You are under arrest! I think. Let me look up the meaning of the emojii's you used...
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Using emojii can result in criminal charges
You are under arrest! I think. Let me look up the meaning of the emojii's you used...
psionl0
Skeptical about skeptics
Yes. “meet me in the library Tuesday” is totally innocuous but follow it with emojiis of a gun, a knife and a bomb and clearly it shows an intent to commit a terrorist act.
Corsair 115
Penultimate Amazing
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Yes. “meet me in the library Tuesday” is totally innocuous but follow it with emojiis of a gun, a knife and a bomb and clearly it shows an intent to commit a terrorist act.
Huh. I thought it meant there were going to check out books on muskets, cooking, and chemical reactions, respectively.
Yes. “meet me in the library Tuesday” is totally innocuous but follow it with emojiis of a gun, a knife and a bomb and clearly it shows an intent to commit a terrorist act.
It certainly can be, just as "Meet me in the library and I intend to bring a gun." can be. Emojii's are a form of communication, although just as written speech they can be ambiguous in their meaning. "Meet me in the library and you will get what is coming to you." can be a threat or a promise of a bag of cookies. Presumably the entire context will have to be considered.
psionl0
Skeptical about skeptics
The most "offensive" part of the instagram was the word "Killing" followed by a gun emojii. (Presumably, if there was anything more offensive in that instagram then the Washington Post would have quoted that out of context too).
This is no more a police matter than the school boys of old who drew swastikas on their school books were.
arthwollipot
Limerick Purist Pronouns: He/Him
Emoji are simply another way humans can express themselves. They are language. People can use language for all sorts of purposes, from expressing the deepest love to the strongest hate. We restrict free speech on the basis of the message, not the medium.
NWO Sentryman
Proud NWO Gatekeeper
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Beware of those who speak in hands...
psionl0
Skeptical about skeptics
This is a situation that is probably best resolved by some sort of student counseling. The girl in question was reportedly a bullying victim and a counselor could could possibly provide strategies for her to cope with this situation other than venting via social media (which is a no-no in these paranoid times).
In no way is calling the police as a first response warranted.
Elagabalus
Philosopher
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The use of a gun, knife and bomb emoji might also mean that the industrious students intend to do battle with their books in the library.
blutoski
Penultimate Amazing
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I think most of us would agree; what we're debating is that it doesn't really have anything to do with emoji.
"utter a threat in any language can result in criminal charges" - yes, this is the law in the USA, nothing new here, not sure why the thread was titled "Using emojii can result in criminal charges" any more than "using your thumb can result in criminal charges." (for example, by stabbing somebody)
I sense that the conversation has turned away from if emojiis can be considered a threat into a more general discussion of what it the correct response of a school to a communication that can be interpreted (at by some) as a threat. Yes, I think that emojiis, in common with any other picture or forms of written communication, can be seen in context as a threat. But I also think it is stupid that schools in the USA generally consider it a very severe concern, to the point of suspension, if a student draws a picture of a gun, a knife, brings in a clock, or even eats a Pop Tart into the shape of a gun. Typically there is "zero tolerance" (which really means zero thought) in terms of the response.
But this is how schools in the USA operate now. The teachers and administration are afraid that if they don't respond severely to a "potential threat" (essentially anything slightly edgy- it can include a painting of a T rex eating a teacher) then if a violent situation actually occurs, the school will be morally and legally liable. This is silly, but is not based on a vacuum: students have made vague threats and then shot up their school. This includes students who have been victims in the past (revenge, I gather) and students who everyone thinks, "Oh, they were so nice! I can't imagine why they killed 23 people!"
So certainly it depends on context. "Meet me in the library, I have something to give you" can mean a book or a bullet depending on the circumstances. Decorating the note with pictures of blood and guns may well suggest the latter. But it can be a close call that no one person wants to make.
Yes, it seems logical that something like in the OP is best referred to the school counselors rather the police. But fear chases away logic. And sometimes the established rules require an employee to report things to police, etc. that they really don't see as a concern.
But this is how schools in the USA operate now. The teachers and administration are afraid that if they don't respond severely to a "potential threat" (essentially anything slightly edgy- it can include a painting of a T rex eating a teacher) then if a violent situation actually occurs, the school will be morally and legally liable. This is silly, but is not based on a vacuum: students have made vague threats and then shot up their school. This includes students who have been victims in the past (revenge, I gather) and students who everyone thinks, "Oh, they were so nice! I can't imagine why they killed 23 people!"
So certainly it depends on context. "Meet me in the library, I have something to give you" can mean a book or a bullet depending on the circumstances. Decorating the note with pictures of blood and guns may well suggest the latter. But it can be a close call that no one person wants to make.
Yes, it seems logical that something like in the OP is best referred to the school counselors rather the police. But fear chases away logic. And sometimes the established rules require an employee to report things to police, etc. that they really don't see as a concern.
bytewizard
Master Poster
Easy solution to prevent this type of activity from ever happening again:
Emoji registration, Emoji user background checks, and banning just the really bad and evil Emojis. (Not to suggest I am for banning all Emojis.)
Emoji registration, Emoji user background checks, and banning just the really bad and evil Emojis. (Not to suggest I am for banning all Emojis.)
arthwollipot
Limerick Purist Pronouns: He/Him
I am confused by the distinction that some people seem to be drawing between emoji and every other form of communication. Why are emoji singled out while pictograms or wingdings or even just plain words are not?
Racism. They come from Japan.
psionl0
Skeptical about skeptics
Actually, it does have to do with emojii (or any other form of emoticon/graphic). It was the emoticons that drew attention to the Instagram. Yet the meaning or purpose of the symbols used in the absence of any clarifying text is so vague that an instant presumption that the Instagram poses a threat is the worst sort of paranoia.
Information Analyst
Penultimate Amazing
And if it's female, it's oppression/objectification...
Elagabalus
Philosopher
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But weren't they based on the facial expressions and hilarious face-pulls of a young Emoji N. Coca from Your Show of Shows?
Corsair 115
Penultimate Amazing
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