It’s the unfortunate truth of our generation that violence has become something we are used to. We’ve grown up surrounded by it and in some cases even shaped by it. The recent tragedy that occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School is sadly something we are starting to be numb to. It seems like there is a haze over our eyes that is only ever lifted when it happens to us.
It’s almost unfathomable to think that in most cases, within a week everyone will have moved on from such a horrid event and people will go back to living in their own little worlds. Violence, gun violence in particular, has become another fact of life that younger generations have been forced to adjust to. A majority think we’re just too young to really change anything and all we can really do is wait. Others are getting tired of waiting for the generations before us to start thinking of the impact they have on the generations after us.
But how can we change anything when so many of us seem not to care? When did code reds become more of an inconvenience than anything else? It’s hard to place when exactly our generation started to become desensitized to what goes on around us. The fault certainly can’t be placed on our shoulders alone. Older generations have labeled us as lazy and uncaring, a self-centered youth.
So far we only seem to be proving them right. Drills for code reds just seem like going through the motions rather than taking it seriously like we should. People go on their phones or take the time to talk to their friends instead of following the proper procedures. The recent memorial that SGA and administration worked so hard to plan was turned into a joke as many couldn’t even hear the speeches prepared over all the talking and laughing between friends. What was supposed to present a message of unity was tarnished by the disrespect of our peers, who should have just gone to the gym if they wanted to spend that time making jokes and chatting.
Still, there were many other who stood in respectful silence and thought about the enormity of what happened to those students who are just like us. It seems as though this tragedy has sparked a movement that the rest of our generation can truly stand behind. In the classes after the memorial, it was evident that the behavior of a few of our peers angered a majority of students. This tragedy could be the catalyst that will force our generation to care instead of turning away and pretending that something like this could never possibly happen to us. Maybe it’s starting a revolution that refuses to be silenced and is only continuing to grow. We should be directing our attention towards these new leaders who are looking ahead to a future where we can truly make a difference. We need to forget about all the ignorance that surrounds us if we ever want to move past the labels that our generation has been branded with.
