"The Taser Incident" - Great American Satire

YouTube's repertoire of memorable if politically scandalous videos has just gotten a whole lot more impressive with the addition of footage from the recent 'taser incident' involving University of Florida journalism student Andrew Meyer. The incident--though it might be more aptly described, among other possibilities, as 'yet another contemporary demonstration of American social negligence'--speaks to the pervasiveness of a very dangerous brand of rugged individualism within the University system, the kind expressed in a "don't attack me and I won't attack you" kind of way.

In reviewing the footage, several horrors come to mind.

Leading up to the tasering

First, since when did "instigating a riot" mean "asking politically sensitive questions"? Meyer asked 2004 President-hopeful John Kerry about his failure to act with respect to the reports of "bogus" voting procedures. Meyer prefaced, that is, gave context to, his questions by denoting instances of voter-disenfranchising policies adopted by Kerry's opposition that Kerry himself agreed with. It appears that campus securities' bogus sense of 'keeping the peace' manifested itself around the time Meyer asked Kerry about alleged reports of Kerry's membership in the Skull and Bones society. Kerry was evidently startled but agreed to answer Meyer's questions.

Of course, it never got to that point. The officers that were in close proximity to Meyer since he began talking--and I mean close proximity--started to ask Meyer to step away. Meyer, who can be seen walking away (albeit dramatically and loudly) was then approached from an officer who had followed him out towards the back of the crowd. Meyer's belligerent yells of 'I didn't' do anything! WHAT did I do?" were probably too immediate, but they were far from threatening. Certainly, his behaviors weren't consistent with the meaning of 'to incite a riot'.

About six campus police then wrestled Meyer to the crowd, shortly after several students can be heard clapping, apparently in response to Meyer being in the campus police custody. Equally as disturbing is the fact that only a handful of students can be heard voicing their concern. One girl can be heard screaming as Meyer--who repeatedly said "I will walk away, just leave me alone" and "please don't taser me man, please"--but most everyone else failed to motivate any meaningful response. Kerry continued to lecture, a sort of background noise akin to elevator music. It's as if Kerry is the background music at a local SEARS and Meyer is a young child acting out.

Post-tasering

Post-tasering footage shows clips of Meyer's repeatedly asking what he had done to deserve the arrest. After several attempts, the obvious leader of the team posited somewhat sheepishly that he had been charged with inciting a riot. Meyers asks to sit down and the TWO men--each significantly larger than Meyer--simply increase the pressure of their grip on his shoulder and arm. Students and faculty, both within and without the auditorium and hallways, stand idly by.

One gets the sense that the video devices capturing these moments are genuinely concerned than the human scarecrows who can barely muster a surprised look. The boy was crying for help and the most significant thing you see in that footage (in terms of a response) is Kerry mumbling that he could answer Meyer's (in retrospect) incriminating questions.

A Fox News correspondent apparently sided with the campus police, commending their behaviors... as if the police had successfully caught a major drug dealer, not a belligerent college kid who happened to preface his questions as a concerned citizen (for the rights of under-represented minorities). Meyer made reference to the Monica Lewinsky charade in motivating some of Bush Jr.'s questionable policies as US president. He didn't form a union and protest inhumane working conditions or burn flags in opposing a war. He asked questions...in a somewhat unreasonable, loud, and belligerent way.

Post-arrest: we're still talking about an incident and not an instance of fascist-like behavior

The president of the school plays dumb: his chief concern is the security of the University so that ideas can be freely exchanged. Let me add that apparently those ideas are freely exchanged between puppets of passivity. Shame on us for failing to ask meaning questions. Shame on the media and on those "correspondents" for commending college security personnel for their great job as the starting role in an American satire about a college kid with the magical power 'to make people think he's burning flags when he's really taking a critical stance in relation to the under-protected.'

We can all rest easy though-the local police department is conducting its own 'independent' assessment of the campus police team's response. This is promising: unlike the Bush administration's 400+ day delay after the occurrence of 9-11, we can expect a prompt and insightful justification of police brutality, with an added bonus of a mounting social-response deficit!