Look, this is going to be short and to the point. And there’s no other way to say it other than to just come out and say it. Parkland Florida survivors have nobody to blame but themselves for what happened at their school. It wasn’t police (although they are definitely culpable), not the FBI (also culpable) or school guidance counselors, Florida Department of Families and Children, the shooter’s parents/family and most definitely not guns. No, the Parkland students themselves are to blame for what happened. Let me explain.
When someone commits suicide, we do not blame the rope that they used to hang themselves or the garage they use to suffocate themselves in. No, we actually tend to blame ourselves. What more could we have done to prevent that person from committing suicide? What signs did we miss? How could we have been a better friend, family member or coworker? But, those are mature, adult responses to a tragedy.
The problem is that Parkland students are not mature or adults. Like all teenagers, they are immature individuals who are self-absorbed and generally incapable of true human introspection. Thus, they angrily lash out at anything and everything that is to blame for what happened in Parkland Florida. But they should be blaming themselves. They are ultimately the root cause of why the shooter lashed out.
You see, the issue is that school shootings by teenagers tend to be a proxy for suicide. Both are the last, desperate acts of young individuals who have been bullied, teased, demeaned and made to feel so unpopular and outcast that they see no other way out other than suicide. Some are so angry that they wish to take their tormentors with them. It should therefore be no surprise that there are more school shootings these days considering that in the last decade the suicide rate among 15-24 year olds has climbed about 30%, from 10% to well over 13%.
And the root cause of all of this is the kids. Kids today are over-privileged, mean, cruel to others different than themselves, form cliques, tease unpopular students, make fun of other kids and are generally just downright immature. Most parents would be mortified if they saw how their kids actually behaved towards others when in school. And every adult that went to high school knows exactly what I mean. Until the root cause of the problem with our society is addressed, teen suicide and school shootings will continue, regardless of how many gun laws are passed or politicians given the boot.
Which one of those Parkland survivors lifted a single finger to reach out to that shooter and try to make friends with him or make him feel included? Even more, which one of those Parkland survivors teased the shooter? Talked about that individual behind his back? Made him feel an outcast?
Emma Gonzalez, what did you do to make a difference in that young man’s life? What did you do to make his life worse than it was already? David Hogg, how about you? Cameron Kasky, what did you do? Daniel Duff, did you make a difference in that young man’s life? For the better or for the worse? Did you try?
The reality is none of those kids did a damn thing when it really mattered. And so now, instead of introspection, they stamp their feet and shout and scream and demand “change”. How unfortunate that what really needs to change is not government or gun laws, but themselves.
The Objective Observer 