by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
At a time when American adults have all but given up the fight for stricter gun laws, a new force for gun safety and sanity is emerging. On February 14th, Valentine's Day, a lone gunman who was known to the community as being armed, dangerous and a potential school shooter, entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and savagely killed seventeen individuals and wounded others. The massacre stirred immediate outrage, as school shootings always do, but this time something different happened. As the days wore on, the outrage intensified - instead of just fading away as it had always done in the past.
The difference this time was that many of the surviving students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas resolved to bring some fire of their own through skilled use of social media. This time it wasn't the parents, it was the kids - scared, angry young people who had hidden in closets as they texted their parents goodbye as the sounds of gunfire echoed around them - kids who had seen the world at its very worst and resolved to do something about it.
Before the National Rifle Association and the conservative GOP politicians could step in to shape the news, the young men and women of Marjory Stoneman Douglas grabbed the gun control ball and ran with it. Now, suddenly, it was the American gun lobby and the Republican Party who were on the defensive.
How the hell did that happen?
Donald Trump and his penchant for Twitter rants showed us that the art of mass communication is changing, and when it comes to mastering social media, Trump is good - but he can't hold a candle to a group of pissed-off and energized teenagers.
Welcome to the 21st century, America!
Natasha (@sighnatasha) is a student at at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She has over 18,000 followers on Twitter. Natasha recently tweeted this powerful plea:
Jaclyn (@JaclynCorin) with almost 80,000 followers on Twitter had this to say in response to a claim by gun lobbyists and some politicians and commentators that the students who had taken to social and mainstream media were not students at all, but rather "crisis" actors:
Delaney (@delaneytarr) is a student journalist from Marjory Stoneman Douglas who has more than 86,000 followers on Twitter. She is a strong proponent of the power of the ballot box. Delaney had this response to the lack of serious effort by Florida legislators to address gun control:
Sarah (@sarahchad_) has 263,000 Twitter followers. In a recent tweet she reached out to the companies who are using their commercial power to hold the NRA in check:
Cameron (@cameron_kasky) has 272,000 Twitter followers. He has been seen and featured on national news programs talking about the shooting at his school. Cameron put Florida Senator Marco Rubio on the spot at a CNN Town Hall when he asked the senator multiple times if he would stop taking donations from the NRA. Rubio sputtered like an old jalopy and finally said that he would not turn down NRA money because the NRA's influence came from its membership and not its money. Yeah, right.. Earlier today Cameron had this to say regarding the tepid response from the Florida legislature to the student demands for action:
David (@davidhogg111), a student journalist at Parkland, interviewed survivors of the shooting while they were all still hiding in a school closet. He has become a national spokesman for the student movement, earning the ire of politicians and the gun lobby. David has 419,000 followers on Twitter. His most recent posting encourages involvement in the democratic process:
And Emma tops the list of Twitter powerhouses at her school. The very outspoken tweeter (@Emma4Change) has amassed a following on Twitter 1.18 million - almost double the NRA's 611,000. She is a voice that is being heard far and wide, and America is a better place because of it. Her tweets cut right to the chase - take, for instance, this one which summarizes the gun issue in just a few words:
Those are just eight of the "kids" from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who are leading the fight in the battle against uncontrolled gun sales and distribution in America. There are others at their school and in schools nationwide - and they are operating on far more social media platforms than just Twitter. The "kids" are protesting, lobbying, giving interviews, and keeping themselves at the forefront of the news. They are a nemesis like the NRA and gun lobby has never experienced before.
The youth of Parkland, Florida, are true leaders - and they are standing and fighting for us all. Godspeed, young heroes, godspeed!
Citizen Journalist
At a time when American adults have all but given up the fight for stricter gun laws, a new force for gun safety and sanity is emerging. On February 14th, Valentine's Day, a lone gunman who was known to the community as being armed, dangerous and a potential school shooter, entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and savagely killed seventeen individuals and wounded others. The massacre stirred immediate outrage, as school shootings always do, but this time something different happened. As the days wore on, the outrage intensified - instead of just fading away as it had always done in the past.
The difference this time was that many of the surviving students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas resolved to bring some fire of their own through skilled use of social media. This time it wasn't the parents, it was the kids - scared, angry young people who had hidden in closets as they texted their parents goodbye as the sounds of gunfire echoed around them - kids who had seen the world at its very worst and resolved to do something about it.
