Walking Out Is Better Than Running Out.

      Walking Out is Better Than Running Out

By Michael Cannata      

            I was reading a post I came across on Facebook that caught my attention. Especially since a few of the friends I respect the most had commented on it.

            You can find it at this link: http://www.ktsa.com/open-letter-teacher-students-walking/

            It had to do with an open letter written by an unidentified teacher. It was addressed to the students who are planning a school walk out protest. He made a lot of good points when making suggestions as to just how, instead of holding a walk-out, which he said is easy, the students can do a lot more to help prevent other shootings by helping those "loner" students that may be the next shooter; Those kids that seem to be the ones that we can all easily identify after they're done shooting.

            I felt a sense of insult for the teens he was addressing. By suggesting at the very start that he needed to explain that he was writing a LETTER and not a tweet, as though they didn't know the difference, he started by talking down to them.

            While his suggestion that, by reaching out to those kids that seem to be standing on the fringe, just waiting for an invitation to become part of the main stream, may change their life, he over-simplifies the deep troubles and emotional issues many "loners" have.

            Superficial gestures of inclusion that don't extend beyond the school walls won't help much and may just reinforce their sense of insecurity. Loners are often pretty good at picking up on false or forced displays of sincerity. Asking the students to adopt those "loner" students who have often rejected inclusion for years before getting to high school is asking too much. They are high school students, not mental health professionals.

            I can appreciate the author's good intentions in encouraging the students to do more to reach out and include those kids that seem to lack the social skills they need to feel surer of themselves. But making friends isn't easy for such kids. If they are open to such overtures, the kids reaching out had better be prepared to follow through.  BEING a friend once the introductions are over is even harder. Being a false friend can do more damage than good.

            His first suggestion, "put down your stupid phone," disregards the one tool that brings this generation of young people together in a way that has never been possible. Asking them to put it aside is foolish. It gives them a power and a voice that can be felt and heard around the world. Where they have a will to organize, their social technology gives them a way.

            For all his good advice, I found his casual dismissal of the proposed walkout disappointing. As a 65 year old man who lived through an era where student protests were common and effective I would welcome seeing that energy in today's youth. 

             My generation used protest and civil disobedience to protest against the Vietnam War, against civil discrimination... we held demonstrations where students gave their lives for what they believed in and changed the world. I think that a national student demonstration in the form of a walkout is one of the most powerful ways for this generation of students, students under fire and fighting for their lives, will have a major impact on the national discussions surrounding gun control and school safety.

            When the students walk out, together, across the country, in a mass demonstration, it will be a show of power and solidarity that we the people, the parents and the politicians will no longer be able to ignore. They have the opportunity and the time is ripe. They should use their skills and the technology their "stupid phones" give them to rally together from distant places and turn all their voices into one.

            They need to be sure their parents finally hear their children crying for their help. They need to be sure that the politicians will hear them over the political prattle that they spout in Washington and make them realize that many of the millions of HS students protesting this year, will be voting next year.

            Their technology and social applications will give them a voice that will shout out to the country... indeed, the world... that they are serious and are not just asking, but demanding that we help them defend themselves.

            I am excited at the prospect of seeing what, until now, has seemed to be an aimless and impersonal young generation, take one issue personally and take aim at finding a solution. I would love to hear them stop talking about "Me" and start taking about "Us."

            I would encourage ALL students everywhere to support their classmates, their friends and their peers and support the protest. Take action... be part of something that history will remember and that you as a student, standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow students, will never forget.

            Walking out of your school in defense of your life is better than running out of your school in fear of it.