Paranoia

Ok, this one had me shaking my head out of pure despair for the direction the human race is taking.

This story is in two parts, and things go from bad to worse.

Ever heard of a guy called Matt Boyd? Probably not.

Well, Mr. Boyd decided he wanted to buy a gun for target shooting. While he was at work, a friend asked him if he’d decided on which gun to buy. He responded by saying he’d decided on a 22.LR bolt action rifle. He told his co-worker that he’d decided on this rifle for two reasons. Firstly, that it was more accurate than a semi-auto, and secondly because it was low powered enough to be less dangerous if there was an accident.

That’s an important point. He said openly that he bought that rifle because it would be hard to accidentally kill someone with it.

Seems innocent enough?

Well, that’s what I think. However, some of his co-workers didn’t agree. Mr. Boyd was summoned by his boss and fired from his job because “Some people approached management and said they didn’t feel safe.”

This is point one. Apparently, just talking about guns, in the context of sport shooting, even when mentioning you’re buying the gun you want because of its reduced capacity to hurt people, is enough to get you fired.

But, the story doesn’t end there.

Matt Boyd writes “Three Panel Soul”, a webcomic. After getting fired he posted this comic.

If you’re a normal, sane person, you’ll see this comic the same way I do. A funny few panels poking fun at a ridiculous event.

Unfortunately, law enforcement didn’t see it that way and Mr. Boyd got a visit from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations who accused him of making a ‘terroristic threat’.

So apparently, not only can talking about guns get you fired, you can become and instant terror suspect for making a joke in a webcomic.

Seriously, when did we get so paranoid? If a guy at work was overheard saying how he’d like to come in and start shooting up the place, I could at least understand someone getting a little upset. (Although that would probably mean anyone who’s seen ‘Office Space’ would get fired for threatening to ‘set the building on fire’.)

However, when did we get to the point when someone is not only fired, but threatened with terrorism charges for making a joke?

Sure, I’ll admit that the comics may have been in bad taste, or that talking loudly about guns might not be an appropriate work topic, but the sane response to this would be a boss approaching him and telling him to not talk about shooting at work.

What honestly scares me is that the idea that we’re heading into an Orwellian ‘Big Brother’ society is becoming less and less far fetched. If you can be accused of terrorism for writing a satirical webcomic, what’s next?

Ask yourself honestly, if this is happening today, how far fetched it is that you could be labeled a terrorist or a ‘dangerous’ person for criticizing the government? How long before saying “America would be better off if George W. Bush wasn’t President” is construed as a threat on his life.