I was listening awhile to John/Jeff as they cracked on 13 year old Evan O'Dorney, this years 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion. (winning word: serrefine).

They were ridiculing the fact that Evan had been home-schooled and not turned over to the gov't system.. How he is probably a social outcast and can never play effectively in team sports because his parents promoted his individuality.

It was disgusting to listen to this two smary collectivists belittling this kid for his personal achievemnts. There is a war on the individual and self-acheivement in this country-perpetuated by the right some...but mostly by the left.

Here is some more info on Evan...

Quote :

"Evan is dedicated to Tae Kwon Do and has earned a first degree black belt. He loves to play piano: In addition to taking lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he accompanies his church’s children’s choir. This year he began attending the Berkeley Math Circle and achieved success in various math competitions: He earned a perfect score in the American Mathematics Competition for 10th grade, the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, and the Bay Area Math Olympiad. He also placed fifth in the Northern California Mathcounts competition. His parents are Jennifer O’Dorney, his home school teacher, and Michael O’Dorney, a Bay Area Rapid Transit train operator. This is his third consecutive trip to the national finals. He became interested in spelling in third grade when he was inspired by a former national finalist. He practices spelling at least one hour per day. His favorite subject is math and he plans to use his skill with numbers in a career as a math teacher or a music composer. "

6/11/2007 9:04:11 PM

the Free Market will determine what is creepy and what isn't. Media ratings will reflect the Corporate bottom line, not your personal sense of Marxist outrage

and who are you to criticize our Capitalist economy anyhow? You hate freedom, don't ya?






[Edited on June 11, 2007 at 9:22 PM. Reason : ]

6/11/2007 9:15:41 PM

if you saw the interview with the kid you would know that he was a dick and that everything john/jeff was saying is true

6/11/2007 9:19:10 PM

did they happen to mention that he was a completely arrogant dick in the interview?
http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=480846
http://www.ifilm.com/video/2862093

6/11/2007 9:20:42 PM

Quote :

"two smary collectivists belittling this kid for his personal achievemnts. There is a war on the individual and self-acheivement in this country"

wow. nice.

[/classic salisburyboy]

6/11/2007 9:25:18 PM

^ I don't see anything wrong with that statement, can you elaborate?

6/11/2007 9:30:57 PM

Quote :

"Evan is dedicated to Tae Kwon Do and has earned a first degree black belt"

Any place that gives a 13 year old a black belt is a "McDojo" and hands out belts to anyone who can throw in a little cash and put on there happy face for a year or two. I am sure he knows lots of pretty kicks and roar like a lion "heeeyahh!!!"

If he got into a fight IRL against anyone somewhat competent in fighting he would get his ass kicked. Also, if he went to a hard core Dojo that taught real fighting systems someone of a low belt would probably just laugh at him. Besides he might give me a swift karate chop but i'll just overpower his scrawny ass.

If you saw the interview on CNN you would this kid is the ultimate dork and deserves to be stuffed into a locker in a public high school

Quote :

"He practices spelling at least one hour per day. "

i am glad he can spell and super special in math. Though unless he takes "People Skills 101" good luck actually impressing anyone in a interview. With some exceptions employers could care less if you are Albert Einstein if you can not effectively communicate with your team and work with other people. I hate parents that raise there kid as their "special" little boy.


[Edited on June 11, 2007 at 9:41 PM. Reason : l]

6/11/2007 9:35:56 PM

i haven't seen the video yet, but i sense this guy makes you a little upset.

6/11/2007 9:47:04 PM

yeah just picture the biggest Nerd in your high school. Then think of someone you know that is a flat out arrogant pompous asshole like some fratty douchebag that kicked you out of a sigma chi party. Combine the two personalities and that is this kid.

6/11/2007 9:56:37 PM

while I think that morning show DJs are generally some of the dumbest, rudest and most immature people alive, this kid (if you haven't seen the video, see the links above) was a grade-A asshole on national TV. I'm not sure if that makes him deserving of national ridicule by frat-boy shock jocks, but he really set himself up for it by going on TV and being a total douchebag to a reporter who was just trying to kill some time with a feel-good human interest story.

