Children or Activists? Pick One.

Generally speaking, I am not a political person. I try my best to avoid most discussions about politics because often people don't want to have an honest discussion, and it is simply not a point of interest for me. However, with the environment on social media in this current political climate, it is nearly impossible not to be constantly barraged by political narratives and incessant virtue-signaling, regarding flavor-of-the-week issues that will be forgotten faster than you can get down to Baskin Robbins to get a free sample. It's tough not to formulate opinions when being browbeaten by everyone else's daily.

With the recent Parkland tragedy, the posturing about "gun control" has been amped up to an astronomical degree. There are a handful of teenagers who seem to have been propped up as celebrities and the bastions of "change" by creating just another meaningless hashtag movement (#NeverAgain, oh sweet naivety) for all the drones to jump on and pretend they're part of something bigger, while doing nothing more than typing with their thumbs and clicking retweet and "like."

The teens themselves, regardless of whether you personally believe they are genuine in their beliefs or not, are "speaking out" and trying to boycott companies associated with the NRA, sell t-shirts, and hold protests. They're free to do all of those things, fair game.

So what's the problem, you ask? My issue is that they want to get political and try to enforce policy change, but they and their followers are quick to pull out the age card and remind us that they're "just kids" when anyone expresses the slightest bit of disagreement. They're accused of "harassing" and "attacking children" just because their views don't align with their favorite newfound faces of tragedy that fit their agenda. Not only that, but they go as far to say that they value guns over "the lives of children."

No one thinks this way, it's just a way to make a villain out of someone you disagree with. By their logic, do people who don't want to get rid of cell phones not care about children because many are harmed in accidents while texting and driving? This is a completely dishonest tactic used to emotionally manipulate people into feeling sorry for them, because they are "just kids" who have been through a hard time.

Okay, fair enough, they've been through a hard time, but they have (supposedly) willingly entered into this discussion to enforce change. You cannot simultaneously claim to be the face of change for a nation and then hide behind "I'm just a kid" when it suits you. If you are just a child, then you aren't ready to take part in political discussions, nor should you be deciding what is best for an entire nation of people. You don't get to switch between child above any and all criticism and activist hero when it is convenient.

Unfortunately, these teens have become the perfect tool for those who wish to push an agenda, and they're too naive to see it, because they are busy being praised as heroes by celebrities who agree with their narrative. They are being made to believe that they are far more valuable than they actually are, and the only reason it is happening is because they can be used to spread the "right" opinion. You'll note that the teens who came forward claiming that their experiences were basically written off aren't getting anywhere near the same amount of attention as those taking up the heroes of America title.

Emotional manipulation is their only game, because they refuse to address the core issues here; the failings of the authorities who knew there was a pattern of behavior with the shooter and those on the scene who waited outside while the shooting went down. Usually the police are the bad guys, so why are they being absolved of responsibility when this is one of the times they are actually guilty? Because there is a very specific narrative being pushed here, by people that don't care about the reality of the situation, but wish to manipulate a tragedy to enforce the policies they deem righteous.

This tragedy has been co-opted by opportunists who will do anything for social clout, not because they have a desire to help others, but because they desperately want to feel like heroes who are "changing the world" for the better. This can easily be seen, as the witch hunts have already begun against any company even loosely associated with the NRA, who has absolutely nothing to do with Parkland. #NeverAgain is a dishonest attempt to solve a problem by aiming at the wrong targets in an effort to appear virtuous.

If you're going to advocate for common sense, try using some of your own. None of you are saving the world, you're making society a worse place overall, not only because you refuse to acknowledge the actual problems, thus precluding you from ever coming close to a viable solution, but because you shout down any and all who disagree with you as serial harassers that are bullying children. Well, are they children or are they activists "changing the world" for the better? You only get to pick one.