The news site of Hinsdale Central High School

Devils' Advocate

The news site of Hinsdale Central High School

Devils' Advocate

The news site of Hinsdale Central High School

Devils' Advocate

‘Hinsdale Memes’ sparks controversy

A Facebook page known as ‘Hinsdale Memes’ has come under some controversy due to pictures and content related to members of the administration.

“I would say there are some memes that could be considered offensive,” said Ben Norton, junior and creator of “Hinsdale Memes.” Norton himself does not submit any of the memes on the site, but instead moderates it. Facebook users themselves submit the content.

Many memes on the site do not pertain to any specific staff members, and are instead jokes about Central and Hinsdale in general. However, pictures of staff members are often posted to the page without the staff member’s knowledge or consent.

While Norton acknowledges that there are some memes that could be offensive to administration members, he says he does moderate the page in order to make it less offensive. “We remove ones that we deem offensive towards specific people,” Norton said.

Story continues below advertisement

However, Jan Hall of the Dean’s Department, believes that certain memes on the site would “definitely” be considered offensive. Hall believes that the page should be directed more so like a school club in order to be less offensive. “It could have a student leader with a sponsor so you could still be funny without being offensive,” Hall said. “There are a lot of unmonitored things on the internet, and this is one of them, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Currently, “Hinsdale Memes” is not regulated by Central’s administration. Nevertheless, it still runs the risk for being  accused of libel or consciously printing false information in an attempt to defame someone. Other schools including many colleges such as the University of Minnesota, have created a similar controversy.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All Devils' Advocate Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *