Free speech: A concept disputed by millions regarding the right to speak one’s mind and broadcast opinions without impeding obstacles. Fortunately, the advent of the Internet and the introduction to social media has made the flow of an individual’s ideas not only feasible, but also immediate.
In recent years, Twitter has become a resource for virtually everything in society. Apart from functioning as an efficient means of transmitting important information, the popular site is predominantly used to connect an individual to everyone in his or her social sphere. Since its official launch in 2006 by web designer Jack Dorsey, Twitter has garnered notoriety as an innovative Internet invention with incredible potential for increased communication. But what happens when the allotted 140 characters per tweet create combative comments fueled with fury?
Toward the end of the 2013 fall sport season, Walpole High School students heavily relied on Twitter for score updates during the many playoff games. However, as school pride increased with every win, so too did hostility between students of opposing high schools who exchanged hateful messages via social media.
Regardless of the game’s outcome, students verbally attacked specific individuals of rival towns with scathing insults and discriminatory statements. While one tweet following the Walpole Porkers’ playoff win over Dennis Yarmouth fomented the first fight, the second war of words escalated after a Masconomet student uploaded a parody video criticizing Walpole’s State Championship-bound boys soccer team. In each situation, these twitter fights escalated from a single tweet— a seemingly witty sentence or two which was most likely published for the sole purpose of attaining abundant “likes.”
Though social media squabbles and cyber bullying incidents are certainly not new phenomena, rare are the incidents in which a significant portion of the WHS student body takes personal interest in such twitter debacles. On an average night, students see twitter fights as entertaining episodes of pointless drama; however, recent exchanges between Walpole students and their athletic adversaries have offended individuals enough to intervene and offer their one-sided opinions.
Such social media slander began at Walpole when a student tweeted homophobic slurs about the Dennis Yarmouth goalie—a formidable field hockey player with impressive stats and skills. As one of the few males in a predominantly female sport, this goalie is no stranger to discrimination and controversy regarding his stance in the league— yet on November 6, the DY student faced an unprecedented onslaught of harsh criticism and accusations attacking his audacity to shatter the status quo and participate in the sport he loves.
During the field hockey South Sectional semi-finals on November 6th, the then-ranked number 2 Porkers fought the 3rd-ranked Dennis Yarmouth Dolphins. Due to the Porkers’ untarnished record, spectators and league-members alike expected an unquestionable Walpole victory. As the game progressed, however, Walpole was taken by surprise when Dennis Yarmouth’s male goalie proved his athletic prowess by preventing the Porkers from scoring until the beginning of the second half. Though the Porkers played well offensively and dominated the game, the aggressive defensive tactics of the DY goalie had at times threatened Walpole’s eventual victory.
Completely discarding the player’s phenomenal efforts, several Walpole students turned to twitter to taunt the goalie for not only being male, but also for losing to a team composed entirely of females. Similar chauvinistic tweets ensued as Dennis-Yarmouth students responded with their own insults; soon enough, a twitter fight was born.
While one particular DY Dolphin spearheaded the argument in defense of his school, three Walpole students staunchly stood by theirs. Rife with incredible bias, potent political incorrectness, and an utter disregard for online etiquette, the squabble soon deviated from the field hockey game as personal attacks were put into play. Caustic comments about weight, intelligence, family life, financial status—even sexual orientation—surfaced, which rallied students behind their rude representatives and in full support of each cruel remark.
Both student bodies—equally at fault for partaking in such inappropriate behavior—showed such little restraint in controlling their rage that the fight suppressed each participant’s conditioning to be wary of what one posts on the Internet. One Dennis Yarmouth senior who did not approve of either party’s defense of their school said, “High school kids don’t realize how detrimental social media can be. A seemingly harmless argument can turn into words and statements that can’t be erased or forgotten.”
Walpole High School Vice Principal Mr. Edward Connor agrees. Citing the permanence of social media, he said, “Once it’s out there it’s out there forever and it can really put a stain on your character that you can’t take back. If you’re going to say something to someone, you should be able to say it to their face.” Mr. Connor alludes to yet another concern regarding the morality of social media users. Often, the Internet inculcates in the minds of its users a false confidence of sorts. The lack of face-to-face or direct personal contact to others facilitates the spread of offensive or impolite opinions that do not abide by society’s expectations for proper behavior. Thus, social media functions as a convenient outlet to publically broadcast one’s bold ideas without the risk of direct social contact and its inevitable embarrassment.
