If someone steals your private property, should the thief bear any responsibility?
Let’s say you leave your car unlocked with your wallet or purse on the dash, and somebody steals it. Sure, you might be criticized for giving the thief the opportunity, and rightly so. It’s a bad idea to leave your personal property where somebody can steal it.
But if the thief is caught red-handed, should he escape justice because of your negligence?
A teacher at Union County High School has resigned after a student spread a nude picture of her through text messages and social media, according to Union County School District interim superintendent David Eubanks.
Eubanks said a student got hold of Leigh Anne Arthur’s phone and took a picture of a nude picture that was on her phone.
He said the student then sent the picture out through text messaging and social media…
Eubanks said Arthur was in the wrong because her phone was unlocked and she made the nude picture available to her students…
The Union County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating. Eubanks said the office will determine whether the student is charged.
How is it even a question? If you know who did it, how can you not charge him for doing it?
Look, I’m not going to defend anybody for taking selfies, let alone nude selfies. In 2016, the most reliable way to keep people from seeing a part of your body that you don’t want them to see is not to take a picture of it. That’s not “rape culture.” It’s not “blaming the victim.” It’s just common sense. If something can end up on the Internet, it probably will.
But that doesn’t make this woman responsible for this student’s actions. It’s not like she pinned a nude pic of herself on the bulletin board. The kid had to go out of his way to find it. He made a conscious decision to steal her property and violate her privacy. He committed a crime.
Eubanks has resigned, and I get the impression that it wasn’t voluntary. Students are trying to get her job back, but she says she’s not sure she even wants it back. I don’t blame her. Why would any teacher want to work for a school that blamed her when a student committed a crime against her?
You can watch the story at this link. Arthur seems like a nice woman. She deserves better than this. It’s a hell of a way to learn to start locking your phone.
What’s next? Is it Erin Andrews’ fault for being naked in a hotel room?
