Disclaimer: The contents of this article contain several controversial view points that may not necessarily represent ideals expressed by myself or the Odyssey at LSU. Both sides of a story should always be considered, and while a certain side may not represent one's standing, value remains.
Unfortunately for the teachers of MacArthur High School, the media has, once again, warped a story to make our governing bodies seem incompetent. Most of the time, the media leaves out several, small details to slightly alter a story. This time, however, it may come as a surprise that an extremely important detail remains to be ignored by a lot of leading media platforms. Even most internet jokes surrounding the topic seem to be completely ignorant of one fact. What did Ahmed's clock actually look like?
The majority of Americans seem to believe that the teacher's reaction to Ahmed's clock was completely unnecessary and driven heavily by racist tensions. Many continue to suggest that a Caucasian boy in this same circumstance would be praised with high respect to his scientific achievement. However, with these two statements, the question arises as to what the basis is for the majority's opinion. With knowledge on the clock's appearance, one can question the reliability of stating that this event took place solely due to prejudice. As the majority of people turn to social media as one of their main sources of information, reviewing stories shared on these platforms seems to relay what the large part of the crowd could be thinking. In looking at tweets, social media news, and a particular comedic video (playable here: https://www.facebook.com/PeacehouseUS/videos/45960...), one comes to believe that a great deal of people simply do not care what Ahmed's clock looks like.
Naturally, these jokes simply would not be funny if the clock was accurately depicted, but that's where one should expect warped stories to exist. However, if more people knew of the true nature of Ahmed's clock, one would understand why any kid would get in trouble for this act. Racist tensions simply do not have a big impact on the magnitude of this situation. Even still, it comes as a concern when one begins to review social media news videos and finds a severe lack of information about the clock itself. In both videos (linked below), the clock is not displayed in any facet. Other inventions are shown, yet the makeup of the clock is not shown.
Video 1: https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/6197...
Video 2: https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/910210119069113/
In reality the clock that Ahmed created looks shockingly like what one would think of when they heard the phrase "home-made bomb."
The clock even has a cliche, LED display that would be typical of some sort of home-made bomb. With a device of this nature, any child should be reprimanded in school. A charge of a "hoax bomb" could be applied to every race. This clock relays an extremely daunting situation for a teacher. While Ahmed's following arrest may show signs of islamophobia in our society, the idea that any Caucasian boy would be praised for the same work simply does not align with rational thought. The device pictured above holds an appearance that should raise concern. Period.
When it comes to the degree of punishment or the magnitude of a reaction, a thin line is drawn as to what is appropriate. In Ahmed's case, the actions taken by authorities certainly border the extreme. Even still, to suggest that absolutely no negative consequence would occur in other circumstances is ridiculous. Yes, racism exists in this story. Yes, the authorities were wrong in some of their actions. But, the side of this story that the media told also produces some extremes that our society should not necessarily follow. Censorship, undermining authority, and subjective profiling of situations exist far too frequently in media today.
Luckily, some news organizations are starting to show the above picture of Ahmed's clock. Even still, the mass produced, 10 second videos that are seen by millions on social media remain to contain lacking, ignorant information.
