Opinion: Hang the DJ if you like, but please, not at the expense of everyone else.
Recent vandalism in the boys’ bathroom could be considered a fruitless act of rebellion.
January 20, 2020
Rebellion can be a good thing that encourages and compels a change in the people or things being protested or rebelled against. However, rebellion is no longer rebellion when it has the possibility of causing harm to people without any greater purpose. If the rebellion is being done for a purpose larger than itself, it is justified, at least somewhat.
The vandalism to the boys bathrooms happening at Foothill right now can not be justified because it accomplishes and protests nothing: soap has been taken out of the dispensers, urinal dividers ripped from the wall, toilet paper holders kicked off the wall, entire paper towel rolls been taken out of the dispenser and stuffed into the toilet and part of soap dispensers torn from their base. None of this does anything, none of this accomplishes anything. Except of course, cause sickness to spread rampantly and prevent boys from using the restroom when they need to. At the moment, only one boys bathroom is open, and only one person is let into said bathroom at a time. This is extremely annoying and inconveniencing as I know personally because there is always a line to get into the one restroom.
Because it cannot be defended as accomplishing anything, the only other reason that they are doing it is for the satisfaction of destroying things. And what would give someone seeking satisfaction for their misbehavior: announcing to the entire school to not do what they’re doing. In the school announcements, they said to keep the soap in the soap dispensers, which is quite possibly the absolute worst thing to do in that situation. This only gave the person or persons more satisfaction for their actions and encouraged their behavior by proving to them that they could get the attention that they desire if they were persistent. Now after that announcement telling people to keep the soap in its dispenser, the problem has only gotten worse and worse.
And yes, there is, of course, the chance that the problem and behavior would‘ve continued without that day’s announcements, but either way, the administration has to make the best decision about the whole situation and realize that an announcement telling people to stop taking the soap out of the bathrooms has no possibility of making things better and only worsening the situation.
Demosthenes • Feb 27, 2020 at 3:13 am
Perhaps the next time I wake up, I’ll see another response and expect that this loop of responses will continue. But I’ll be genuinely ending my responses here.
In this comment, I will thoroughly clarify my identity, my previous comment’s intentions and misunderstandings, and hopefully let the article from two of last year’s seniors to finalize this matter. I will also lessen my reserved approach of writing and write with my critical thinking at hand.
So first, I’d like to quote a paragraph from Ian Ingram and Ben Bernard’s article “Call to Unity ”, “It seems nothing more exists than two opposing sides constantly at each other’s throat, both unyielding. But what is most important is that we remember why the two sides are disagreeing in the first place. When people hear the heavy political discourse, they often jump at the opportunity to prove the other person wrong, seemingly for satisfaction. However, this is not the goal or purpose of any political discussion. As part of the human race, we should all strive to seek the betterment of mankind as this should ultimately be the foundation for all political discourse.”
I think this says it all.
What I perceived your actions as a means to validate your own sense of justice and your own happiness. And it’s clearly demonstrated in your latest comment that you still don’t feel apologetic for vandalizing the bathrooms for everyone(I’m not forcing you to apologize), which essentially loses the meaning in knowing who you are. Knowing your identity won’t solve your anger or your twisted heroic sense. Instead, go ahead and keep the anonymity of “john doe” and take advantage of the platform of the Dragon Press, after all it’ll feed more attention and curiosity towards you which is clearly your intent(and clearly has succeeded). I have no means to prevent your freedom of speech and no one is above the law.
I would also like to clarify that I am registered as a student and that I responded because I felt personally aggravated by the bathrooms being closed due to the mishandling by another peer. Like the majority of the student body, I could’ve chosen to stay silent, but it was disappointing to see that you(John Doe) completely disregarded Zack Kinnaman’s article, the bathrooms being closed down, the distress of the student body, and here you are still clueless as to what you did wrong.
I’ve read your comment and still don’t get what you have accomplished. I don’t think you really did accomplish anything other than upset, distress, more security pressure on the student body. Meanwhile, you and your friends applaud yourselves for being vigilantes who seem so “cool” for breaking the rules anonymously, but once again what you have accomplished? Essentially nothing other than wasting people’s time. In fact, I respect the custodian who had to clean after your unaccounted for mess and the security who had to check every single person who went through the bathroom. But once again, you’ve proven my previous point that you’re clearly apathetic to your wrongdoings and potential consequences and instead would rather focus on bringing attention to yourself.
