“Qui tacet consentire videtur,” an old Latin phrase, means roughly that those who are silent show consent. The proverb illustrates that someone needs to speak out against what they see as unacceptable or risk showing complacency; however, too often students allow themselves to remain silent despite their discontent.
This erosion of young voices has led to a decline in voting, protesting and speaking out about issues young people care about most deeply. Most importantly though, it has created an unacceptable amount of apathy around school shootings for the general public and those in positions of power. It is time for young Americans to ditch their apathy, recognize their power and utilize it to demand a better world.
School shootings have become a hallmark of school life for so many young Americans. Simply naming a school like Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland or Uvalde brings the mind to the horrors that many school-aged children have experienced. In a Stanford publication, an estimated 100,000 students witnessed a school shooting in 2018 and 2019 alone, emphasizing how widespread an issue this has become and how it affects so many American families.
Additionally, each year the number of deaths rise when compared to the last. The National Center for Education Statistics found that the 2022-2023 school year was the most deadly year this century: signaling that this issue is only worsening as time goes on. Indeed, the American Counseling Association has found that school violence has increased by 19% in the 21st century when compared to the previous.
Other nations around the world do not struggle with gun violence in schools nearly as much as America does. According to the American Counseling Association, an American school-age child is 13 times more likely to be killed in school when compared to their peers in countries like Sweden or Finland.
To have children die in schools at the rate America currently allows is a choice. Everyday that those with power and agency do not attempt to address this issue is an active acceptance that this is normal. The simple truth is this-children fearing for their lives in school is not normal.
Too many now seem to have an apathy towards school shootings. The consistency and violence of these events makes it appear as though they must be a part of everyday life, but once one recognizes how America is the exception, not the rule, they also recognize that solutions are possible.
These tragedies do not spark significant national change or reform. Over the years, plenty of states have enacted new laws that limit the likelihood of a gun being used to kill others, but, without a strong national standard, many who are denied from having a gun due to failing a background check or mental health evaluation in one state can travel across state lines to a state without those regulations.
The time has come for all students to recognize the power they have and channel their energy into stopping the slaughtering of their innocent peers.
It is tempting though to believe that one’s voice does not matter. One could look at the problematic world around them and wish to absolve themselves of their responsibility to fix it. According to a Pew Research poll, half of those who do not follow news around elections also do not believe that voting impacts government policies and ideas.
This thinking is dangerous though; it leads to the conclusion that the solutions to humanity’s struggles are beyond its control.
The truth is that, as found by the Giffords Organization, between 2013 and 2018, 350 new laws were passed across 45 states and Washington, D.C. Young Americans, especially those from schools that have experienced violence, were at the forefront of these efforts. Progress is never linear, but the general trend shows that when young voters show up, gun reform follows closely thereafter.
This issue is everyone’s responsibility to fix. The local, state and federal governments all have a role to play in protecting their communities and especially their schools, but without a strong and resilient group of young voters and young activists, these issues can not be fixed.
Thus, do not allow complacency to rise above anger. It is necessary to expect better.
Expect that those in power will find solutions to these problems and prevent children from dying. It really shouldn’t be too much to ask.