Before the National Rifle Association and the conservative GOP politicians could step in to shape the news, the young men and women of Marjory Stoneman Douglas grabbed the gun control ball and ran with it. Now, suddenly, it was the American gun lobby and the Republican Party who were on the defensive.
How the hell did that happen?
Donald Trump and his penchant for Twitter rants showed us that the art of mass communication is changing, and when it comes to mastering social media, Trump is good - but he can't hold a candle to a group of pissed-off and energized teenagers.
Welcome to the 21st century, America!
Natasha (@sighnatasha) is a student at at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She has over 18,000 followers on Twitter. Natasha recently tweeted this powerful plea:
"I never want any adult or child to ever experience what I did. Please, do not become desensitized to tragedies like this. Fearing for your life at a place meant to grow and to learn should not become normalized in our society. We should stand up and fight for a safer future."Kyra (@longlivekcx) has 71,800 Twitter followers. Here is her response to shooter Nikolas Cruz and the nation. It was posted just three days after the horrific shooting:
"let it be known that cruz messed with the wrong school. We as students are using social media as a platform to have our voices heard. Let it be known that we are and will be in contact with our legislators & politicians. Change is now. & it is starting with the survivors."
Jaclyn (@JaclynCorin) with almost 80,000 followers on Twitter had this to say in response to a claim by gun lobbyists and some politicians and commentators that the students who had taken to social and mainstream media were not students at all, but rather "crisis" actors:
"We are KIDS - not actors. We are KIDS that have grown up in Parkland all of our lives. We are KIDS who feared for our lives while someone shot up our school. We are KIDS working to prevent this from happening again. WE ARE KIDS."
Delaney (@delaneytarr) is a student journalist from Marjory Stoneman Douglas who has more than 86,000 followers on Twitter. She is a strong proponent of the power of the ballot box. Delaney had this response to the lack of serious effort by Florida legislators to address gun control:
"Please, everyone- stay informed. Remember those who are voting against us, and VOTE THEM OUT."
Sarah (@sarahchad_) has 263,000 Twitter followers. In a recent tweet she reached out to the companies who are using their commercial power to hold the NRA in check:
"I just want to thank companies who have cut their ties with the NRA. Thank you for caring and thank you for being on the right side of history."
Cameron (@cameron_kasky) has 272,000 Twitter followers. He has been seen and featured on national news programs talking about the shooting at his school. Cameron put Florida Senator Marco Rubio on the spot at a CNN Town Hall when he asked the senator multiple times if he would stop taking donations from the NRA. Rubio sputtered like an old jalopy and finally said that he would not turn down NRA money because the NRA's influence came from its membership and not its money. Yeah, right.. Earlier today Cameron had this to say regarding the tepid response from the Florida legislature to the student demands for action:
"Florida is not disheartened by the pathetic choices made by our lawmakers. We’re simply excited to kick them out and save our own lives. We have more hope now than ever. We have a very clear understanding of who’s with us and who’s against us."
David (@davidhogg111), a student journalist at Parkland, interviewed survivors of the shooting while they were all still hiding in a school closet. He has become a national spokesman for the student movement, earning the ire of politicians and the gun lobby. David has 419,000 followers on Twitter. His most recent posting encourages involvement in the democratic process:
"You must treat every election like it's the last because if you don't it could be."
And Emma tops the list of Twitter powerhouses at her school. The very outspoken tweeter (@Emma4Change) has amassed a following on Twitter 1.18 million - almost double the NRA's 611,000. She is a voice that is being heard far and wide, and America is a better place because of it. Her tweets cut right to the chase - take, for instance, this one which summarizes the gun issue in just a few words:
"This isn't Red vs. Blue, this is Death vs. Money."
Those are just eight of the "kids" from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who are leading the fight in the battle against uncontrolled gun sales and distribution in America. There are others at their school and in schools nationwide - and they are operating on far more social media platforms than just Twitter. The "kids" are protesting, lobbying, giving interviews, and keeping themselves at the forefront of the news. They are a nemesis like the NRA and gun lobby has never experienced before.
The youth of Parkland, Florida, are true leaders - and they are standing and fighting for us all. Godspeed, young heroes, godspeed!
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