Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion by Metro columnist Marc Fisher, who looks at the latest news with a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

Today's Column: In Cyberspace, Everyone Can Hear You Scream ( Post, Jan. 24)

Fisher was online Thursday, Jan. 24, at Noon ET to look at the boundaries between digital kids and analog adults in a Fairfax schools dispute, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's sinking popularity and the local impact of the economic slide.

Check out Marc's blog, Raw Fisher.

In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

Archives: Discussion Transcripts

A transcript follows.

____________________

Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. Well, well, young Devraj Kori certainly stirred up a storm with his decision to take his quest for a snow day all the way to the top. (This is the subject of today's column.) We'll get into this at some length today--already your comments cover an extraordinary range of views--because this odd story raises so many tough questions: Just how much independence of mind and spirit do we really want to see in a high school senior? Is calling a senior official at home an imposition or a reasonable way to get action? Does it matter that this is a kid calling a top administrator; that is, would his decision be any less problematic if he were a parent rather than a student?

Is it always wrong to put someone's private phone conversation on YouTube for all the world to see? Should Kori have gotten the administrator's wife's permission first? Is this a case of generation gap, technology gap, or just plain old incivility?

And how bad was Candy Tistadt's angry response to the student calling her home? Does her reaction reflect a disdainful view of students in general? Was she right to lash out at an invasion of privacy?

Plus so much more in the news this week: Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley delivered his State of the State address with his popularity at its lowest point--what's that all about? Is our region relatively immune to the economic slide? Did you expect Virginia's legislature to do anything other than reject the efforts of Virginia Tech parents to make gun shows follow the same background check rules as gun shops?

By the way, a quick promo: This week, I launched a new audio show here on the big site. Raw Fisher Radio will stream live Tuesdays at noon and will be available as a podcast anytime at washingtonpost.com/rawfisherradio Each week, I'll bring together guests from different sides of a hot local issue for 20 minutes of conversation and debate. And if you're musically inclined, we're running a contest to compose and produce theme music for the show. If you'd like to give it a shot, please submit your mp3 with about a minute of music to fishertheme@washpost.com by Feb. 4.

On to your many comments and questions, but first, let's call the Yay and Nay of the Day:

Yay to Virginia legislators for considering a step beyond the state's Prohibition-era alcohol laws: The legalization of sangria, the Spanish drink that dares to mix wine and hard liquor. (Egads!) But don't go out and celebrate quite yet--amazingly enough, there's actually opposition to the bill. (And in another bit of possible progress in Richmond, the perennial effort to pass legislation allowing police to enforce the seat belt law has made it through a Senate committee, though it faces a dark future in the House.)

Nay to those D.C. government workers who believe that their job description includes checking out porn on public computers about 200 times a day--per person! The District sacked nine employees who visited porn sites more than 19,000 times each in the past year, but astonishingly, the city decided to keep on the public payroll another 32 workers who made only 2,000 porn visits over the course of the year. This is what passes for getting tough in the D.C. government.

Your turn starts right now....

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: In Cyberspace, Everyone Can Hear You Scream ( Post, Jan. 24)

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Virginia's Sangria Ban At Issue in 2 Hearings ( Post, Jan. 24)

_______________________

Del Ray, Va.: The problem with reaching a reasoned judgment in the snow-day phone call case is that we only have half the story -- the irate response. I have not heard or seen any detailed account of the message that the student left. Since he left his name and number for response, I assume that his original message, while perhaps ill advised and immature, was not a tirade. Even if his original message was in fact inappropriate, it was not directed to Ms. Tistadt, but to her husband. I think that she has to bear the vast majority of responsibility here -- she responded to a message not meant for her, she did so [in] an immature and abusive manner. There was no urgency about this matter. She didn't need to respond quickly. She just lost it and flamed the kid. And now she's paying the price -- media exposure and phone harassment. This is known as the "Alec Baldwin Syndrome."

Marc Fisher: Quite right--we don't have the content of Kori's original call. He claims it was polite, and he has some support in that claim from the Fairfax system's chief operating officer, who told The Post's Michael Alison Chandler that he credits Kori with at least attaching his name and phone number to his phone message. But even if Kori was abusive and snide in his original message, it's hard to see how that in any way justifies an actual adult--Ms Tistadt--returning fire in the same tone. So I agree--while Kori was wrong to call the boss at home, the wife was at least as wrong, if not considerably more so, in calling with such an intemperate message.

Now, the trickier question is, which was worse, her return message or Kori's decision to post it on the web?

