It is commonly taught to children of all ages to respect their elders, especially adults in some sort of position of power over them (like a teacher, nanny or even parent). While respect throughout a community is crucial to its well-being, sometimes it is hard to avoid being rude or straightforward to get a point across.
An issue arises for teenagers, specifically those speaking up after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School shooting. With opportunities to speak directly to Floridian politicians like Sen. Marco Rubio, these teenagers get an opportunity to make their voice heard and impact the way Florida will be represented.
When they become passionate about their stances on the issue of gun reform, they must choose how to go about their argument. These teenagers, who have faced a great deal of trauma, have been criticized for being disrespectful to the politicians representing them.
It is necessary at times, however, to show disrespect to someone while standing up to them to make sure the message is received. Not many people listen to what students have to say because of their age.
The students at Stoneman Douglas are the most qualified and informed people to be discussing the politics of gun control; no one else was there at the time of the shooting, other than teachers who share their students’ beliefs. It is important that their voices are heard and taken into account when politicians represent the state of Florida, and these students must be bold when doing so – even if it means that Marco Rubio gets his feelings hurt.
The students at Stoneman Douglas are the most qualified and informed people to be discussing the politics of gun control; no one else was there at the time of the shooting, other than teachers who share their students’ beliefs.
Students like Emma Gonzalez and Cameron Kasky are well-respected teens who have elevated their voices by being bold, not obedient. They are making a change and sparking an interest in others to do the same, which is vital for our country at this time.
If standing up for what one believes in is disrespectful, then our country thrives on the conversations started by disrespect. The issue doesn’t lie in the disrespect of the matter, but in the teens who are trying to make a difference.
Young does not equal ignorant. Young does not equal inferior. Young does not equal spineless. Young equals a new perspective on life, and it is a new motivation for change. The argument that teenagers must show respect for all adults is invalid; when is the line drawn?
The difference between someone who is seventeen and someone who is eighteen is, obviously, whether or not they are a legal adult. It still is considered disrespectful if someone who is eighteen speaks out, so when is it considered debate rather than teen rebellion?
Adults can disrespect their representatives without backlash because they can vote for them, so they are the true voices being represented. The youngest of teenagers will be able to vote in as little as five years, and the new wave of teens wanting a change will go to the polls and vote for who they think will do what’s best for schools.
If standing up for what one believes in is disrespectful, then our country thrives on the conversations started by disrespect.
As for respect, it’s a two-way street. The students at MSD were disrespected by politicians when the Florida House voted against a bill for an assault weapons ban in front of their distraught faces.
When the House saw tears and distress and the true effect that the shooting had on its victims and still turned down a bill to prevent this in the future, they showed the victims that they don’t care. They showed the victims that they don’t respect them enough to do something about the seventeen people that were killed, nor do they respect them enough to prevent it in the future. Florida politicians told students that they have no respect for them or their wishes, so students have every right to display their outrage in the form of an effort to fix the problem by themselves.
Young people have led movements and revolutions since the beginning of America. Calling for respect from teens for the people who demonstrated that they don’t care about the safety of students is not only ridiculous, but it is silencing the voices of the only people who have a shot at making a real change in this country. We must stand up for our beliefs and be bold, not obedient.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
