You missed guns. These kids have watched their schools turn into shooting ranges like never before. They've lived through active shooter drills. They've seen over and over republicans make it easier for the shooters and harder for the targets.
You missed guns. These kids have watched their schools turn into shooting ranges like never before. They've lived through active shooter drills. They've seen over and over republicans make it easier for the shooters and harder for the targets.
I think the saddest indictment of modern America was reading that in January 6th Nany Pelosi's aids knew what to do because of active shooter drills from school.
We have an entire generation who is trained in how to deal with an active shooter situation
I was thinking about that when I saw the video of the guy who disarmed the California shooter this week. That kid was probably in an active shooter drill in his high school
Right on. Meanwhile the new de facto leader of the Republican Congress, MTG, thought it was a good idea to chase down a Parkland School survivor taunting him on a public sidewalk. Why would any decent person, let alone the youngs of Generation Z want to sign up for this Party?
The guns are a very important issue for Gen Z. I have three Gen Z kids and they have been hiding under their desks their entire school life. My daughter actually has anxiety about being part of a mass shooting.
I'm a strong believer that this Gen Z generation isn't going to sit it out like their Gen X parents.
They realize the parties are very different and are afraid of their future. These kids have lived through a lot of chaos in their short lives and they're pissed off about it.
In the 50s, we had drills where we hid under our desks when a nuclear bomb was dropped on us by Russia. Seriously. Nonsense but still anxiety-causing. Fear of nuclear war. And NOTHING like making kindergartners hide in closets from the maniac with an AK47!!! It is heart breaking. (I would be home schooling and that in itself is sad commentary on our "neighbors" and communities.)
It had to have. Just as the 60s had on mine. We are all to some degree products of our experiences, especially those of childhood, as well as our genes.
Then I remember Viktor Frankl and " man's search for meaning". And the rather stunning Ukrainian people. And realize its possible to "overcome." Maybe to use it all in some useful way. MLK knew it too.
"I have three Gen Z kids and they have been hiding under their desks their entire school lives." In the context of Columbine, Sandy Hook (and the awfulness of Alex Jones), Parkland, and Uvalade, and nothing being done to even attempt to prevent another school slaughter, that sentence made me tear up.
Pissed and motivated is good. But my heart aches at the damage done to their psyches and hearts from all they have lived through in their young lives. Today we call it PTSD, I guess. And I do not see how they do not all suffer from that.
Add onto the school shootings, Covid, worries about the environment, political riots, and growing up being judged on social media these kids have been through a lot.
^^^^ This. This. This. Anyone who attended school post-Columbine did so with the threat of school shootings hanging over their heads. And now weтАЩre old enough to have kids of our own, and we are picking our kindergartners up from school to hear, тАЬToday we had to practice hiding in the closet and being really, really quiet. I was good at it but Mia kept talking. I hope the bad guys donтАЩt get us.тАЭ (Actual conversation with my son last month) I grew up Republican and started my voting life as a Republican. I canтАЩt do it anymore.
It's not just the drills or the shootings themselves; it's the response from the right wing. You have these kids surviving the unthinkable and putting themselves out there by saying "this is preventable and we want legislation to end it."
And this is the response they get: your lives aren't worth angering a small constituency or losing NRA donations. Shut up and get back under your desks.
This isn't a "messaging problem" for the Republican party. It's a policy problem and it's a values problem that is now baked into the core of the Republican party's platform.
Under appreciated post - NRA and GOP tells school shooting survivors "Shut up and get back under your desks" is a PERFECT encapsulation of why we're just not buying this anymore, or that the "pro-life" banner can't wave for the GOP. That one sentence is so true, and so ugly, it crystalizes the ugliness that is core to GOP now. Another Brava!
Our daughter and son-in-law are looking for a charter school for our grandson. Part of their consideration is the location of the school: they want it unmarked and hard to find. They considered a Hebrew charter and were not sure if the presence of an armed guard at the entrance was a plus or a minus.
You missed guns. These kids have watched their schools turn into shooting ranges like never before. They've lived through active shooter drills. They've seen over and over republicans make it easier for the shooters and harder for the targets.
I think the saddest indictment of modern America was reading that in January 6th Nany Pelosi's aids knew what to do because of active shooter drills from school.