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: 9 D.C. Workers Fired For Looking at Porn ( Post, Jan. 24)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Marc,

I have to ask, what exactly was Candy thinking? I completely understand her annoyance, but who is the adult and who is the child here? You can argue endlessly that it was immature of the student to make the call, but her response was so disproportional as to be ridiculous.

washingtonpost.com: In Cyberspace, Everyone Can Hear You Scream ( Post, Jan. 24)

Marc Fisher: Absolutely. Now, the fact that she mouthed off at a kid--and a total stranger to boot--is bad, but it still doesn't justify Kori's decision to gain retribution by posting the call on the web. But bad decisions breed worse decisions. This is a case of an adult teaching a young person how to act poorly.

_______________________

Annandale, Va.: The young man that phoned a Fairfax county administrator is fortunate to have a free first-class education. He should be grateful. We have yet to get bad enough weather to warrant a school closing. Anything worth having is worth sacrificing for and that includes going to school. Too bad that kids parents haven't taught him that.

Marc Fisher: Parents! Thank you for mentioning them. We've not heard from them in this story, so we don't know their version of events, but it's hard to imagine most teens I know taking either step that Kori took--the original call or the posting of the phone message on the web. These decisions do not arise in a vacuum--yes, there are changing mores and technologies, but the core decisions in this case grow out of the expectations and values that are taught at home.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Marc: As I posted to your blog today, I just wish the Fairfax dean's wife had left a message on Kori's phone along the lines of: "Thank you for your call. I will share it with my husband and the principal and vice principal at Lake Braddock. You can expect a response from them promptly."

Voila. No Internet posting, no argument and perhaps a nice slapdown for a kid who obviously thinks that public school is a democracy -- which it ain't.

washingtonpost.com: Snow Boundaries: The Fairfax Schools YouTube Story ( Raw Fisher, Jan. 24)

Marc Fisher: Wow--wouldn't that have been nice. Actually, I would have no problem if she'd taken your approach and added a firm line or two about how calling her husband at home is not appropriate and how Kori could reach him at his office. And provide the number there. End of problem.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Maybe I've missed this, but the Fairfax snow-day story makes me think that school officials should be more open, upfront, about explaining snow-day decisions. That's part of government accountability.

They should have a big note on the school system home page explaining how they make decisions, and maybe they should even update it when there is a snowy day.

The kid might have made the call anyway, but maybe not.

washingtonpost.com: Va. Student's Snow-Day Plea Triggers an Online Storm ( Post, Jan. 23)

Marc Fisher: Well, sure, I'm all for better and more transparent snow day decisions, but two other issues spring to mind: 1) Was last week's measly little snow even worthy of the Fairfax school administrator's time? I mean, that wasn't a remotely close call, which lends credence to the idea that the kid was just lashing out for a snow day. 2) Even if a snow day were justified, does it really make sense for administrators to listen to pressure from students or parents? Much as I personally want school officials to show some spine and stand tall against snow days, my opinion shouldn't really matter at all in their considerations, nor should that of a high school senior, no?

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc,

Please, tell me why I should care about this story?

Marc Fisher: I think your fellow readers' posts deliver quite a number of good reasons, but to summarize quickly:

The story confronts us with evolving standards of etiquette, generational differences, technological change that appears to have outpaced standards of behavior, decisions parents must make about how to guide kids to appropriate behavior, and the lines of authority in the school-student relationship.

_______________________

Hyattsville, Md.: Marc, good show today.

If the kid was using a number available to the public, what is the problem?

Marc Fisher: Just because a number is listed doesn't erase the lines that we as adults draw in our social and business dealings. The traditional practice in this country is to respect people's private or family time as much as possible, but that line is fading as technology blurs the division between home and work, and as many of us feel compelled to be on call for a much longer chunk of the day and week. In many other countries, the notion of calling a business acquaintance at home is almost never ok. When I worked in Europe for The Post, I had to get used to a completely different set of standards. Even press officers would get royally peeved if a reporter called them at home at night, whereas in our country, the opposite is the rule: If a reporter doesn't make the effort to reach an executive or other source at home at night, that's considered evidence that we haven't fulfilled our responsibility to be fair.

_______________________

McLean, Va.: Questions of legality aside, I wonder how FCPS high school students would feel if they were taped while in the school building, with teachers and support staff posting particularly interesting video snippets of students misbehavior on YouTube.

Marc Fisher: Now you're really getting to the meat of this divide. Because you'd expect that kids who so freely post on the web photos of themselves illegally partying would believe that anything and everything goes. But they don't: I've had numerous debates with college and high school students who believe that somehow their publicly-posted material on the web deserves treatment as if it were private information. It's a strange disconnect and an attitude that many teachers try to change, but it persists.

_______________________

Fairfax, VA: Mark, As the parent of a teenager, I'm not surprised by the student's phone call to someone's home address. I happen to know an adult who was stranded by an airline, used his cellphone to find the CEO's home number, talked to the CEO's wife, and received a return call from the CEO (who apologized for the multiple cancellations due to equipment problems), all while standing in line at the airport.