And finally, I would like to conclude that I am not affiliated with the Dragon Press, FTHS staff, nor ASB. I am myself acting upon my own accord and sense of morality. I purposely offered a soap-less and waste-less alternative to prevent precedents of vandalism on our campus, but do understand that my advice only goes to the open-minded people who are willing to read and digest my thoughts on the matter. Please do NOT drag other individuals, groups, or clubs with association of my words. I repeat do NOT accuse the wrong individuals as you clearly have no knowledge of who I am or associate with. My words do not represent any organization I am part of. I am only exercising my freedom of speech just as you are doing so yourself.
I’ve read over my comment again and I have realized that some of my words might have unintentionally dragged certain people/groups of people. Please note that they were not an attack on one’s character but rather a reconsideration of each one’s individual actions in FTHS. Forgive me if I have overstepped boundaries and do understand that writing anonymously behind a screen can lead to the potentiality of emotional and irrational words to spew out. I do try my best to write in the utmost consideration of everyone with my best knowledge of the English language.
I hold a level of respect for FTHS admin, staff, clubs, my classes, and for my fellow peers and I have only one motive: unite ourselves as one dragon force. Unite the D!
John Doe • Feb 24, 2020 at 12:29 pm
I see that people are unhappy with my protest. Quite honestly, I don’t have the luxury of acting as Martin Luther King Had. Although I could theoretically hijack an FM Transmitter and make secrete messages about FTHS whats going to stop you from complaining more? (“Ohh he broke the lawwwww”) Boo-Hoo should I call the wambulence? Quite honestly, if you are so keen on exposing me for wasting tax player dollars that quite honestly they don’t even deserve due to altering testing scores by the block-schedule in turn encouraging cheating as well as obvious favoring of students, then here is my IP Address.
207.157.190.88
Go ahead, you know when this comment was made find me, I don’t care. If you are so keen on deconstructing metaphorical speech literally how do you have the audacity to call me immature. Also, how do you know I am a student? You are so quick to reflect and assume on information that relates to bias that the fact you call yourself journalists is laughable. “My advice to you(John Doe) is to write a public opinion article rather than hiding as an anonymous commenter or join a club that’s willing to make changes to Foothill.” (Demosthenes) Do you really that writing an article publicly is any more special than anonymously? information is information…
Look, I have better things to do than talk about cute valentines Day gift DIY’s and why I couldn’t care less about the administration. You tell me to stop pointing fingers even though that is the whole damn point of the dragon press website. What is Mr. Li teaching you guys? You are obviously incapable of vernacular interpretation and I really hope that you guys know that you just proved my point further.
Anyways, long story short I hope you guys figure out a method to utilize your academic strengths because critical thinking is obviously not one of them.
Love,
John Doe McBova
Lebonese James • Feb 24, 2020 at 12:08 pm
LMAO dont believe the propaganda the dragon press and foothill is spreading. Dont be a sheep follow john doe.
Demosthenes • Feb 22, 2020 at 4:25 pm
I’ve said this before. And I say this again. There are many high schoolers who have not yet grown up. Using the administration as an excuse to wipe off your immaturity is petty and crude. Flushing down dish soap and then causing the closing of the bathrooms makes you(John Doe) into a vigilante who achieved nothing more than using more taxpayer dollars to cover the wasted soap and water.
I get it. You’re mad at the administration. I’m mad at the administration too. We all have something against the administration. But we must recognize foremost that the admins aren’t here for us; they’re only here to keep us within the rules’ boundaries. They’ll protect one of their own to keep their ground, and they will never be on the student’s side. Why? Because of the immaturity that we hold in display in front of them. Ruining the bathrooms achieved nothing, instead it backfired on us. Meanwhile, holding a minorities panel or Pride Week did achieve recognition from the District and from FTHS staff. There’s a stark difference between grabbing momentary attention versus genuine efforts for reform.
Bova did blackface. That is true. (there’s undeniable photographic evidence and first-hand accounts out there) But so what? We muttered this in the hallways, but nothing changed.
People dabbed on the individuals who were honoring the fallen gun victims. That is true. But so what?
People attacked and mocked Miss. Yale for leading the walkout, forcing her to leave the school. But so what?
