Better Off Gouging Out Your Eyes Than Happening Upon MySpace

A California middle school has suspended a student who posted "graphic threats" directed at another student at his MySpace page. Fine.

But the school also suspended another 20 students just for viewing the threats -- even though they apparently had no reason to know what they'd be seeing once they got to the page.

Police are investigating the boy’s comments about his classmate at TeWinkle Middle School as a possible hate crime, and the district is trying to expel him.

According to three parents of the suspended students, the invitation to join the boy’s MySpace group gave no indication of the alleged threat.

The hysteria surrounding MySpace is fast making the site a modern version of Medusa: Look at it and you will be turned to stone. Or worse. (In the case of MySpace, the state is playing the role of serpentine hair quite nicely.)

And TeWinkle Middle School? Christ. Haven't these kids suffered enough already by having to go to a school named TeWinkle?

More here.

[Cross-posted at Nobody's Business.]