more on Tragedy

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

I second Dave's comments. I have taught the same kind of material often and
have the same feelings.

Dave


------ Forwarded Message
From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 16:36:46 -0500
To: dave () farber net, ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Tragedy

At 01:50 PM 3/19/2003 -0500, William Hugh Murray <whmurray () sprynet com>
  wrote:
> Put yourself in the place of this young man's faculty.  What message
> would you wish that you had given him with all the powerful special
> knowledge that you gave him?  Please pass that message to all your
> students this week.  Thanks.

Exactly why should we place the blame for a 20 year-old's hacking on his
faculty?   Or for that matter presume that a "natural sciences" student
learned hacking techniques at school at all?

His parents had him for 18 years, and the school had him for two.   As a
faculty member (albeit currently only an adjunct) I detect a whiff of
misdirected rage at academic research.   When I've tried to incorporate
humanistic values into my curriculum (many years ago, during the Vietnam
era) or issues of privacy and free speech, there have been those who argue
that we should not do so at all.   I disagree.   I express my values and
views.   But I don't feel that it is within my grasp to take a criminally
inclined student in hand, and convey a respect for the law.  18 years
should be long enough for parents to do that job, and if they fail, perhaps
it really is time for the courts to prosecute and convict the actual
criminal, not his teachers.


------ End of Forwarded Message

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