whole attention on the topic is pointless.
It's like watching two homeless guys arguing over who is more justified in being homeless.
So he is trolling his teachers showing them something that looks like a bomb for giggles and lolz until he gets into trouble.
It would be great if we didn't have to involve police in order to settle inappropriate behavior.
But yeah, everyone acted stupidly.
And the family is getting rewarded for acting stupidly.
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So he is trolling his teachers showing them something that looks like a bomb for giggles and lolz until he gets into trouble.
It doesn't look like a bomb, and it was never intended to look like a bomb.
Kids get into trouble for things millions of times a year. They generally aren't arrested by the police for it. The police involvement is what people object to here.
Kian used a good word, "deflect". You and Xaade are just trying to deflect attention away from the actual issue here, which is a kid did something harmless and was arrested for it and taken to juvie by cops who fully admitted that he 1) did not do anything illegal, 2) did not lie to the police when questioned about the object, and 3) had no intention of causing a bomb scare.
Stop it.
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But yeah, everyone acted stupidly.
This is the only thing that makes sense to me. All the conspiracy nuts are claiming racism or other conspiracy theories, when the truth seems to be a simple matter of "When Assholes Collide".
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it was never intended to look like a bomb
speculation based on hear-say.
They generally aren't arrested by the police for it.
The fuck you've been.
Maybe that was true in the 80s.
Kian used a good word, "deflect". You and Xaade are just trying to deflect attention away from the actual issue here, which is a kid did something harmless and was arrested for it and taken to juvie by cops who fully admitted that he 1) did not do anything illegal, 2) did not lie to the police when questioned about the object, and 3) had no intention of causing a bomb scare.
But you're making this into a racism issue.
I think we've demonstrated multiple times that race doesn't create these outcomes, these outcomes exist even when everyone involved is the same race.
I've absolutely said multiple times that the cops and teachers blew it out of proportion.
There was a rational point, which involved questioning the device and possibly confiscating it, and they blew past that.
This is partly due to the fact that schools take so much flack.
They fucking knew, that as soon as they brought in a Muslim into the office, people were going to call it racism. May very well be why they called the cops. Ditch the bullshit on the cops. No matter how justified they could be for confiscating an unreported unknown device, it's a Muslim kid and they're going to fucking be all over the news.
The clear alternative scenario that appeases the race-baiters seems to be
Never call a person's actions into question whenever you discover they are Muslim.
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But you're making this into a racism issue.
No I'm not. Go up and re-read the thread. Quote me. I dare you.
All I've said about racism is that conspiracy theorists are usually also racists.
I've absolutely said multiple times that the cops and teachers blew it out of proportion.
Right; and what I'm now trying to understand is, if you agree that he cops and teachers here are firmly in the wrong, what is the purpose of the conspiracy theory?
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what is the purpose of the conspiracy theory?
To determine if there is intent and the kid is just lying.
Most of the proceedings we have is from what the kid said happened.
This whole discussion started with the assumption that he's telling the truth on all counts.
My opinion is that the kid is probably innocent and that his family is coercing him to do stupid stuff for the attention.
Even in phone call interviews, you can tell the sister is sitting there telling him what to say.
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And the family is getting rewarded for acting stupidly.
As if other families are rewarded for their contribution to humankind. He deserves the reward exactly like Justin Bieber or some other fuckwit celebrity deserves it.
Kids get into trouble for things millions of times a year. They generally aren't arrested by the police for it. The police involvement is what people object to here.
Agreed1) did not do anything illegal
Not illegal as long as cops and law is concerned, yes. But illegal in the school, he should have received a big red warning letter not stupid cops!2) did not lie to the police when questioned about the object
Even if he did, he is a kid3) had no intention of causing a bomb scare.
I call this BS. Yes he might have been oblivious to the consequences of his actions, but unless you somehow jumped the year when you were 14yo you were too timid in the school. Boys act to get attention (mostly from the opposite sex), some are better clowns.
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To determine if there is intent and the kid is just lying.
What fucking business is it of yours? Fuck you.
You know what? Fuck off, I'm done talking with you about this. You're completely off the rails. You're fucking crazy.
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As if other families are rewarded for their contribution to humankind. He deserves the reward exactly like Justin Bieber or some other fuckwit celebrity deserves it.
Agreed.
They generally aren't arrested by the police for it. The police involvement is what people object to here.
Flat out disagree, on personal experience.
You can't so much as bump into another kid without the cops being called to arrest someone for the zero tolerance fighting policy.
What fucking business is it of yours? Fuck you.
That is the entire pivotal point in what went down.
How could you not have any sketicism at all.
Fuck, I wish this was a white kid, because this shit goes down with white kids too, but the media doesn't make it national news.
If you were even half as skeptical with this as you are with open source, you'd be singing a different tune.
There's something magical about the kid being Muslim that puts him above criticism.
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No... I'm not.
I don't believe you.
I'm simply saying that being arrested isn't as bad of an offense. But people act like they've been thrown in jail and the key thrown away, simply for wearing cuffs.
Being arrested is not so bad if the police have a reasonable excuse to justify it. For example, you're covered in blood and there's a dead body next to you. I'll say that no matter what happened, the police are justified in taking you into custody.If they don't have a reasonable cause, it's "no worse" than some random stranger with a gun forcing you into his car to hold you in his basement for a few hours, and doing it with impunity because he's friends with the police. Is it ok if you know this person won't harm you (except for the people that die in custody, but let's ignore those)? Do you think that's "not as bad of an offense"? Why would dressing up as police make it better?
Answer just this: Why did the police arrest him? What was achieved by arresting him that could not be accomplished by not arresting him?
No, it just shows that this is assholes treating other assholes like assholes.
