Ethics Newsline®

TORONTO
Canadian authorities are debating the question of who is responsible for stopping students from arranging schoolyard fights and posting the videos on the Internet.

Late last week, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty said the new phenomenon is something for parents to deal with, not Canadian lawmakers, according to reports from the Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star. He said that because the participants consented to the fights, the police have no legal mechanism to stop the activity.

McGuinty’s comments came after the CTV network aired footage of fights staged outside the Orangeville Secondary School near Toronto. The Orangeville fights, along with others, were posted on the popular website YouTube.com, where users contribute their own videos.

According to the CTV report, many of the students involved characterized the posted fights as “cool” and say they won respect from their peers through their bouts.

Psychiatrist Ariel Dalfen told CTV that evolving Internet technology and the popularity of reality shows are fueling the activity. “Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, and now it’s so much easier to get that with something like YouTube,” Dalfen said.

A 17-year-old Orangeville student told the Ottawa Citizen that the trend stems from the fact that they have nothing else to do.

“Half of the fights are planned beforehand because we’re bored,” he told the Citizen. “I’m bored. The fights are fun to watch and do.”