Sorry, but I have to get this one out
posted by McFrozen on September 18, 2001
I'm sorry to keep inundating the blog with stuff about the attack, but I have to put it somewhere. I'll make this and future posts on the subject "extended" so they won't take up so much room on the front page.
Some fuckwit in our department just hung a world map in hallway used by the public (our building is where people come to pick up copies of their student records) and taped little paper targets over Libya, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. (They also put one over Ireland for some reason ... I guess because the IRA is going to be targeted by W's "war on terrorism".)
I wrestled with a few different ideas for handling it.
1) Take the whole map down and leave a note telling the owner that he or she could find it in my office.
2) Leave the map, but take down the little targets and post a signed note saying I thought it was inappropriate for a public space.
3) Leave the little targets up and post a signed note saying I thought it was inappropriate for a public space.
I ended up just emailing the four managers in the department (there are four sections here: networks/operations, microsystems, systems, and programming) and stating my opinion of the thing. One of them has indicated that she will deal with it.
I know in the long run this was the best way to handle it, because public intervention on my part would probably have caused hard feelings in the department and more than anything I think we need to avoid divisive activity right now, but I still feel like a weasel. I feel like I ran to the teacher instead of confronting the problem head-on.
I'm really not interested in telling people how they should feel about this, and goodness knows not everyone would agree with how I feel about it, but how do you communicate the greater concepts of non-aggression to angry, potentially violent people? I feel inadequately prepared to deal with the impending war.