Yet regardless of a website’s ability to assist the spread of cyber-bullying, twitter is not responsible for the formulation of offensive tweets. Regarding a student’s accountability for their actions, WHS Vice Principal Mr. William Hahn said, “Because it’s new, we as a society like to blame Twitter and Facebook for an individual’s poor actions. Social media might make it easier for people to act poorly or aggressively, but it should not be used as an excuse for bad behavior.”
Recently, Rebel pride at WHS underwent a major (and arguably much-needed) reconstruction. Most likely attributed to the massive success of the Walpole Brigade—the new WHS fan section that is actively involved in attending various athletic events— school spirit has played a major role in the recent unification of the student body.
Understandably, student fan sections have an incredible influence over the outcome of a game or the atmosphere of the event; a daunting pack of people rallying behind the same school can either strike fear into some players or motivate a team to emerge victorious. But at a time when pride is at its pinnacle and the obligation to protect a school’s reputation appears to be unquestionable, the ability for Walpole students to discern between acceptable and inappropriate behavior is especially precarious.
Such blurred lines of behavior are illustrated in the second twitter-based battle—a fight that preceded the championship game for boys soccer. When news spread that a Masconomet Regional High School student created a video warning the Walpole soccer team to prepare for an embarrassing loss to the Masco Chieftans, Twitter was immediately abuzz with insults and threats from both sides.
The Masco student’s video is a parody of an original video entitled “The One Man Thrill Ride” in which a former college baseball player expressed great confidence that his team would win an important game. In the recreation, the Masco student slightly modified the original so that his message would apply to the Rebels. The video had almost 500 views within its first few hours of being posted, but it was taken off of YouTube once the student began receiving vicious messages on Twitter.
Though the Masco student had referred to them as a “bunch of joy boys” who would step onto the field “facing the largest collections of studs ever assembled”, the WHS soccer team refused to be rattled by any attempts at intimidation.
Because the majority of students at Walpole High School had seen the video before it was removed, the school’s motivation to win dramatically increased. The following morning, the list to secure a spot on ‘The Brigade’ fan bus filled up quickly, for many students who were not initially signed up for the bus decided to go so that they could support the Rebels in their first attempt at a tangible Championship title.
However, the student who initiated all of the conflict was not at the game to face his twitter enemies. Instead, the school and his parents prevented him from attending the State Championship for fear that he could be potentially hurt by angry adversaries.
As social media becomes more prevalent in society with each passing day, WHS Administration is often forced to intervene in online attacks. “We’re not trying to be the social media police,” Mr. Connor said. “That’s not our intention.” Yet when Twitter fights escalate, the school must step in to prevent further conflict. Regarding the protocol for addressing such issues, Mr. Connor said, “We talk to the student who is sending out these tweets. We discuss what’s appropriate and what’s not in terms of how to treat someone.”
Though the reinforcement of such obvious social skills may seem unnecessary, many students fail to acknowledge even the most basic aspect of their conditioning: the Golden Rule to “treat others the way you want to be treated.” Mr. Connor explained that a student’s behavior is “reflective of yourself, your family, and your school. On Twitter, the students aren’t really interacting more than they are just spewing their thoughts—positive or negative. Obviously, we have to deal with the more negative thoughts in a case by case manner.”
Acknowledging social media forums for their convenient and beneficial components, Mr. Hahn said, “Social Media is simply a tool of communication. Like any tool of communication, it can be used to engage students and engage learning. Contrarily, it can be used by people to be hurtful and communicate poorly. It all really comes down to people’s choices and what they want to do with those choices.”
The Masconomet and Dennis Yarmouth incidents showcase serious side effects of speaking one’s mind with the intention of hurting someone else. Though freedom of speech is strongly encouraged in both social and school settings, freedom of slander is not. Based on the magnitude of recent events, it is evident that a serious reevaluation of morals and values is vital to the termination of Internet torment. When words—written, spoken, or published publically—are impetus for an individual to have to reconsider their safety at a school-related event or be forced to defend their right to play a sport they are passionate about, gone is a person’s freedom to be themselves. Shattered is the confidence they once had to challenge longstanding stereotypes.
In such situations, is the defamation of an individual an acceptable example of exercising free speech? In most situations, it seems to have a hefty cost.