6/11/2007 10:09:46 PM

Because obviously being home schooled makes you a dick. Cause at public schools everyone loves each other and everyone is polite and respectful to the faculty and other students.

People can be asshats regardless of how/where they were taught. I have met some great people who were home schooled and had great social skills. And the exact opposite from the public school system.

If these John/Jeff guys are blaming the fact he is a douche on the fact he is homeschooled, then they are morons.

6/11/2007 10:15:00 PM

the majority of interaction I've had with home schooled kids has shown me that home schooling stymies social growth.

In fact, I'll say that for 100% of the kids I've interacted with who were home schooled. They have absolutely no grasp of social interaction

6/11/2007 10:33:13 PM

MOST home-schooled people are fucking weird, with a few exceptions, but that has more to do with their parents, who are usually bat-shit insane, than the home-schooling itself, because parents who home-school their kids are usually salisburyboy types who think the government is brainwashing their kids into jew lovers or psychotic mothers who can't bear the thought of their kids being out in the big bad evil world away from home.

I saw the interview with Meredith Viera (who admittedly was being a complete bitch) as well as another one with some random CNN woman who was very gracious and tried her best to work with him despite this kid being a complete fruit.

6/11/2007 10:34:23 PM

Quote :

"How he is probably a social outcast"

Understatement of the day.

I couldn't watch the CNN interview past the second question.

6/11/2007 11:13:14 PM

It really isn't his fault, his parents have obviously not prepared him for the outside world. He strikes me almost as a high-functioning autistic, though I will qualify that by saying I'm no expert when it comes to that.

Quote :

"There is a war on the individual and self-acheivement in this country-perpetuated by the right some...but mostly by the left."

Nah, thats perpetuated by a consumerist system that encourages mass consumption of cheaply manufactured goods.

This kid isn't a pillar of individualism anyway.

6/11/2007 11:26:09 PM

I just watched that video. that kid is a complete douchebag.

6/11/2007 11:30:09 PM

the kid is only 13 years!!!
last time i checked a kids public speaking skills weren't that good.
I'm sure though the kid can probably own yall behind his pc

6/11/2007 11:30:40 PM

Quote :

"but he really set himself up for it by going on TV and being a total douchebag to a reporter who was just trying to kill some time with a feel-good human interest story."

I think one of the comments on your link had a good point, though:

Quote :

"He obviously has some sort of special need (probably some form of high-functioning autism) "

Rings awfully true, no? Seems like it from the interview. Also just as likely that's the reason he's home-schooled.

6/11/2007 11:33:09 PM

i don't value the opinion of anyone who hasn't seen interviews of that fucked up little weirdass kid.

i think there's more wrong with him than a simple case of gross lack of social skills, but i don't know...at any rate, lots of home schooled kids are fucked up and weird.

6/11/2007 11:40:01 PM

Quote :

"last time i checked a kids public speaking skills weren't that good. "

Everyone's responses here are very telling.

Evan has definitely not been trained to be media savvy and is socially clumsy. But even in his quirky way, he made the CNN babette look pretty inept. If she could've pronounced the word correctly (her profession), he would've nailed it the first time.

It's shortsighted to be trashing this kid just because he's different. Teenage Bill Gates was no slick social butterfly. Mozart was thought to be an autistic savant. We need to make room for these types in society since some might just produce ideas, inventions, and art that will benefit the rest of us.

Evan's parents were smart to keep him out of the gov't school system. That environment would've been tragic for him. More school choice would help parents tailor education more to their child's needs.

6/12/2007 1:03:25 AM

Quote :

"It's shortsighted to be trashing this kid just because he's different. Teenage Bill Gates was no slick social butterfly. Mozart was thought to be an autistic savant. We need to make room for these types in society since some might just produce ideas, inventions, and art that will benefit the rest of us."

First of all, we do make room for "these types" in society. Bill Gates is the richest man alive, Mozart is ... well, he's Mozart, and this kid is on CNN. Unfortunately for him.

