George Takei's Facebook Letter to Ahmed Mohamed

[The2ndWheel]

30. Great sentiment and all

when you were arrested at your school simply because you brought in a clock for your teacher

but that's not why it became an issue. The overreaction from the police and school are now the story, and rightfully so, because it's all ridiculous, but the initial part of it isn't simply because he brought in a clock for his teacher. Or that he made the clock at home. Or that he's smart. I'm sure being a Muslim played a part in things eventually happening the way they did, but he brought something to school unannounced, for no official reason, and it started making a noise, when it was concealed in some fashion.

It was all an honest mistake on Mohamed's part, or not even a mistake at all, but to say that it's simply because it's a clock, or he's smart, or whatever, is glossing over a fairly decent size of the story.

It's obviously a clock, now. Anyone looking at it clearly knows that, now. Show that same picture of the clock a week ago, with no context to shape your perception, and my guess is that not everyone is going to be as smart as they are right now.