However, there is another issue here, the student used his cellphone in school, which is prohibited on school property under school rules. See the following from the Fairfax County Public School system's "Students' Rights and Responsibilities" handbook that is distributed at the beginning of school and each student AND parent acknowledges that they've received, read, and will abide by.

Student Responsibilities and Rights (SR&R)

CHAPTER II

RULES OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

A. Acts for Which Students May Be Disciplined

2. Disruptive or Inappropriate Behavior

The following violations shall result in disciplinary action at the discretion of the principal Use of a portable communication device without express authorization from the principal (or his or her designee), possession of any such device in plain view, or possession of any such device that is turned on. As employed herein, the term "portable communication device" shall include, but not be limited to, any beeper, cellphone, or other similar device that is capable of sending and/or receiving audio, video, picture, electronic-mail, or text messages. In the event of a violation of this provision, the student shall be subject to disciplinary action hereunder, and the portable communication device used or possessed by such student shall be subject to confiscation by school officials. Principals may elect to return the phone to the student's parent or guardian or to return the phone to the student and contact the parent or guardian.

Marc Fisher: Ok, I like your example of the guy who calls the airline's CEO at home. I love the idea of taking the complaint all the way to the top, so I'd support your friend if he'd called the CEO--at the office. I don't see justification for calling him at home unless there's a burning emergency or they have an existing business or personal relationship. If your friend is just blowing off steam or even demanding an immediate solution for his problem, that's purely a customer service issue and should be handled in the proper venue--at the office.

The fact that the CEO took the call and helped still doesn't justify calling him at home.

As for using cell phones at school, those are rules honored far more in the breach these days. Teachers tell all sorts of stories about trying to halt cell calls and texting during class, and that's a matter of basic courtesy that should be enforced, but unfortunately, parents undermine schools' efforts to enforce no-cell phone rules.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: I am not so sure Marc, I tend to think this young man did all of us in Fairfax County a service by posting such abuse on the Web for the world to see. I sure hope the County Schools calls in her husband for a little chat about his and his wife's behavior.

Marc Fisher: His behavior? I'm not sure I see where the administrator did anything wrong--it was his wife who flew off the hammer, and it'd hardly be fair to call him out for her misdeed.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Congratulations for not gloating in your "Snow Boundaries" entry. For years you have been sounding the drum that the alacrity with which local school boards close down for snow, sometimes on the mere chance of snow, borders on the absurd. I think part of your argument is the effect it has on students, creating a sense of entitlement to a day off whenever it snows. Enter Dave Kori.

Marc Fisher: I hadn't thought of it that way, but I like the way you frame this. Sure, the propensity of local schools officials to shut schools at the merest sign of a snowflake creates preposterous expectations on the part of school-averse kids--and ratchets up the cynicism and stress of parents who know that they will have to go to work and make emergency plans for their kids, all because superintendents panic and yield to pressure from bus drivers or employees who live far from their place of work.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Yes, the kid was probably being a smarta--. But unless he was disrespectful in his message, there is NO reason for the adult to come back like that. Does she respond that way to EVERY unsolicited call to her home number?

I work for a member of Congress. If I tell people what I do (or if they know what I do), I often get an earful on what is wrong with whatever Congress is or is not doing. I keep my cool (at least with strangers or those I don't know) because I know that whatever I do reflects back on my boss, for good or for ill.

I've also started lying about what I do. For example, when I fly to visit my parents and people ask what I do, I say I'm a trash collector. One, it's a fair approximation of what I do. Two, they have more respect for me than if I had told the truth.

Marc Fisher: Ouch!

I hope you have a good supply of trash collector stories to dispense along with your announcement of your new profession.

But yes, in many businesses, you really do have to be on duty at all times, or at least representing your place of work . As several of the teachers I spoke to said, in this world of cellphone video, you are never really off stage when you're out in the world.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: I think you are right that the story raises compelling social questions. One thing I hope we don't do is surrender to the idea that privacy, both as a legal and social construct, is dead.

Marc Fisher: Ok, but how do you save it? And in many cases, why? Obviously, if you buy the concept that your home is your castle, you ought to have some protections within your own four walls, but beyond that, you really are in a public space. All the new technologies do is extend the idea of public, so that what once might have been fodder for neighborhood gossip now becomes entertainment for millions from coast to coast.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Re: Today's Column:

It is the lack of judgment shown by posting the message, rather than Kori's phone call to the admin's private number, that I see as the issue.

Even if his intent was civil dialog (but the reaction to the message leads me to believe this was not the case), his childish dissemination of this woman's reaction was beyond "freedom of speech." It was mean-spirited, and meant to humiliate. As a mother, I would be devastated if my son caused someone that much hurt, for no other reason than to screw it to the man. If Kori wants the respect accorded to adults, he should also respect others. Clearly, he does not.

