School cameras

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-10-13 10:19pm

I just saw the tail end of the NBC news when I woke up this evening and they were talking about these cameras they have in a school in Mississippi (i think.) Now these aren't the usual enterance security cams, these are literally keeping their eye on the kids in the classroom. I believe this may lead to acceptance of the idea that the State has its watchful eye on us all the time, which is a disturbing thought to paranoids like myself.

All to keep Little Johnny from being a class clown.

Anyone know how far this concept has spread? What do you think?

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-10-13 10:24pm

There were cameras put in a school bathroom in Australia some time back, when a student called a current affairs show the school released a thing saying that he should concentrate on his mark, not his rights.

God Emperor · Post by **God Emperor** » 2003-10-13 10:45pm

We have cameras in our bathrooms and in the library at my school.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-10-13 10:47pm

UltraViolence83 wrote:I just saw the tail end of the NBC news when I woke up this evening and they were talking about these cameras they have in a school in Mississippi (i think.) Now these aren't the usual enterance security cams, these are literally keeping their eye on the kids in the classroom. I believe this may lead to acceptance of the idea that the State has its watchful eye on us all the time, which is a disturbing thought to paranoids like myself. :x All to keep Little Johnny from being a class clown.

Anyone know how far this concept has spread? What do you think?

Hey now, that isn't so bad. I mean, a classroom is a public environment. And all too frequently, there's some jackass who wants to cause trouble. Of course, it's a sad state of affairs when the school has to resort to using cameras to keep order in the classroom.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-10-13 11:15pm

As long as the cameras are being placed in the schools that are already fucked up, I have no problem with it. A camera is a prosecuter's best friend.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-10-13 11:18pm

This could actually be a godsend to teachers. With cameras, no student can make bullshit accusations against them when, say, a teacher breaks up a fight.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-10-13 11:36pm

My school has a few in the hallways... For the most part, nobody really cares. I can't really say that I enjoy the idea of somebody watching our every action though. The cams here are primarily to prevent people from beating others up, etc...

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-10-13 11:46pm

I just don't like the concept of letting children spend most of their day in an environment where they know they are being recorded. It's sort of...Big Brothery...Are there any psychological impacts on knowing you're being watched?

I don't mean to slide down the slippery slope here, but one could argue for government cameras in homes if everyone is used to being watched.

"Why are you so private? What do you have to hide?"

"It's not so bad...You forget they're their after awhile." And so on.

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2003-10-13 11:49pm

My college has cameras in the hallways and on every outdoor location of the college. I don't see it as an invasion of privacy, but a method of controlling things like drugs-dealing, vandalism, and non-students being on campus.

I doubt I'd complain about cameras in the classrooms, if there were problems with teachers and/or students, but they're not needed. If they decided just to watch us for the sake of it, then I'd complain.

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-10-13 11:54pm

Embracer Of Darkness wrote:My college has cameras in the hallways and on every outdoor location of the college. I don't see it as an invasion of privacy, but a method of controlling things like drugs-dealing, vandalism, and non-students being on campus.

I doubt I'd complain about cameras in the classrooms, if there were problems with teachers and/or students, but they're not needed. If they decided just to watch us for the sake of it, then I'd complain.

Exactly my case. On doors, fine. Hallways, I can pretty much tolerate.

The school that they had on the news seemed like a pretty nice school, too.

And one has to question the effiency of cameras. If you felt so inclined to, you could kick a person's ass in the hallways while a friend holds up a book or something in front of the camera beforehand. They do that in the elevators in juvilnile prisons when they kick the new guy's ass.

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-10-13 11:58pm

And on a related rant, this prison-style school system 'zero-tolerance' shit has gone too far. You're going to have worse instances of outcast school shootings if you don't give them the oppurtunity to fight back. I think that alot of the whole anti-fistfights thing is forcing the abused to keep their feelings in more and then...BOOM...They blow up.

Personally, I've dealt with shitfaced cockmasters who thought they were hot shit by picking on me, and I was very afraid of official punishments for it. If I were in 8-9th grade now, I'd probably explode in one way or another because pushing them to the ground is "wrong."

Rant ends. Have a nice day.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-10-14 12:02am

Exonerate wrote:My school has a few in the hallways... For the most part, nobody really cares. I can't really say that I enjoy the idea of somebody watching our every action though. The cams here are primarily to prevent people from beating others up, etc...

In most systems, you're not being constantly watched. That would be a waste of time and resources, especially since schools usually have enough staff on the ground to keep an eye on most public areas anyway. Cameras are there to provide evidence when someone commits a crime but isn't caught red-handed. They can also be used to sort out things like who threw the first punch in a fight, or verify (or debunk) claims that a teacher struck a student.

Putting cameras in classrooms seems mostly wasteful, since whenever students are in there, a teacher should be too (a hallway camera could catch anyone breaking into the room). That's why I suspect they're there as legal protection for the teachers.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-10-14 06:21am

First - the slippery slope you used to equate this to cameras in homes is based on a false anaolgy - it's school-run cameras on school property. A more accurate analogy would be parents installing cameras in their child's rooms (or baby monitors for that matter)

Secondly, I'm surprised no one's screamed 'paedophile' at wanting to put cameras in the toilets. That's a common arguamtn used against CCTV over here.

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