February 6, 2008
Is a Noogie a Show of Affection or Assault?
Left in the midst of Super Tuesday and the Giants ticker tape parade local news coverage is an intriguing story about a 14-year-old Long Island boy's suspension. Last November, Ethan Mirenberg was suspended after, per Newsday, "a former teacher accused him of putting her in a chokehold and grinding his knuckles into her scalp." In other words, a noogie from hell. Which is probably why the WNBC graphics department went the "Nightmare Noogie" route.
In an interview with WNBC (video), Mirenberg, wearing a "Free Ethan" t-shirt, explained that he was just being affectionate. His dad said he was told his son just "patted" teacher Sharon Cantate on the head and thinks the Lynbrook schools district is punishing his son too severely (sure, his son shouldn't have been touching a teacher, but a 7-month suspension?). However, the head of the school system added Mirenberg approached Cantate "from behind, doubled her over" and put her in a chokehold before adminstering the noogie.
Mirenberg's father plans to appeal the suspension all the way to the state commissioner of education. For us, the cherry on the top of the story was a photograph of the teacher getting actually receiving a noogie (from another student, it seems) with a smile.
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noogies can hurt sometimes.
Noogies.....he should have gave her a wedgie.
um, not to ruin the cherry on the top of the story, but i'm going to go ahead and guess that's not a photo of the actual incident.
also, i think the issue is more with the headlock than the noogie. but "suspension for putting a teacher in a headlock" doesn't cause the same sensationalist outrage as "suspension for a noogie" i'm sure. fuck local news. its trash.
local tv news that is. hell, all tv news
Agree with pete. If this kid really did put her in a chokehold, he deserves the suspension. There is a need for boundaries in school. Without them, these kids grow up to be your a**hole boss who gets sued for harassment.
In Buffalo, a girl was suspended for an equally flimsy reason. She and a female basketball coach saw the boys' basketball coach coming out of a female student's house...turned out, he was dating her older cousin. SO, no problem, but in return for what he thought was snooping (apparently, the "snooping" was school policy, the other coach had to ask about it since she saw him at a female student's house) he spread it around that the female coach was a lesbian. She got fired. To protest, the girls basketball team, called the Board of Ed, to ask to address the school board meeting. When it was found out, they called from school on a cell, they got a sort of suspended suspension-their parents were allowed to come in, to be told what bad girls they had, but I don't think they actually missed any school...but the girl who was with the coach the day they saw the boys' coach, got a FIVE WEEK suspension!
I suppose the lawsuits will commence, and I hope this girl ends up getting an Ivy League education paid for.
Man, I wish they had a Buffaloist site!
shouldn't he be happy he wasn't arrested and charged w/ assault?
When did it become acceptable for students to physically grapple with their teachers? Maybe I'm old school, but I can't imagine or remember anything even close to that happening when I was a kid. If a teacher lays a finger on a kid it's an automatic abuse lawsuit; and this kid's going WWE on a woman?
And the fact that he's already printing ironic t-shirts to boost his case just proves that he's an entitled and precocious brat. The fact that he wore it while on tv just shows he's a loser.
Omg .
I cant believe he did that.
i've seen him around school.
Mrs. Cantante is the best teacher!
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seriously!! students should not be getting physical with teachers or visversa.
anyone who thinks putting a teacher (or anyone for that matter) in a chokehold is ok, and anyone who thinks "aw shucks" about a kid giving teach a noogie obviously believes that we live in the animal kingdom.
there are other ways to deal with people without getting physical. if it's ok for the student to noogie the teacher, maybe i'll noogie you when i want you to give me your seat on the subway, or when you're taking too long to put your change away at the Key Food, or when i'm just bored and looking for a good chuckle.
Yeah!
Where can I get that shirt?!
If he gave her a couple of castangna's I could see the problem, but a noogie?
Can you imagine if he goosed her?
afterwards he gave her a swirly.
i think a reach around would have been going to far... a noogie? c'mon!
The poor kid has a certain look about him. A look that says, "Give him a good smack down the spoiled piece of shit!"
FREE ETHAN