Frankly, he owes EVERYONE an apology.

Marc Fisher: Agreed. But the administrator's wife doesn't exactly come off smelling like a rose, does she? It's hard to imagine what terrible offense would drive a complete stranger to mouth off at a kid and put the tirade on an answering machine to boot. Lot of anger there.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Geez Marc -- we know you hate animals...but now kids too? What if Kori was a school newspaper reporter and called Tistadt at home? Would that change your perspective?

Marc Fisher: Only if he'd been unable to reach Tistadt at the office and was facing a deadline. In that case, yes, calling home would be the right thing to do to afford the administrator a chance to comment. But the first calls should be to the office.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I completely support the school administrator's wife. As the child of a middle school teacher, I was often reminded not to answer the phone at the time report cards came out -- the home phone calls from disgruntled students were that bad. Overall, it doesn't matter who you are -- if you're calling for a business purpose, call the person at their place of business. If I got a call from a customer at my home, I'd be pretty annoyed too.

Marc Fisher: Agreed--unless there's an emergency of some sort. Some teachers give students their home contacts because they want to be available in the event of emotional crisis or even for homework help. Other teachers believe their responsibilities end at the schoolhouse door. That's in part a matter of personal style, but there is a growing expectation that teachers will be available off hours at least by email--which of course adds to the work day. But I see that extension happening in many, if not most, lines of work, so schools are hardly alone in that.

_______________________

12th and Penn, Washington, D.C.: There is a critical distinction in the snow day-call situation that has been missed: the official's wife knew she was leaving a message on a recording. It would have been way out of line for the student to secretly record a conversation with her and then post it online; it's an entirely different matter for the wife to deliberately leave an electronic recording of her message and then complain that people listened to the recording.

Furthermore, the official himself does bear some responsibility. As a husband myself, I think we are responsible for our spouses' behavior, at least so far as it reflects on us and our official duties. Don't we all discuss with our spouses what's expected when they attend work-related gatherings?

Marc Fisher: Oh, no--no way. Leaving a message on someone's phone machine in no way implies that you're giving permission for that message to be disseminated to the world at large. You have left a message for the person who called you. That is the extent of the exchange. You're taking a big leap there.

On your other point, yes, spouses ought to be responsible for one another to some extent, and ideally they find a way to be on the same page on matters like this. But that doesn't mean that an employer may hold you responsible for something your spouse does. When I mouth off in print or online, that's my job--to hold my wife responsible for my numbskull opinions would be silly. If you commit a crime, your spouse ought not be sacked, right?

_______________________

"What if Kori was a school newspaper reporter and called Tistadt at home? Would that change your perspective?": But if he was working on a story he would have been calling to get comments. Not to complain that he wasn't getting a free day off. It's not the same.

Marc Fisher: Right--good point.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Please...

Kori is 17 and thinks it's HILARIOUS that someone put that message on his answering machine. Of course they're going to put it online for his friends.

He just had no idea it would become national news.

Reminds me of when Alec Baldwin was yelling at her daughter. EVERYTHING can go online.

Marc Fisher: Ok, so if most of us get that, then why do so many of us have trouble understanding that putting info online is the same as delivering it to every nutjob and wacko on the planet?

_______________________

The young man that phoned a Fairfax county administrator is fortunate to have a free first-class education: Whoa... free? FREE??? Last time I checked, our taxes pay for that edcucation. Get your facts straight buddy.

Marc Fisher: And how do you feel about your investment in Kori's education now? (Actually, he's apparently an accomplished student, at least if you go by GPA.)

_______________________

Anonymous: No matter how appropriate or inappropriate you think this kid's behavior was in calling the official's home, you have to admit that the intent of his placing the call on a global media forum was to humiliate this woman and to gain the spotlight for himself. There is no other outcome here. By doing that, he has shown his true character.

Marc Fisher: Sounds right to me. Yet have a look at the comment boards with my column and you'll see a remarkable number of people defending his action. That does not bode well for a civil society.

_______________________

My opinion shouldn't really matter at all in their considerations, nor should that of a high school senior, no?: Wow, you have a lot of trust in those with power, Marc? Should elected officials ignore their constituents? While not elected, school officials are playing house with taxpayer money. Our opinion should matter, at least in finding out how they make their decisions on cancelling, or not cancelling school. Period.

Marc Fisher: So school closings should occur by plebiscite? I don't think so. We get our say when we vote for school board members, who then set policy. If we don't like the way they set snow day policy--or the administrators they hire to do that for the system--then the answer is to throw them out of office at the next election. That said, I'm all for using public forums to express our frustration and disagreement with the propensity to close schools out of unfounded panic.

