# RO: This is totally going to kill Bring Your Clock to School Day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 16, 2015, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454 "2015-09-16T08:35:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 57
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1121 "2015-10-03T14:54:44Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > … and this is a family friendly place. Now that’s comedy. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1122 "2015-10-03T14:54:54Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Please don’t JAQ off in public, it’s gross and this is a family friendly place. Yeah, the Addams family, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1123 "2015-10-03T15:57:39Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > It isn’t very surprising when you consider who it is. It’s some of the lowest pieces of shit the board has to put up with. Fucking Terr, magellan01, doorhinge? Disgusting worthless fucks you wouldn’t piss on if they were on fire. Add slackerinc and his buddy compost troll or whatever the fuck his name is, and steronz, and you have a combination of casual racism, stupidity, and mindless efforts at provocation that, well, is pretty common around here. Interesting translation of what I actually said. Here is my one post in this thread: [QUOTE=magellan01] The intent can be seen in that he took a perfectly innocent clock and made it look more bomblike. If he wanted it to just look like a clock, he would have left it in the original case. Anyone who is supporting this kid having engineering skills based on the clock is doing him a great disservice. All he did is was remove it from its housing and screw it into a case. You know, making it look more like a bomb. [/QUOTE] Normally I might ask how you get I said “the kid is stupid” out of that, but I understand that stupidity emanates from you like heat from the sun, altering your perception of the whole world around you. Good work, champ. ---
**Author:** ![Alkash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Alkash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alkash)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1124 "2015-10-03T16:38:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Why does this mitigate the insane overreaction by school officials and police? In other words, “So What?” You are really grasping at straws if you think this is relevant to this story. What do you mean? Surely, if Ahmed deserves to get a $250,000 MIT scholarship for removing a clock from one casing and putting it in another, then the 14 year old Chinese kid (who most likely built the original clock) deserves…I don’t know…something way more significant than that? Wouldn’t that be fair? Shouldn’t we find this Chinese kid and celebrate his achievements? Another question about that MIT scholarship: if Ahmed was given this scholarship, does this mean someone else who could’ve potentially gotten it, didn’t receive it? Who was it and what were their qualifications for this scholarship? How do their accomplishments stack up against Ahmed’s? Also, another question, if I may. Couple of months ago in a town next to Ahmed’s, Muslim terrorists attempted to perpetrate a Charlie Hebdo style massacre (but luckily, were killed before they murdered anyone). Did anyone of the potential victims get invited to the White House? How about the brave folks who killed the said terrorists? Did they get invited to the White House? Would appreciate if someone could provide factual answers. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1125 "2015-10-03T16:51:22Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > What do you mean? Surely, if Ahmed deserves to get a $250,000 MIT scholarship for removing a clock from one casing and putting it in another, then the 14 year old Chinese kid (who most likely built the original clock) deserves…I don’t know…something way more significant than that? Wouldn’t that be fair? Shouldn’t we find this Chinese kid and celebrate his achievements? No, because all the attention he is getting is not because he is a notable inventor. Lots of kids do the same thing. What sets him apart is the insane treatment he received at the hands of over-zealous authorities. The scholarships, the invitations, the celebrity are all a rebuke of the idiocy he endured. You can’t defend their actions, so you are left with disparaging a teenager because he doesn’t meet your standards as an inventor. Pathetically weak sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1126 "2015-10-03T16:52:57Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Over 1000 posts. Yeah, been covered. _Ad nauseam_. > > Is **Alkash** a special needs child? He seems to have failed to grasp the difference between an invitation to tour MIT with a scholarship to attend MIT. That said, he is a right winger with an IQ around 90 who unquestionly believes everything other right wingers tell him; his needs thus aren’t very special. They’re pretty typical. ---
**Author:** ![Alkash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Alkash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alkash)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1127 "2015-10-03T16:54:25Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > No, because all the attention he is getting ios not because he is a notable inventor.. What do you mean? Didn’t President Obama issue a twit, explicitly praising Ahmed’s clock? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1128 "2015-10-03T16:54:57Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Over 1000 posts. Yeah, been covered. _Ad nauseam_. > > Is **Alkash** a special needs child? Nah, just another recently signed-up troll. ---
**Author:** ![Alkash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Alkash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alkash)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1129 "2015-10-03T16:56:57Z")
Also, if anyone has the information, it would be greatly appreciated to know whether the potential victims of recent Muslim terrorist attack in a town next to Ahmed’s, were invited to the White House. I think we all know the answer (they most certainly were all invited), but would like to know for sure. