So even the brain dead can graduate grade school

trappedslider · Jun 16, 2014

Honestly, I think this just shows how cynical and jaded you have become about humanity.

sabrinathecat · Jun 16, 2014

trappedslider said:
Honestly, I think this just shows how cynical and jaded you have become about humanity.

I think that's the first honest and useful criticism I've received in weeks.
Thank you.

sabrinathecat · Jun 16, 2014

And for the record, it seems I confused two stories from about the same time. The girl getting the honorary grad was in a coma & brain dead after botched tonsillectomy. The drive-by happened a week later, and that child was killed.

Trying to find the fluff-piece that annoyed me so you could see what I was talking about. Found all sorts of things (including the Global News and World News that sound like they are being read by computers), but not that fluff piece.

Dioltach · Jun 16, 2014

Here's a question: is their any doubt that the girl would have graduated anyway? Is there some kind of pass/fail exam to finish grade school in the States?

Dannyalcatraz · Jun 16, 2014

Dioltach said:
Here's a question: is their any doubt that the girl would have graduated anyway? Is there some kind of pass/fail exam to finish grade school in the States?

In some states yes, in others, no.

sabrinathecat · Jun 16, 2014

Used to be you needed a pulse and to have made at least some effort.
Don't know what the requirements are now, but they seem to have dropped.

Dannyalcatraz · Jun 16, 2014

sabrinathecat said:
Used to be you needed a pulse and to have made at least some effort.
Don't know what the requirements are now, but they seem to have dropped.

As others have said, you're comparing apples and oranges.

The degrees you earn have real economic value. They open doors to jobs and/or higher education.

These honorary degrees do none of that. They are purely ceremonial, and awarded for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they're awarded to a fallen member of a class. Sometimes they are awarded in recognition of RW experiences or even contributions to a field- like a "lifetime achievement award". Its a feel-good thing.

Janx · Jun 16, 2014

Elf Witch said:
In my senior year of high school one of my friends was hit by a drunk driver and left to die in a ditch. He had been a popular student a member of the marching band and student government.

He was awarded his diploma with the rest of the graduates ,accepting his was his younger sister. There was a standing ovation and many tears when she came up to accept it. I know that it meant a lot to his family and his friends it was a way of sharing our loss or grief and remembering him and having part of that special day.

As for the news covering feel good fluff stories all I have to say is thank god because without them it is all to grim it is nice to be reminded that good things happen in this world too.

To add to this concept of recognizing a fallen student, why assume the award is just for the family. Teachers are impacted emotionally by the death of a student. Students are impacted. Schools are communities as well. So this kind of thing is part of the school's way of coping with the loss as well.

Janx · Jun 16, 2014

sabrinathecat said:
Used to be you needed a pulse and to have made at least some effort.
Don't know what the requirements are now, but they seem to have dropped.

I'm sorry to inform you, but if you can't tell the difference between handing a dead kid a piece of paper and promoting a batch of thugs who can't read to the next grade, then that's indicative of a problem with prioritizing concerns.

If you don't understand why a family or community may choose to recognize someone they've lost, you might be a sociopath.