_______________________

The traditional practice in this country is to respect people's private or family time as much as possible,: the kid said he tried the officials office number, but no dice. So he called home. If you don't like it, have an unlisted number. That's the whole point.

Marc Fisher: There is such a thing as self-control. You and I should govern our own behavior without regard for whether someone else has put up a fence, delisted a phone number or taken other protective measures. If you see my credit card number while I'm making a purchase, that is not your green light to steal my identity just because I was careless about displaying my number.

_______________________

Louisville, Ky.: So, you've never listened to a phone message left for someone else? How about if had just played for 5 or 6 friends instead of posting it to the Web. I do think she lost any reasonable expectation of privacy when she left the recorded message. Either that, or she's just an idiot.

Marc Fisher: Interesting point--but isn't there a big difference between using something for personal purposes and putting it out for a few million of your friends to see? If you confide in me about the time you stole a coat from a store and I tell my wife or best buddies about it because we know we will keep the confidence, isn't that wholly different from my going out and putting a sign on the front lawn about what you did?

_______________________

Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: I love the new life this recording has been given. Have you seen this version: Snow Day in Fairfax Virginia Schools ( YouTube)

It has nearly 45,000 views already! Obviously has become a national (or international?) story via YouTube.

Marc Fisher: Like I said--putting it on the front lawn is different.

More on this later in the hour, but now, a short detour into some other issues.....

_______________________

Zone 1: Marc,

Your continued protest of the D.C. taxi switch to meter is very illogical with your other political views such as less congestion on the streets and cleaner air. I think it is because you despise Congress telling you what to do. If Fenty had decided to do this on his own accord, would you be so anti-meter?

Marc Fisher: Yes, the fact that the mandate to switch to meters came from Congress makes me significantly more likely to oppose the change. But in this case, I've been writing in defense of the zone system for decades--not because I'm in the tank for the cabbies (though they will be big losers in this), but because ultimately, it's the riders who will lose when the supply of cabs drops precipitously, as will happen a few years out.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Marc -- I think you need a vacation. Your thinking seems to be off. You take a position based on little or incomplete information (like the D.C. taxi system) and seem unable to consider information that might inform or alter your position. You don't seem to understand basic concepts like ecological fallacy and this contributes to your illogical stances on some issues. I understand that a columnist needs to hold strong views, but I'm losing respect for you because you don't seem to be able to think through your positions. Will you get some time off soon?

Marc Fisher: Ecological fallacies? Making an inference about an individual based on aggregate stats. I can't recall a recent case where I've done that, but I'll take your word for it. It sounds like the classic sort of oversimplification that happens in much of journalism. Reminds me of a great definition of journalism that editors like to bandy about:

"Oversimplify, then exaggerate."

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Marc -- We've seen you explain why you prefer zone taxis over meters, but one thing you say is that it keeps big corporate ownership out of hte taxi business. But I've never seen you explain that. I don't see it as bad.

First off, Red Top Taxi in Arlington (to take an example) has a lot of cabs, but they also have some of the newest cabs anywhere, they respond promptly to radio service, and because the rates are set by law, they can't price gouge. Why would you expect something different in D.C.? And don't tell me "agency capture" because the independent taxis did a marvelous job of fending off meters for decades -- no corporation could be any more effective than they've been.

Marc Fisher: No doubt bringing in big fleets and forcing out individual cab owners would result in much spiffier and more up to date taxis. But it would also result in fewer cabs and higher fares. That's not a tradeoff I'd like to make. Not that I have any choice in the matter. But Washington has enjoyed an unusually large taxi pool and to lose that would be a shame.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Marc,

You mean I can't go toast the Virginia lawmakers with a glass of sangria at one of the tapas restaurants in Clarendon?

No wonder I've been going to Jaleo all these years...

Marc Fisher: Today's story said Jaleo switched up its recipe to comply with Virginia's odd law. Watch for the sangria debate to morph into an illegal immigration issue--only in Virginia.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Kudos to Mayor Fenty for dismissing the porn-obsessed D.C. workers, but how can the numbers possibly be right? Assuming regular sick and vacation days, 30,000 visits translates to over 200 per day! An 8-hour day has 480 minutes, so if you spent even 2 minutes per visit you would have only 80 minutes to do your assigned work! And speaking as someone who occasionally does this on my own time, it is very hard to tear yourself away after only 2 minutes!

Which is why I think those who "only" visited 2,000 times a year should be fired as well. That means 20 visits a day, 2 or 3 per hour. How much work can you possibly get done between these visits?

washingtonpost.com: 9 D.C. Workers Fired For Looking at Porn ( Post, Jan. 24)

Marc Fisher: I agree--the city seems to be overly cautious in its firings this time. Assuming the policy was clear about not permitting porn visits at the office, this survey of porn site usage ought to result in a load more sackings.

