YouTuber Sends Message About School Shootings

Morgan Harbolt, Photo Editor

Finally making a change.

Social media influencer Sean Whalen has a message about the Florida school shooting.

A lot of things have been said about the Florida shooting. Whalen’s message was more about the children. Students and parents need to hear his message.

Whalen has a youtube platform of 7 thousand subscribers. This particular video he posted has 21 thousand views. In the, video Whalen talks about how the interviews with the kids after the shooting has worried him. Commenting that most kids said they knew this was going to happen, that they even expected it. He said, “My friends, parents listen up, kids listen up please, your feelings are not more important than my child’s life. Your feelings, your sensitivity, your political correctness is not more important than a child’s life.”

Whalen gets very intense when talking and makes the point that kids are afraid to speak up. Parents teach this generation to not hurt each others feelings, but in result they never say anything. Kids need to not feel like they will get in trouble for going to a teacher about someone who is acting odd. Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School knew that Nikolas Cruz (the gunman) was weird. He posted multiple pictures to his social media of him holding up guns. Students who have known him since middle school say he even introduced himself as a school shooter sometimes. So why was nothing done about Cruz?

Kids are afraid to speak up in fear of not being taken seriously. They don’t want to sound stupid or be called names for being worried that someone could be a threat.

No one should ever feel embarrassed for being worried about their safety. No one should ever feel like they will be called a name for saying something. Political stances should have no factor in gun control, or why children’s safety was in danger.

Parents and teachers also need to take threats seriously. If a child comes to you because they’re concerned for their life, they should not be told they’re overreacting or need to calm down. If anything is ever going to change about these school shootings then students have to speak up. By now, people should know that making joking threats is not funny. Even if someone seems to be just kidding it should be taken seriously and consequences should be placed.

You can find Whalen’s video on youtube.com by going to Sean Whalen’s channel.