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Alkash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Alkash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alkash)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1130 "2015-10-03T16:59:44Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > He seems to have failed to grasp the difference between an invitation to tour MIT with a scholarship to attend MIT. I openly admit that I don’t know the list of all goodies, that Ahmed received as a clock inventor 😕 I’m sure the list is quite extensive. Alas, it appears the poor Chinese kid who actually built the clock won’t get anything, other than his $0.25 per hour salary…No Presidential twits, no MIT tours/scholarships… ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1131 "2015-10-03T17:03:03Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > I openly admit that I don’t know the list of all goodies, that Ahmed received as a clock inventor 😕 I’m sure the list is quite extensive. Alas, it appears the poor Chinese kid who actually built the clock won’t get anything, other than his $0.25 per hour salary…No Presidential twits, no MIT tours/scholarships… Was this hypothetical Chinese kid arrested? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1132 "2015-10-03T17:05:58Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > What do you mean? Surely, if Ahmed deserves to get a $250,000 MIT scholarship for removing a clock from one casing and putting it in another, then the 14 year old Chinese kid (who most likely built the original clock) deserves…I don’t know…something way more significant than that? Wouldn’t that be fair? Shouldn’t we find this Chinese kid and celebrate his achievements? I have seen no news articles that claim a) Ahmed was given any kind of scholarship to MIT, much less one for $250,000; b) that the parts of the clock he used for his project were originally assembled by child labor, of age 14 or any other. It’s not up to everyone else to do your research for you. If you believe the above claims to be true, get your ass on Google and come up with a cite or two. > [@](#): > > Also, another question, if I may. Couple of months ago in a town next to Ahmed’s, Muslim terrorists attempted to perpetrate a Charlie Hebdo style massacre (but luckily, were killed before they murdered anyone). > Did anyone of the potential victims get invited to the White House? > How about the brave folks who killed the said terrorists? Did they get invited to the White House? As far as I know, they didn’t. That of course means that no on else can ever be invited to the White House, for all time. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1133 "2015-10-03T17:06:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Was this hypothetical Chinese kid arrested? Only if he doesn’t show up at the factory. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1134 "2015-10-03T17:06:49Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > Also, if anyone has the information, it would be greatly appreciated to know whether the potential victims of recent Muslim terrorist attack in a town next to Ahmed’s, were invited to the White House. > I think we all know the answer (they most certainly were all invited), but would like to know for sure. > Thank you. Obvious troll is obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1135 "2015-10-03T17:18:27Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > What do you mean? Didn’t President Obama issue a twit, explicitly praising Ahmed’s clock? Who issued the twat? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1136 "2015-10-03T17:47:31Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > What do you mean? Didn’t President Obama issue a twit, explicitly praising Ahmed’s clock? Did he praise all the electronics projects of every teenager in the country? Why do you suppose he singled out Ahmed? There is a reason, I know you can figure it out if you try. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1137 "2015-10-03T17:55:02Z")
I know! Politics! ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1138 "2015-10-03T17:58:36Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Did he praise all the electronics projects of every teenager in the country? Why do you suppose he singled out Ahmed? There is a reason, I know you can figure it out if you try. It’s a Muslim thing, isn’t it ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1139 "2015-10-03T20:48:23Z")
> [@Alkash](#): > > Ahmed is 14 years old (14, not 4). > Is Ahmed a special needs child? **Alkash** , I can’t say as most of what you wrote is terribly incisive. But this point is one I definitely agree with. A lot of the angry responses to my posts could be paraphrased as “Shhh…be nicer to poor Ahmed, you asshole–what are you thinking?” as though I were criticizing a Special Olympics contestant for not jumping very high. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454/1140 "2015-10-03T20:51:52Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > **Alkash** , I can’t say as most of what you wrote is terribly incisive. But this point is one I definitely agree with. A lot of the angry responses to my posts could be paraphrased as “Shhh…be nicer to poor Ahmed, you asshole–what are you thinking?” as though I were criticizing a Special Olympics contestant for not jumping very high. No, it’s more like “why are you putting down a kid who, at worst, is guilty of hyperbole?”. No one thinks his clock is a genius invention, but many of us feel that kids who like to play with electronics should be encouraged to do so, and not made to feel worse if they make the terrible sin of using the wrong word (like “invention”) to describe what they’re tinkering with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454.md?page=56) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-this-is-totally-going-to-kill-bring-your-clock-to-school-day/731454.md?page=58)