_______________________

Champagne Cockta, IL: Oops...was I breaking the law when I asked for one of those recently in an unnamed bar in Northern Virginia?

Or are angustura bitters not legally classified as a "spirit" in Va.? Or was this just hovering under the radar screen because it wasn't sangria?

Marc Fisher: Remarkably, the law apparently distinguishes among individual drinks. I don't know where champagne fits in. With upwards of 3,000 bills under consideration in Richmond this session alone, you'd think the elected officials might see the wisdom of getting away from that picayune level of regulation.

_______________________

McLean, Va.: Will Nationals Park be ready for Opening Day? In that spirit, it's time for you to re-start the movement for a designated 7th Inning Stretch tune. Seems that Nationals management didn't like the recommendations you solicited before. Just say NO-NO-NO to Sweet Caroline.

Marc Fisher: Yes, let's give it another try. I love the usher who leads the Sweet Caroline bit, but can't they come up with something less imitative? Would it kill them to pump up the volume and try some go-go rather than inflict Neil Diamond and country tunes on a market that any research would show doesn't remotely share those tastes?

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Marc,

Can I ask about the VA, DC, and MD primaries? It's looking more and more like we'll get to weigh in on who the nominees are.

O'Malley endorsed Clinton, but Kaine endorsed Obama. Kaine is from a red-turning-purple state, while O'Malley is from a mostly-blue state.

What's your sense of how the negativity is affecting things? My fear is that the Clintons, should their scorched-earth tactics win them the nomination, will end up losing the White House because they're turning off not just Independents and Republicans open to voting for a Democrat, but a good chunk of Democrats as well. Especially if McCain gets the GOP nod, which, judging by the latest FL poll, looks more and more likely.

Marc Fisher: If voters were as repulsed by harsh, sleazy campaign tactics as we like to think we are, then you wouldn't see the candidates who embrace such methods at the top of the polls, would you? It's disappointing to see, but sadly, such methods tend to work.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.:"That's not a tradeoff I'd like to make."

Put it out there, Marc. Take a poll.

Ask, at the MAXIMUM, how much of a fare increase would you accept to get a fleet of new and safer cabs?

At the MAXIMUM, how much additional time would you be willing to wait to call for a cab rather than hailing one to get a fleet of new and safer cabs?

I bet the answers would not conform to your own way of thinking. But at least it would be a settled issue.

Marc Fisher: Great idea--I'll get that in the works. Thanks.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.:"Oversimplify, then exaggerate."

And you are proud of that?

Marc Fisher: It's a joke, and like any joke, it carries more truth that we'd like to admit and yet is itself an exaggeration.

_______________________

Hyattsville, Md.: re: ecological fallacy -- you have stated (in your chats) that people in NW D.C. who were often the victims of the zone system can afford it -- that's ecological fallacy by assuming that in an area with high income all residents have high income. Trust me, at my agency we deal with this all the time when people don't provide income in our surveys we have to consider if we should take the census tract median income or use some other method (you can leave them out but that biases your results too).

Marc Fisher: Ah yes, right. I plead guilty as charged. Sure, there are quite a few people in affluent neighborhoods who are not affluent, but it would be wrong to make policy for those few when the greater good is served by addressing the larger population. So yes, I favor charging higher fares for those trips to create a system with lower fares for those who live where people rely heavily on taxis for basics like buying groceries.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Marc -- thanks for your column re: payday loans that at least attempted to provide the opposing argument.

Not all payday loan users are minority and/or low-income users who get caught in the cycle of rolling them over and over again.

In my mid-twenties, after finishing my grad degree and securing a professional, though low-paying job at a non-profit -- I used payday loans several separate times but never rolled them over into another one.

The cost to borrow $200 was (I think) $50 -- but that enabled me to avoid late payments or returned check fees or cash advance fees that would have been triple that amount.

They were a life-saver, and I suspect that many of the politicians seeking to outlaw them are heavily financed by the "traditional" banking industry.

In addition, to cracking down on the revolving payday loans -- regulators also ought to look at limiting bank and credit card fees and their strategies for maximizing those fees (i.e. posting large checks first so that they can return smaller checks that otherwise would have been covered.)

Today, I have no need for payday loans -- but I feel badly that they may soon not be an option for anyone.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--it's sad to see the industry clinging to its huge profits when their business depends on taking advantage of those who are in the most fragile and dependent positions.

_______________________

There are 2080 hours in a work year: So visiting 2,000 times is less than once an hour. Of course, if visiting once is a firing offense, it's a little picayune of me to note.

Marc Fisher: Once, twice, even a hundred times is probably worth ignoring. But thousands???

_______________________

Wake Forest, N.C.: Have any teenagers Marc?

Marc Fisher: ok, ok, back to the Kori story--the comments are pouring in.

