Ever since the mass shooting that occurred at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 innocent high school students, survivors have been outspoken over the need for gun control. Teenagers, ages 14-18, have made history by hosting March For Our Lives, holding town hall meetings with government officials (such as Marco Rubio), and even met with President Donald Trump to discuss gun control policies.
Naturally, when people are in the public eye, there will be haters, and with the internet, haters seem to multiply. Twitter users have taken it upon themselves to respond to tweets with hate and claim that these teens are using this tragedy for fame. One Twitter user specifically, Laura Ingraham, mocked David Hogg for being rejected by colleges- which is something many high-school students have to face. Further, photo shoppers took it upon themselves to edit a photo of Emma González to make it look like she was ripping up the Constitution- when in reality it was a poster of a target being ripped up. An email sent by Benjamin Kelly called the students crisis actors which fits the bogus claim that the Parkland shooting was staged by anti-gun activists (see this outrageous theory debunked here). One of the most disgusting comments was made by Republican house candidate, Leslie Gibson,who called Emma González (who is openly bisexual) a "skinhead lesbian".
It is not just the conservative side that is guilty of the name-calling and immature remarks. Kyle Kashuv, a Parkland survivor and second amendment supporter gets his fair share of hate too. Kurt Eichenwald, a writer for Vanity Fair and The New York Times, published a statement in which he wrote Kashuv suffered from mental disorders and needed psychiatric help. One Twitter user wrote that Kyle should "...have his head examined..." and called him "...delusional and jealous of the attention the other [Parkland] students are getting." Other news reporters such as Max Fawcett quoted Kyle's tweet and called Kashuv (and conservatives in general) "cuckservatives" and "fragile." While these may not seem as bad as being called a skinhead lesbian, a random stranger psychoanalyzing you and saying that you need psychiatric help is just as bad.
These politicians, parents, and newscasters are well into adulthood yet are acting as if they themselves are still in high-school. It is one thing to disagree with a person's opinion, but it is a whole other thing to name-call and belittle innocent people. Teens are finally using their voice to protest and see change in the government and all the opposing parties are doing is tearing them apart. Politicians of any party should be excited to see more teens and young adults getting involved- especially since the statistics for voter turnout in young adults is so low.
Instead of hiding behind a computer screen, opposers should seek out the students and offer a respectful debate and find a common ground. They should not be discouraging teenagers to be less outspoken on issues. Adults are supposed to be a teenager's mentor and role-model- not someone who acts immaturely and name-calls. The grownups who mock students, call them names, or say that they're "snowflakes" when someone disagrees with their opinion illustrates that the adult has no true argument.
Alfonso Calderon, Sarah Chadwick, Jaclyn Corin, Emma González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Kyle Kashuv, Alex Wind, and any other teen who feels inspired to speak out and let their voices be heard should be supported and never silenced. Regardless of political party or what legislation the teen supports, older generations should be proud of younger generations for refusing to be silent and should admire the persistence and strength these teenagers have.