We have an entire generation who is trained in how to deal with an active shooter situation
I was thinking about that when I saw the video of the guy who disarmed the California shooter this week. That kid was probably in an active shooter drill in his high school
But that's no way to live.
It really is an awful state of affairs.
Right on. Meanwhile the new de facto leader of the Republican Congress, MTG, thought it was a good idea to chase down a Parkland School survivor taunting him on a public sidewalk. Why would any decent person, let alone the youngs of Generation Z want to sign up for this Party?
And this is only one issue. They're equally pissed off about the environment and LGBT issues.
The GOP is going to underestimate this generation at their own peril.
These kids are way more tuned in than my generation was.
The guns are a very important issue for Gen Z. I have three Gen Z kids and they have been hiding under their desks their entire school life. My daughter actually has anxiety about being part of a mass shooting.
I'm a strong believer that this Gen Z generation isn't going to sit it out like their Gen X parents.
They realize the parties are very different and are afraid of their future. These kids have lived through a lot of chaos in their short lives and they're pissed off about it.
Maybe instead of letting the generation get labeled Zoomers, Gen Z, or Gen Covid, they should grab the name: School Shooting Generation.
I've heard it referred to as the columbine generation
In the 50s, we had drills where we hid under our desks when a nuclear bomb was dropped on us by Russia. Seriously. Nonsense but still anxiety-causing. Fear of nuclear war. And NOTHING like making kindergartners hide in closets from the maniac with an AK47!!! It is heart breaking. (I would be home schooling and that in itself is sad commentary on our "neighbors" and communities.)
I am one of that generation. I did not think I would live to see 30, and it had a sadly profound effect on my life choices.
It had to have. Just as the 60s had on mine. We are all to some degree products of our experiences, especially those of childhood, as well as our genes.
Then I remember Viktor Frankl and " man's search for meaning". And the rather stunning Ukrainian people. And realize its possible to "overcome." Maybe to use it all in some useful way. MLK knew it too.
"I have three Gen Z kids and they have been hiding under their desks their entire school lives." In the context of Columbine, Sandy Hook (and the awfulness of Alex Jones), Parkland, and Uvalade, and nothing being done to even attempt to prevent another school slaughter, that sentence made me tear up.
When Sandy Hook happened we had kids that age. When nothing happened after that it was soul crushing.
I'm telling you these kids have lived through a ton of bullshit and the adult leaders doing nothing. They're pissed and motivated.
Pissed and motivated is good. But my heart aches at the damage done to their psyches and hearts from all they have lived through in their young lives. Today we call it PTSD, I guess. And I do not see how they do not all suffer from that.
Add onto the school shootings, Covid, worries about the environment, political riots, and growing up being judged on social media these kids have been through a lot.
^^^^ This. This. This. Anyone who attended school post-Columbine did so with the threat of school shootings hanging over their heads. And now weтАЩre old enough to have kids of our own, and we are picking our kindergartners up from school to hear, тАЬToday we had to practice hiding in the closet and being really, really quiet. I was good at it but Mia kept talking. I hope the bad guys donтАЩt get us.тАЭ (Actual conversation with my son last month) I grew up Republican and started my voting life as a Republican. I canтАЩt do it anymore.
It's not just the drills or the shootings themselves; it's the response from the right wing. You have these kids surviving the unthinkable and putting themselves out there by saying "this is preventable and we want legislation to end it."
And this is the response they get: your lives aren't worth angering a small constituency or losing NRA donations. Shut up and get back under your desks.
This isn't a "messaging problem" for the Republican party. It's a policy problem and it's a values problem that is now baked into the core of the Republican party's platform.
Under appreciated post - NRA and GOP tells school shooting survivors "Shut up and get back under your desks" is a PERFECT encapsulation of why we're just not buying this anymore, or that the "pro-life" banner can't wave for the GOP. That one sentence is so true, and so ugly, it crystalizes the ugliness that is core to GOP now. Another Brava!
Very well stated, thank you.
Our daughter and son-in-law are looking for a charter school for our grandson. Part of their consideration is the location of the school: they want it unmarked and hard to find. They considered a Hebrew charter and were not sure if the presence of an armed guard at the entrance was a plus or a minus.