Students lead the political discourse again

In an article titled “The Stupidity with March for Our Lives,” radio host Kevin McCullough expresses his annoyance with young students leading the current political discourse. The piece published by Townhall.com attempts to invalidate the students’ experience during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and aims to discredit all students who are exercising their first amendment right due to the students’ ages and political beliefs.  

“It is not a ‘personal attack’ on these kids to say that they are ‘misinformed, arrogant, and misguided.’ It’s a statement of fact,” McCullough says.

Misinformed? Who is more qualified to speak about school safety than the students who experienced a horrific shooting in an educational environment? These are students who are taught how to research, think critically and review credibility of news sources. Arrogant? These young leaders are brave and courageous for speaking out knowing that people like McCullough will criticize their every word and knowing that by taking a stance on this issue, they are susceptible to harsh criticism and even death threats. Misguided? How and by whom are they being misguided? These activists are working together along with other students across the country to call on Congress to do their job to protect students. It’s McCullough who is misinformed, arrogant and misguided to declare that these brave and powerful students are such things.

“You don’t get to use your victimization (as real as it was) to advocate for an even less safe school for my children,” McCullough says. 

McCullough’s words here are appalling. They are inappropriate and heartless. Yes, the students were victims of a horrific attack, an attack that very well could have been prevented with common-sense gun regulations. It is these youth that are having to worry about whether or not they will come home safely from school each day, and while this notion may seem like an exaggeration, that is the reality of what students are concerned about. 

Today’s young leaders do not simply “have little more than a junior high level of education under their belt.” It is not just a person’s level of education that defines their awareness and credibility to speak on a topic. It is also their experience. McCullough undermines these students’ credibility to speak on the topic, which is concerning given that the students know first hand about the detriment of loosely restricted gun laws. 

The young activists’ qualifications to speak out and lead the nation in a movement are that they are survivors of a mass school shooting, and if McCullough and the lawmakers in Washington had experienced the event that the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had endured, they too would be pushing for more gun regulations and would have been marching proudly on March 24. 

“The political left, driven by a leftist media, and financed by uber-rich and hard-left celebrities are willing to use them, and to continue to use them to advance their socialist utopia ideals,” McCullough says. 

Why the radio host decides to describe the students as manipulated robots is certainly alarming. These students are not fabrications of the entertainment industry. These students are taking action because they experienced a massacre in their own school. They are not taking action to enjoy a “fifteen minutes of fame” type of ordeal, nor are they going on television and radio shows to become popular. These students are taking action because they want to see change in this time when gun violence is heavily present in schools, restaurants, movie theaters and other public places. They are using their voices to make a change because the majority of elected officials in local, state and federal government are not doing their job to keep their constituents safe.

The language he uses to describe how the students acquired money to organize the march and fund the March for Our Lives event on March 14 incorrectly portrayed how the young organizers received donations for the organization. 

From a historical perspective, it is frequently students who lead the political discourse that advances, strengthens and reshapes American values and politics. If we think back to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, it was students who spoke up and took stance to make a change. Seeing students take action is nothing new; it's history repeating itself once again.

Since elementary school, students are continually reminded that they are the leaders of tomorrow. It seems as though people like McCullough need to wake up and recognize that the leaders of tomorrow are now the leaders of today. 

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