In the newspaper’s first issue this school year, I wrote an opinion about the importance of kindness. I urged people to step out of their comfort zones and welcome new faces into their lives. Following a recent event affecting the Blue Valley Northwest community, I would like to alter my message.
I am absolutely appalled by certain students from BVNW and surrounding schools’ responses to what appears to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the District Activity Complex. Is that blunt or harsh? Maybe, but there is really no other way to say it.
On Thursday, the school went into “lock and teach” during Advisory classes and remained in this for around 30 minutes. The school offered little explanation as to what had happened, allowing different rumors to circulate throughout the building. Many students were upset and scared due to uncertainty. Once the school was out of “lock and teach,” students were released to their sixth-hour class and simply continued on with their day.
Once the final bell rang, as many students were off to their sports, clubs or homes, a large group of people walked to the scene of the incident and took pictures and filmed videos of the area. These included both inside the student’s car and blood outside of the vehicle.
Not only are these pictures a complete invasion of privacy, but they also lack basic humanity. While I understand wanting to know what happened, I cannot fathom why people would treat an incident like this with that level of disrespect and express no regard for the gravity of the situation. It truly disgusts me.
I will say the school and police could have done more to prevent this invasion of privacy from happening. Many students were expecting the DAC to be blocked off after school, worried about whether or not they would be able to access their cars. Even if the whole area was not closed, there could have been an officer standing by or a small area closed off, just around the car.
Even though the area was not blocked off, I believe students should still have had enough decency to leave it alone right after the incident happened.
Along with the images and videos themselves, people have made comments regarding the incident with an almost comical perspective. An example of this is a student writing “Bitch is dead” on a photo of the car and the area surrounding it.
This complete lack of decency is infuriating to me. Even if you were not friends with the student this happened to, they still have friends and family who are being affected. Imagine one of your best friends was in an incident like this and people posted something like that. How would that make you feel?
This level of disrespect is being displayed through students’ comments at other schools as well. One of these has particularly bugged me.
“Killing yourself in the safest country, in a wealth (sic) town has to be the most stupid shit,” they said.
I cannot describe the repulsion I experience while reading this. Not only is it conspicuously incorrect and misguided, it is incredibly ignorant as well. The fact that this person chose to show no remorse for the situation and instead made the student seem invalid is insane.
Believing someone’s mental state is influenced by their place of residence is ridiculous. The place where someone lives does not have control over their mental state. Just because you are content with your life in a certain place does not make others. Just because you do not experience many hardships does not mean no one does.
In my perfect world, the people who made these comments would be shamed by their friends and family and taught a lesson. Unfortunately, this world is far from perfect.
My hope is that people will take the time to reflect and mature, learning how to be compassionate to people they do not know personally. In addition, basic decency should be the expectation. It is not a hard one to fulfill.
We must recognize the importance of humanity, of compassion and sympathy. We must learn the difference between a funny joke and an ignorant, tasteless remark. We must realize people’s feelings matter, and what we say does too.
Additionally, if you or someone you know is struggling, there are resources available to help. Every school has counseling options, and there are places to visit outside of school as well.
If you are struggling, it is OK to acknowledge your struggles. I guarantee almost anyone would rather hear your story than attend your funeral.
If you do not have someone you feel comfortable contacting personally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for anyone. You can reach this lifeline by calling 988.
If you see someone who is struggling, be the person to lend a hand or an ear. If this person seems to be in a crisis, seek help for them. In addition, be mindful of what you say. It really can be life or death.