If you really think this, why haven't you muted this topic? Do you make a point of going into every thread where people are wrong over pointless things and arguing with them? You're one of the people most active in the thread, and most of the activity is people telling you you're wrong. If you stopped replying, the discussion would peter out.Meaning that the whole attention on the topic is pointless.
Which leads me to think you don't think it's pointless. You have an interest in either defending the actions of the police (without looking like you're defending the actions of the police), or complaining about the family being "rewarded". For some weird reason you've sunk a lot more research time into them than a healthy person would, and definitely more than someone that doesn't care about it would.
Me? I have a problem with the police acting like assholes because they have the most guns. So I object to people trying to defend them when they act like assholes, for whatever weird reasons they might have.
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What fucking business is it of yours? Fuck you.
You know what.
It's about as much business of mine, as it is yours to criticize the school.
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Fuck, I wish this was a white kid, because this shit goes down with white kids too, but the media doesn't make it national news.
There's something magical about the kid being Muslim that puts him above criticism.
... but you're not a racist.
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No, I'm not.
I don't respond to racism by making it impossible to criticize or question people of other races.
The point about the white kid part, was that when kids are white, the situation ends up occurring similarly and since everyone's the same race, there's none of these conversations about race-baiting or -phobia, to deflect the topic off of the "victim" doing something stupid.
Except for those mothers that think their kid can do no wrong.
So I guess I'm wrong.
I guess everyone always looks for someone to blame when they do something stupid.
The cops, the teachers, the kid's family, they're all acting the same.
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I don't even know what to say. Every time I think you have hit rock bottom with your assertions, you up the ante.
There is no rock bottom. It's turtles all the way down.
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Ah, your mute button must be broken.
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Good idea
So, you decided against it why?There's something magical about the kid being Muslim that puts him above criticism.
I'd like to point out that you and FrostCat are the only ones trying to argue the race issue. blakey in the OP and most others complaining about the police conduct (at least me) never actually mentioned it was wrong because the kid was brown, or that he was specifically targeted because he was brown or whatever else you seem to be implying. The argument is that the police acted wrong because the actual actions the kid took did not justify an arrest.
If white kids also get arrested for the same reason, that's also wrong. Police misconduct is wrong no matter what the target or the motivation is.
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WHO CARES IF THE FAMILY IS ATTENTION WHORES? IT'S STILL WRONG TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT COMMITTED CRIMES. AND THAT'S THE BIT PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT.
WHAT IF YOU THINK THEY COMMITTED A CRIME IN GOOD FAITH BUT THEY DIDN'T OR ANYWAYS YOU CAN'T PROVE IT?
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@blakeyrat said:
WHO CARES IF THE FAMILY IS ATTENTION WHORES? IT'S STILL WRONG TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT COMMITTED CRIMES. AND THAT'S THE BIT PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT.
WHAT IF YOU THINK THEY COMMITTED A CRIME IN GOOD FAITH BUT THEY DIDN'T OR ANYWAYS YOU CAN'T PROVE IT?
HE'S CAUSING US ALL TO YELL!
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@Lorne_Kates said:
@boomzilla said:
@blakeyrat said:
WHO CARES IF THE FAMILY IS ATTENTION WHORES? IT'S STILL WRONG TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT COMMITTED CRIMES. AND THAT'S THE BIT PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT.
WHAT IF YOU THINK THEY COMMITTED A CRIME IN GOOD FAITH BUT THEY DIDN'T OR ANYWAYS YOU CAN'T PROVE IT?
HE'S CAUSING US ALL TO YELL!
I FIND YELLING TO BE A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER. DID YOU KNOW THAT HE'S MOVING TO QATAR? APPARENTLY OPENING UP VINTAGE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS IS CONSIDERED INNOVATIVE IN AN OIL SHEIKDOM KIND OF PLACE.
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@Lorne_Kates said:
@boomzilla said:
@blakeyrat said:
WHO CARES IF THE FAMILY IS ATTENTION WHORES? IT'S STILL WRONG TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT COMMITTED CRIMES. AND THAT'S THE BIT PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT.
WHAT IF YOU THINK THEY COMMITTED A CRIME IN GOOD FAITH BUT THEY DIDN'T OR ANYWAYS YOU CAN'T PROVE IT?
HE'S CAUSING US ALL TO YELL!
I FIND YELLING TO BE A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER. DID YOU KNOW THAT HE'S MOVING TO QATAR? APPARENTLY OPENING UP VINTAGE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS IS CONSIDERED INNOVATIVE IN AN OIL SHEIKDOM KIND OF PLACE.
OMFG HIS PLAN WORKED 100%!!!! SEE?!?! SEE!?!?!
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... but you're not a racist.
Is Muslim a race? I've never seen it listed on the census.
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You know what one of the surest signs of racism is? That's right, nitpicky
about "well, technically this group I'm discriminating against isn't a race"
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I'm not espousing racism. I'm pointing out that "racist" is such a fun word to throw around that it loses its meaning. No one can have a meaningful conversation without being called a racist/sexist/xenophobe/anti-dentite, not that this thread is what I would call a meaningful conversation.
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Sectarianist would maybe make more sense. Though to be fair, the racism accusers often say things like, "the brown man / kid."
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In Dutch, the generic term is discrimination (on race, faith, gender, sexual orientation, or any other basis), though I'm not sure whether that term is used in English as well.
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That's right, nitpicky
about "well, technically this group I'm discriminating against isn't a race"Well technically I am no longer a Muslim, I do not think I could change my race as easily. The correct word (in situations that does make sense) is bigot. Use the right word, because words have power.
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It's easy to claim you're not a racist if you're careful / lucky enough to only spout your nastiness about people's chosen imaginary sky uncle. You can easily overlook the fact people of that particular group have a tendency to above-average brownness of skin.
