"SHUT UP!"

Good morning and welcome to Thursday Thoughts. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
Again, most people reading this post will probably be a bit upset. I’m speaking to the social justice warriors today, about how they can get people to listen to their impassioned speeches.
SHUT UP!
You heard me. I told you to shut your mouth. Because when you’re screaming and using foul language, no one is listening. We’re tuning you out because your message is one of hate, not a solution.
How do you get adults to listen to your message?
First of all, do your research. That’s right, I told you to sit down and check into the facts. Don’t spout that the current president has had more school shootings occur since he took office than the previous one. Look up the information and go further than a fact checking site. Google “how many school shootings have there been in the United States?” There have been a lot. From 2008 through all of 2016, there were a total of 298, or 37.5 per year. Since the first part of 2017 until May of 2018, there have been only 31, an average of 15.5 per year so far. That’s less than half of what happened in the preceding eight years.  Still, this isn’t an acceptable number.
Marches are fine. Protests are fine. But you can’t and should never cross the line into lawbreaking to get your point across. In the minds of those who have been there and done that, you’re nothing but a troublemaker at that point.
Also, don’t tell me I can’t know how you feel because I’ve never experienced school violence. During my time in high school and college, there were thirty-one school shootings. Personally, I experienced school violence not once but twice in my freshman year of high school—two riots and the first included police shooting tear gas onto the campus to stop the rioters while the students not participating were locked inside their classrooms. So, yes, I know the sensation of being scared out of my mind at school. I know the feeling that I had to survive and get away. I know feeling of utter fear and no way to escape the madness. And I survived, returned to that school, and graduated in the top third of my class without benefit of people talking to me about my feelings.
Oh, and while I remember that time as clearly as if it happened yesterday, it has never driven me to demand that anything be controlled by more laws that are the same as old laws. Nor did I dare cuss adults and say they didn’t have a clue. Instead, I learned the signs of potential trouble, spoke with my parents and teachers about what I was observing, and moved on to have a full and productive life without leaning on the problem.
Instead of remaining the victim and claiming adults can’t solve the problem, become part of a real solution. Accept that you, as the student, need advice on how to go about making change and also accept the fact that you may never see the change you’re demanding but an equitable solution that addresses all issues might be better.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

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