Foothill’s apathetic. Students and teachers alike don’t care enough about important issues, and when we do, it’s too late or authority prevents us from taking the extra step or we just feign ignorance and move on. Put it simply, none of us gave a damn. There’s a few students and teachers who interpreted this bystander effect as a means to be more cruel to others. And I hope at one point in their life they’ll reflect on what they’ve done wrong.
So yes, I do understand to an extent as to why you(John Doe) went to the extremities, but it makes no difference in a climate that’s hostile to change or weakness.
We can’t keep playing the blame game. We can’t keep complaining, ‘this club wastes school funds, this teacher did that, the administration is trash’. It’s so easy to get mad and start pointing fingers. But it’s hard to find a solvency. We need a way to end all of this trash talk that the teachers and students say to each other. And yes, teachers. We can hear what you say about us.
My advice to you(John Doe) is to write a public opinion article rather than hiding as an anonymous commenter or join a club that’s willing to make changes to Foothill. I’m sure there’s many ways to turn your anger into something useful and helpful for future generations at Foothill because we need passionate, eager change-makers like you.
Signing off,
Demosthenes
Arthur Fleck • Feb 21, 2020 at 10:43 am
We live in a society.
Riley Bangs • Feb 20, 2020 at 12:43 am
Hey John Doe! Hey anyone else reading! This looks really interesting so I wanna talk about it. First off, balls on you man for basically telling everyone it’s you. If anything, they want that post up long as possible so they can try to figure out who’s f**king their bathroom. Next I wanted to ask, how does destroying the purported solitary private space on campus let the students know that they’re being politically conditioned? That the faculty needs to devote more time to accommodating the students’ needs, such as having more than one bathroom? Or how it relates to anything else you said.
Finally, if your toilet crusade isn’t a protest, as you say, then what is it? “Something deeper,” but you never tell me. I really hope you get back to me here. I wanna open my eyes, but all you’ve done is tell me that they’re closed. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King, is that the kinda thing you were going for? Anyway, don’t be so stressed out about the higher-ups sticking their heel in you. It’s just high school, vro. Make some jokes, do some kissing maybe, and SURVIVE AT ALL COSTS.
Hugo Stiglitz • Feb 19, 2020 at 8:51 am
So when did making it difficult for other human beings to do what nature demands become a valid form of protest.It comes off as extremely immature at best and criminal at worst.Why don’t you turn yourself in and do time in Juvenile Hall and protest like Martin Luther King did while locked up?You wouldn’t last two minutes thats why.You will get caught and will weep like the immature brat you just revealed yourself to be.
John Doe • Feb 7, 2020 at 12:10 pm
Quite honestly, if the school doesn’t want me flushing dish soap down the toilet maybe they should look into not being so corrupt. Maybe if they took irresponsibility for their mistakes and learned from it instead of hide the information or rig votes and pushing a political agenda through classes maybe I would have more respect and not s**t in the urinal. Maybe if the administration would stop favoring ASB and handing rewards to them like candy and if the Dragon Press was more open ended and intellectually stimulating or the school encouraged open though I wouldn’t put stickers on the sink drains and flood the room.
Look, I know this comment is going to be deleted do to the nature of the censorship of the Administration manipulating thought and discouraging individualism, If you read this please make sure to remind the student body that Joe Bova did blackface and how he learned from that mistake. Remember the time the students dabbed on the people pretending to be dead on the stage and learn that school is a place of academics and learning. Destroy the bathrooms like this school destroys the potential of the truly intellectually capable individuals. You may see no reason for the destruction other than for destruction, however the world inset as simple.
Don’t hold these mistakes against them. They are better now and they have learned. If you truly believe that the destruction of the bathrooms are unjustified please look into yourself and realize that it is because that is what you have been taught. understand that to stop this is to acknowledge and accept the administration for the flaws it has.
The bathrooms are the only place that are not monitored by the staff. It’s the only place where you can truly do what you want freely. Maybe look at yourself and realize that if people were trusted more maybe they wouldn’t react so irrationally. Maybe they would preserve what they have. Maybe, just maybe you’ll find out that the same people who destroy the bathrooms are the same people what want to change the world for the better. But how can they do that if they refuse to conform to rule-sets. To push that is to resist authority and enforce individualism.
Maybe instead of assuming they destroy for no reason is the problem. It may not be for protest for that is to simplistic. Maybe its something deeper. Maybe its because of anger or numbness, but the separation of these people and primal is the problem. Maybe, you should open your eyes.