Yes, I have a teenager, and I would bet the house that neither she nor many of the other teens I know would have made the initial call to an administrator at home, and they absolutely wouldn't have posted the message online. But I know other teens who might do that latter move. And pardon me, but the distinction between the two groups has a lot to do with how they were raised. That's why I posted a link to my toxic parents story (it's on today's blog item.)

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Hi Marc -- Thanks for taking my question and for the link in your blog to your prior "toxic parents" story, which was very thought-provoking.

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs in the 1980s (graduated high school in 1990) before going to college and migrating out East. I was a reasonably social kid, but I just don't remember hearing about any parents who were like those described in your article. Nor do I remember the college competition being so all-consuming back then.

However, my friends today with high school kids anecdotally confirm everything you wrote. My question is, what happened between then and now? Have things really changed so much in such a short amount of time? Is the problem more pronounced here on the East Coast than where I grew up? Is it a generational divide (my parents were born in 1941)? Was I just completely oblivious as a kid? Help me understand what's going on here! Thanks.

Marc Fisher: Short answer: A lot of it has to do with the narrowing of the social gap between parents and children. The social and cultural shifts of the 60s and 70s produced a generation of parents who wanted to narrow the divide that they had felt with their own parents, so the Me Generation bought into the idea that they ought to be friends with their kids, and that, in too many cases, led to an undermining of authority and an unwillingness to set boundaries.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: It's very simple: A high school student does not call a public school's administrator at home. And a high school student does not post a private conversation on the Internet. It's just that simple. Society has faced changes in technology for literally thousands of years -- that is not a justification for a breakdown in common sense, decency, respect, etiquette and manners. It just is not an excuse, not in any circumstance. And you know what? Good for the wife of the administrator -- good for her. We've heard her call, and many, many, many people support her 100 percent. You know what? Often, teens are just kids, and they cross proper boundaries -- and they need to be yelled at, put in their place, punished, and reminded of what is proper, sometimes in harsh words. The administrator's wife called him on his mistakes in harsh words, and that is exactly, 100 percent, what he deserved. Additionally, some in the law field this week are suggesting that the student broke the law by posting a private conversation, taped or not, on the Internet. Again: you don't call an administrator at home, and you don't post private conversations on the Internet. It's just that simple.

Marc Fisher: Except that it's not, because in her tirade, the wife sent the message to the kid that lashing out at others, as he did at both ends of the tale, is ok. And then the whole bad cycle starts over again.

_______________________

Loudoun County, Va.: Let's have a little compassion for the wife in this situation. No one knows what kinds of pressure -- personal or professional -- she may be under. Perhaps she was a little strong in her response, but this may have been the last straw at a very stressful time for her. Give the woman a break!

Marc Fisher: So if you're under stress, it's ok to take it out on a kid who is a total stranger? Sorry, not buying.

_______________________

McLean, Va.: Wow Marc -- did you even listen to the message from Candy Tistadt? It was vitrolic -- you could hear her spitting! She was so far over the top I would consider it assault. You seem to place the blame on the kid. And in yesterday's story, there was a quote that reflected the typically cavalier attitude of Fairfax County schools that calling an employee at home is automatically harassment. School officials should be more accessible, not less. As a parent of a Fairfax school first-grader, I hope that kid receives a sincere apology from that woman.

Marc Fisher: I wouldn't hold my breath.

_______________________

Vienna, Va.: Marc -- I think you were way, way, way too hard on the high school kid who called the school official at home. Assuming he was polite, and that he didn't call too early or too late in the evening, I see nothing wrong with it. I think you mischaracterize the issue as a digital v. analog generation gap. What it really represents is the intrusion of work into our home lives. Who among us hasn't had a call from a client, colleague or supervisor at home? Do we enjoy our work following us home? No. But that's life in today's world. Moreover, I think school officials should be more accountable to the families they serve. For what it's worth, I am a 40-year-old mom.

Marc Fisher: And you want your kid calling his teachers and principals at home whenever he believes he has a better way of doing things? Isn't it our job as parents to teach restraint and appropriate venue?

_______________________

Washington, DC: Most people I know who are my age or older (post-college, let's leave it at that) get calls at home from work. This is approaching normal behavior in a number of industries, and has already become completely normal and even expected in a few. If our bosses can do it to us, why can't a kid do it to a public official--especially considering he'd tried to reach said official during the work day at his work number first?

Even if it was wrong to call the man's house to try and get this information, his wife deserved the public shaming that she got. That response was extraordinarily over the top.

Marc Fisher: But even if we agree that the wife did wrong, doesn't the kid's decision to abuse and humiliate her come out as an even worse act? Or should she be held to the higher standard because she's an adult? I can buy that. But it doesn't follow that that then gives the student the right to savage her at will.

