Teens across America have been organizing peaceful walk-out protests in their schools over the past few weeks. Why? Well, just because they’re kids doesn’t mean what they say isn’t any less valuable, especially today with ICE agents roaming major cities. Unfortunately, because they’re young, a loud few on social media believe they shouldn’t speak on politics. One jolly older guy in Oklahoma says otherwise, and his clapback should hopefully inspire other young kids and teenagers to rethink their stance on politics.
TikToker NBK (TikTok/Nothingbutkuntry) immediately ripped open a weird kind of attitude he noticed and stated “fools don’t want to listen” to kids about their politics. However, NBK says, quite grimly, “If kids are old enough to practice bleeding quietly in the corner,” memorize exits, and block doors, then “They’re old enough to recognize injustice when they see it.”
NBK pushes against the narrative that kids are too stupid, especially when they practice “active shooter drills.” Those same people, mostly boomers and conservatives, can’t then tell young kids to “stay in their lane.” In other words, that attitude teaches children to be “submissive” when their human rights are being violated.
Teaching kids safety is important, but it’s also essential the problem is fixed at the source. That means closing ineffective or overlooked firearm laws and improved healthcare. When you can mental illnesses sooner, you can avoid shootings in the future.
Now what makes a young student incapable of coming to the same conclusion and advocating for it? Being that children in the U.S. are constantly threatened by school shootings, it would stand to reason they’d have the most to say about it.
This knowledgeable older dude goes on to say “protesting isn’t truancy.” This is especially true after seeing their fellow classmates and their families get torn away from one another by ICE. Their friends’ rights are being taken away right before their eyes.
NBK cheekily adds, “History has never been kind to the adults who told young people to sit down and shut up. Kids walking out of school isn’t disrespect. It’s awareness. It’s empathy,” and most importantly, those students have “courage.”
As one commenter mentioned, “Tinker v. Des Moines says it’s perfectly legal for students to walk out,” in case anybody ever wondered about the legalities. Though as another pointed out, it “doesn’t protect” you from any “consequences.” That’s true about any law in the Constitution. Those rights are still yours to flex.