The simple fact is that his parents -- ironically, accused of sheltering him in home-school -- should not have let him do the interview. Regardless of the reason for his social problems, he clearly has them and he shouldn't have been made to air them on national TV.

Look, kids aren't media savvy or attuned to subtle social cues. But this kid has serious problems. And they most likely aren't his fault -- they're huge developmental problems, either innate or nurtured.

And -- I don't exactly see the ideological connection to your post. The kid is very smart and hopefully has a promising future, but the mass media is not the place for him right now. Seems like common sense to me.

6/12/2007 2:06:01 AM

man, i just finally got to look at that video. (because we have most streaming video sites firewalled at my work)

all i can say is...

you people

i swear. from all the shit talking, i thought the kid was going to be an arrogant asshole. he wasnt. hes just a fucking nerd. jesus christ already. give the kid a break. he's obviously socially awkward. i mean what 13-year-old isnt???

you guys are busting his nuts because he can't comport himself well on national television? Hell, I would probably look like a nervous freak if i was on National TV especially at 13 years old. and that news anchor chicka, she was a fucking airhead. she put the kid on the spot to spell a word, yet couldnt enunciate it clearly or give correct etymology.

yeah, the kid did not appear to be all that socially competent. it might be his parents fault, it might not. who's to say. maybe thats just his personality. Whatever the deal is, he is NOT "seriously fucked up" or have "major developmental issues" Hes just a smart, awkward kid going through the most difficult time of human development: puberty.

he does not deserve this kind of ridicule.

You better hope to god you dont have a kid someday that has trouble fitting in with his/her peers.






[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 2:22 AM. Reason : ]

6/12/2007 2:13:52 AM

leave the kid alone!

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 4:13 AM. Reason : .]

6/12/2007 4:13:13 AM

^lurker

Quote :

"MOST home-schooled people are fucking weird"

[/thread]

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 4:33 AM. Reason : ...]

6/12/2007 4:32:28 AM

Quote :

"You better hope to god you dont have a kid someday that has trouble fitting in with his/her peers. "

Like your parents

6/12/2007 9:07:53 AM

Quote :

"jesus christ already. give the kid a break. he's obviously socially awkward. i mean what 13-year-old isnt???"

6/12/2007 9:24:47 AM

it ain't the kid's fault, but like Smoker4 said, he shouldn't have been put on national TV like that.

I blame his parents.

Quote :

"Evan looks to be quite an unusual kid. If I had to guess, I’d say he is a twice-exceptional child, gifted and probably has Aspergers. He certainly had many of the telltale signs of an Aspie kid. No matter, it’s apparent he’s very smart, and maybe a bit pushed by his mother, who when interviewed kept extolling his musical and math ability over his ability to spell. It didn’t even seem like Evan likes to spell. At his post-win interview, he stated that it was just ‘memorization’ and that he hated the spelling bee. So why was he competing? Was it a case of pushy mom syndrome? This is obviously a kid that is encouraged to enter competitions for academics. He’s doing math competitions, music competitions, and the national spelling bee. He’s 13 years old. That’s a lot of pressure on a kid. Never mind that he stated on national television that he really wasn’t interested in spelling and didn’t particularly want to be there."

http://www.twiceexceptionalkids.com/

6/12/2007 9:36:35 AM

Quote :

"last time i checked a kids public speaking skills weren't that good. I'm sure though the kid can probably own yall behind his pc"

tww, you never cease to make me laugh.

6/12/2007 9:47:34 AM

Quote :

"Also, if he went to a hard core Dojo that taught real fighting systems someone of a low belt would probably just laugh at him. Besides he might give me a swift karate chop but i'll just overpower his scrawny ass."

Dude.

You're talking about how you can overpower a 13 year old nerd.

WTF.

6/12/2007 9:55:02 AM

Quote :

"You better hope to god you dont have a kid someday that has trouble fitting in with his/her peers. "

Excellent point Joe.

It's going to be pretty heard to shelter the winner of the national spelling bee from some media attention. Given the circumstances, Evan did OK.

