The Moose: This is why we have so many jobsworths

because the sheep just keep justifying their existence.

Parents angered by 'embarrassing' Facebook photos of son, 9

A COUPLE are outraged after photos of their son, which they claim are embarrassing, appeared on Facebook.

When the jobsworths tell us we can't take photos of our children on school sports days we get outraged. When someone takes a photo of a kid on school sports day, what do we get? Outrage.

It's the over active use of this word, outrage that feeds the jobsworths and gives them a reason to be.

Outrage means red in the face anger, banging your fist on the table and shouting in a loud voice. What these parents probably felt was only mild anger.

The nine-year-old was unaware the pictures were being taken at his school sports day last week and was upset when they appeared on Facebook the following day.
Kev Wingham, 51, and his wife Sarah, 42, found the pictures in a gallery that included images of other children.
The family, of Walcott, near Ruskington, say they had not given any permission for their son’s picture to be taken.

Believe it or not, people put pictures of events on Facebook and they don't ask permission of everyone involved. It's not malicious intent it's simply modern life.

They thought they were protected by the Ruskington Chestnut Street Church of England Primary School’s photography policy, which says pictures of other pupils should not be published on the internet.

That sounds like a common sense policy. Not everyone would be happy having pictures of themselves on Facebook, however it isn't a legally binding policy.

The best course of action would be to contact the person who put the pictures on Facebook and ask for them to be removed. They could even contact Facebook directly if this course of action got no results.

Going to the press with fake outrage is not the right response. At best it fuels the jobsworths who want to ban all photography to protect the kiddies, and at worst it just publicises the very pictures that you don't want people to see.

Mr Wingham said: “My son was very upset and quite distressed.

I find it quite hard to believe that a nine year old kid would be 'distressed' about seeing pictures of themselves on the internet.

Mr Wingham said the school was clearly identifiable in the photographs because of logos on the children’s clothing.

He said: “It’s like putting a banner outside the school saying all these children go to this school.

What the hell is he talking about here? A banner outside the school? Do the schoolchildren not wear uniforms when going to and from school? What on earth is he afraid of. Peados seeing his kid on Facebook and waiting outside the school for him? That must be one bloody sexy kid if a peado would go to those lengths.

Mrs Wingham said: “I’m very upset because you do your best to protect your children and don’t want their faces all over the internet.”

But when it happens you want to publicise the fact in the papers, along with a photograph of yourself? Why not just ask for the pictures to be removed and leave it at that. Keep it low key.

Lin O’Neill, schools liaison officer for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The policy of the school reflects national and local guidance, which is to allow parents to take photographs of their children.

“However, it is expected that they will then act responsibly.

Good, the common sense approach, but if someone does go ahead and upload photos of your kid to Facebook, take the common sense approach yourself. Politely ask for them to be removed, don't go wailing to the papers, tearing your clothes and screaming about the injustice of it all. That will just get photography on school sports days banned again.

“Parents are able to get their children’s photos removed by contacting Facebook directly and we understand this has happened here.”

Facebook confirmed parents could get pictures of children aged under 13 removed.

Then why is this even a story?