_______________________

Kaneohe, Hawaii: Hi Marc,

I don't get it, I have to be honest. I understand why the student wants a snow day; don't we all? But since when is three inches of snow considered dangerous? (Oh, despite current location, I grew up in Loudoun County.)

And yes, cellphones allow us to be in constant contact with people. However, it does not mean we always 'want' to be available. If the kid applies the same logic, shouldn't telemarketers be allowed to call at any hour?

That being said, the wife overreacted, and unfortunately, didn't seem to be very aware of the reach of Youtube and Facebook. (Well, now she is).

Marc Fisher: Thanks for that reminder--three inches is what set off this whole sorry episode. Three inches. Sheesh.

_______________________

Union Station, D.C.: Here's the thing that the Fairfax kid appears to not have realized when he posted the message online: He's now in the Googlesphere. Which means anyone that Googles his name will find this whole brouhaha. Which may not be a good thing for him among college admissions officers and potential employers.

Marc Fisher: I hope you're right, but I fear, as Ron McClain expressed in today's column, that in our current environment, it might actually help him more than hinder him. Notoriety buys a lot in this society.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: So what's that kid's number? I'd like to give him a call.

Marc Fisher: I'm sure he wouldn't mind me passing it along. It's 57, um, well, you know what--as I said earlier, there is such a thing as self-control, and I'm going to exert it right now.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: What about corporate and government accountability? At the office, I think it's easier for CEOs and officials to ignore calls amidst everything else they have to do, but if they're at home, it's such an intrusion, they have to actually listen to the complaint and deal with it, like the previous poster's example with the airline CEO. I do think if it becomes common to call these people at home, the efficacy will be greatly diminished.

Marc Fisher: Dream on--all that would accomplish is the further walling off of the affluent class, which has already retreated behind walled communities, private jets, and dozens of other ways to separate themselves from the riffraff.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: The ACLU, Amnesty International, banks, computer firms, technology firms, several government agencies, several non-profit organizations and many other similar groups are actively working on privacy issues today. In many respects, groups are working to increase our privacy today. Every person is entitled to several layers of privacy, no matter what the technology. That's just normal. Additionally, just because some has their number listed, that does not provide an open season on calling them. It is called respect, and it is called decency. A teenager should not be calling a high-ranking education official at his or her home.

Marc Fisher: Again, self-control.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: The story about the guy at the airport using his cell to call the CEO, helped sum this story up to what it is: There are jerks in life. 40-year-old jerks, and 18-year-olds jerks. It's not a matter of freedom of speech, it's not a matter of blurred lines of technology (we've always had home phones, and 99 percent of us have always towed the line of respecting that privacy). The 40-year-old at the airport isn't the product of today's technology-blurring lines. He's just a jerk. Just like the snow day kid.

Marc Fisher: Maybe it's the kid's father.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Any idea what was going on with Metro today on the Orange Line? Smoke at Clarendon? Delays all weekend? I, for one, am happy to pay increased fares, as long as Metro gets me from Point A to Point B as promised. So far, Metro has increased fares and decreased service, which looks like a solid recipe for putting more cars out on the overcrowded roads for longer and longer every day. Good thing we did not hike the gas tax up by a penny...

washingtonpost.com: Metro Service Reopens at Clarendon Station ( Raw Fisher, Jan. 24)

Marc Fisher: It was apparently a problem with a light fixture. Our reports say everything's on the go again.

_______________________

7th-inning stretch song: I would suggest something from D.C. native Marvin Gaye, but did he have any hits that are family-friendly?

Marc Fisher: Sure, that's a great idea.

_______________________

Sweet Caroline : I used to love that song. Until I found out Neil Diamond was inspired by an 11-year-old Caroline Kennedy when he wrote it. Now it grosses me out.

Marc Fisher: Ugh.

_______________________

Fired for viewing pornography: It just amazes me that people can be so stupid. Who doesn't know you're not supposed to look at porn at work? A friend of mine worked with a guy who accidentally sent some pornography to a group e-mail at work that included some clients. The group name was similar to a co-worker, so when Outlook autocompleted what he entered in the "to" field he hit enter thinking he was choosing he right name. Just amazing. My friend had to fire him on the spot.

Now, I just hope my work isn't checking how often I visit Marc Fisher's chat.

Marc Fisher: Oh, goodness, we can't allow that!

Thanks for coming along--huge, huge crowd of folks who couldn't get in today and wanted to comment on the Kori story. I think we got a good representation of all views on the board, but if you're feeling left out, please join the conversation on my blog.

_______________________

Marc Fisher: That kicks things in the head for today--thanks for coming along. More in the paper on Sunday in both Metro and Style & Arts. Back here with you next week at the usual time. And please check out the new radio gig here on the big site, Tuesday at noon at washingtonpost.com/rawfisherradio

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.