UCLA Taser Video Incident Raises Many Privacy Questions

First of all, if you have not seen the video, you can view it here on YouTube.

Then read some of the comments people have left. Now ask yourself how you feel about our society today. What do you think is most disturbing:

• Not having your student ID on you can lead to something like this?
• The other students didn't leap to this guy's defense and prevent repeated tasing?
• Taking pictures to post on the Internet seemed to be more important to some students than preventing a fellow student being physically abused?
• A lot of people left comments on YouTube that are very disturbing?
• Somebody in there was shouting something like "this is the Patriot Act in action."

When I was a high school student, my friends and I went toe-to-toe with police to protest racial injustice, risked suspension and worse, like being run down by mounted police. Has that kind of "teen spirit" wilted away?

On the narrow topic of carrying an ID, I actually think an ID is a good idea. But short of shooting the student who didn't have one, those UCLA campus police could not have more to poison the notion of identifying oneself to others.