I think it would be kinda cool to sit down and talk with him for a while...especially about music.

6/12/2007 10:56:59 AM

so what's your point?

you want the government to do something about it?

is this free speech that you can't handle?

wah, someone was mean.

6/12/2007 11:00:26 AM

This thread seems like a combination of trolling and boredom...which I guess go hand in hand most of the time anyway. Either that, or EarthDogg is running out of issues on which to blame the elitist, immoral left-wing radicals that are overrunning our country.

6/12/2007 11:26:27 AM

I'm not attempting to just out and out mock him, but his level of social ineptiude as shown on CNN goes a bit beyond the normal for a even a nerdy 13 year old. Which is fine, it doesn't make him an inferior or person or anything. It does make worth of his homeschooling somewhat suspect.

6/12/2007 11:27:57 AM

^^^ not the government. no.

but maybe public outrage to the point that corporate sponsors yank the funding for those two assclowns.




[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 11:29 AM. Reason : ]

6/12/2007 11:28:50 AM

I forgot to mention that actually considering the opinion of any commercial radio morning talk show hosts as valid is akin to watching Saturday morning cartoons for investment advice.

6/12/2007 11:33:11 AM

You win, sir.

6/12/2007 12:40:39 PM

Saturday morning cartoons give investment advice?

6/12/2007 12:42:11 PM

Invest in Acme. They make everything.

6/12/2007 12:56:54 PM

Man you guys, he's just a 13 year old messing with the interviewers asking him stupid questions. If he was 20 years older and making the same sort of corrections for some interview for a comedy show you'd all lol. Lay off the kid you meanies.

6/12/2007 3:34:32 PM

heh.. did you say my name wrong?!

it all ended there

6/12/2007 3:42:32 PM

^ he's 13.

what part of that can you not comprehend?

6/12/2007 4:08:31 PM

^ wtf does that have to do with anything? 13 year olds have an excuse for acting like dicks on TV?

6/12/2007 4:15:14 PM

I agree with joe. The kid's not being a dick at all, he's being a kid put on television. I'd probably look just as retarded and I know you guys would as well. I was expecting a Fucking Matt Leinart type interview, not an everyday nerd.

And seriously, I don't understand why anyone would make fun of a little kid because he didn't go to public school. The fact that he can spell 'Cat' and do his multiplication already places him out of middle school.

6/12/2007 4:22:21 PM

^ not to mention there are plenty of antisocial nutjobs that are a product of public schools. Good grief one only needs to reading TWW for a little while and there are many examples of public school folks behaving badly, a lot worse than that kid.

6/12/2007 5:43:59 PM

^ Is there some kind of a quantifiable way to measure social skills? If there is, maybe there are statistics out there showing who has higher social skills on average: public school students or home schooled kids. I don't know the answer to that, but I would think it's public school students.

6/12/2007 6:10:55 PM

http://www.archive.org/download/dgray2005-10-09.4023.v3.r1.flac16/dgray2005-10-09.4023.v3.r1.flac16_64kb.m3u

6/12/2007 6:53:36 PM

eh

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 7:31 PM. Reason : ]

6/12/2007 7:05:44 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6iwD4PI47c

aha

and....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSojmWBwwnk
yikes

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 7:31 PM. Reason : ,]

6/12/2007 7:27:44 PM

^^^^ Home schooling can be a good choice. it depends completely on the parents. theres a lot of resources available, and collaboration betweeen other homeschooling parents/kids. its not always about religion or anti-science crusaders.



V Charles, thats just pathetic. just because you have drunk frat sex, doesn't mean you win at life.

go find some sorostitute and tell her how cool you are. if you buy her a few drinks, she'll never realize you're stupid.





[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 7:57 PM. Reason : ]

6/12/2007 7:31:13 PM

*snort snort*
"Did you say my name wrong?!"
*snort*


I would hope that by the age of 13, most people would have some manners and be polite, especially when on TV. This kid is just a pompous asshole.
...he's also never going to get laid.

6/12/2007 7:41:22 PM