[weegee]

4. Address the issue of blame factually. Explore who and what may be to blame for this event. Use non-speculative terms. Do not suggest any group is responsible. Do not repeat the speculations of others, including newscasters. Do not encourage or allow random blaming; but understand that self-blame may be a way for students to fell "in control" (something different they "could have done" or "could do" in the future). Be careful to ensure students (e.g., Arab-American students,) do not assume blame in order to make classmates feel better. Blaming is especially difficult in terrorist situations because someone is at fault. However, explain that all Arab-Americans are not guilty by association or racial membership. Help kids resist the tendency to want to "pin the blame" on someone close by. In this country, we still believe that all people are innocent until solid, reliable evidence from our legal authorities proves otherwise. Further, we have no reason to believe that the attacks on our country were part of an organized plan of any other country. The terrorists acted independently without the sanctions of any nation.

In the words of Vanilla Sky, "Open your eyes!"

[TxBec]

ping.

[johniegrad]

Do not encourage or allow random blaming; but understand that self-blame may be a way for students to fell "in control" (something different they "could have done" or "could do" in the future). Be careful to ensure students (e.g., Arab-American students,) do not assume blame in order to make classmates feel better

These are amazing sentences. Some might suggest that they were worded badly but I suspect they said exactly what they meant to say. In other words, self-blame allows students to "feel in control" but ensure that the only students who do not assume that self-blame are the Arab-American students. If the other kids are self criticizing that's just fine. This is just another reiteration of the "we deserved it" claptrap.