NJ.com readers weigh in on a story about Princeton High School students photographed playing a game of "Holocaust Pong"
PRINCETON - A photo showing Princeton High School students playing a drinking game that pits "Jews vs. Nazis'' sparked controversy in the school district and ignited a lengthy discussion among NJ.com readers.
The photo of high school kids playing "Holocaust Pong" or "Alcoholocaust," as it's called, was first posted on SnapChat by one of the party-goers. Another student who was not at the party copied it and wrote a blistering condemnation about the game on her blog. The school district on Thursday issued a statement lamenting the situation.
Here's what some NJ.com readers had to say about the story:
LeonB: "The stupidity of theme of the 'beer pong' game is one problem from a social viewpoint, more serious is the illegal underage drinking. The parents of these kids should face criminal penalties for allowing the underage drinking, the kids for doing so. Perhaps as part of the penalty is to ban these kids from the school prom and suspended from school sports. I would also work with local religious groups and the school board to have the students and parents involved to do a same day bus trip to Washington, DC to visit the Holocaust Museum. I would also recommend mandated joint parent and student seminars on the legal, criminal, social, health and danger issues of underage drinking."
mike91163pt2: "Getting the school involved in a private matter strays into some questionable legal territory. Listen, I'll be the first person to say that these kids are a bunch of ignorant idiots...but, to mandate what amounts to a politically-correct response is debatable."
provinceline12: "It's a good thing there were no cell phones and social media when I was in HS. Just because there is no record of previous generations doing stupid things doesn't mean it didn't happen. No amount of sensitivity/anti-bullying training is going to stop jerks from being jerks."
koolergt1: "Their kids who don't understand how serious it is to make lite of that subject. Yet joking about something with some people is an opening to how they really feel. Sad since I bet they have family members who fought in WWII, and gave them the ability to live free of the horrors people faced during that time."
VoiceofDemocracy: "It is not criminal to be stupid or act stupid, only embarrassing. I don't have a problem with the kid who reported it, she acted on conscience, but I have a problem criminalizing stupidity. If stupidity were criminalized half our politicians would be in jail.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.