I hope the title made you angry; maybe then would you begin to understand what the parents of fallen children feel. I hope you feel ashamed, because then you’d begin to understand the minds of those who are begging for gun reform. I hope your prayers are heard, because no one listened to the grieving parents that begged society to never allow mass shootings to happen again.

While I’d like nothing more than to sit here and complain, it would reduce my argument into a hypocritical rant. People have forgotten that the role of the media is to inform and give a clear understanding of events. It’s meant to shine a light on subjects that must be known to the public. On a larger scale, news outlets connect the population with truths to influence days to come. That means that changes in society are a two-way street. Journalists write in hopes to rile up passionate souls to take charge. When a horrible event is covered, it is meant to make you feel something to the point of building an initiative to change it.

Some may argue that when things are done—such as the teacher/student walkouts—no change comes out of them. This couldn’t be further from the truth. For a good while there, we were showing our elected officials that we were not happy with the laws set in motion. After the Marjory Stoneham—Douglas tragedy, students all over the nation walked out and showed their support to all who lost their lives. Teen activists like Cameron Kasky who argued against teachers having guns made headlines everyone and inspired people to voice their opinions. Even survivors of the Parkland Shooting were given media attention where they perpetuated their hopeful cause. Regardless of your stance on gun reform, one cannot deny the unification of youths all over the country who were together under a single cause.

With that being said, please remember that your social media posts offering condolences aren’t going to make those who are experiencing loss to feel any better. The happiness of parents who lost children to such horrible tragedies were most happy when they saw people fighting for their justice. 

You might be wondering now why exactly you read what you read. I want you to stop posting on social media and start attending your town halls. I want you to stop offering condolences, and start offering your two cents on legislative conversations that are going on around your community centers. I ultimately want you to stop expecting that change is going to be given to you rather than something that has to be worked for.