Sometimes you can use negative social media coverage to get your message across. Sometimes negative messages amplify what is wrong and have the opposite effect. Listen to the students from Parkland when they discuss what is going on in social media after the shootings at their school, about their meeting with President Trump and their message to NRA and the American politicians.
Lesson plan
- Based you your knowledge of the American political system, NRA, and the Second Amendment, write a post where you offer some advice to the students at Parkland high school. Write a short account of what happened there and what measures the President is planning.
- Read the text below “Why businesses are dropping the NRA and why politicians are reluctant to, and explain what it means.
- Listen to the two interviews with David Hogg and the comments from Emma Gonzalezbelow. Write a comment on their statements and whether you agree with them or not. Follow the students from Parkland on Twitter and share their messages with your own comments.
- Comment on the information from the soldier below who describes the weapon used at the school and the damage it does to people who are hit.
- Read and watch and comment on the post “As Students demand gun control, arms manufacturers continue targeting next generation of shooters”.
- Write a message of support to the students and share it on Twitter. Read the transcript and watch the videos found here.
The National Rifle Association’s financing and followers might be enough to mute some politicians and hamstring gun control legislation, but its money and membership are peanuts to big businesses who have flouted the group in the days since a 19-year-old slaughtered 17 people at a Parkland, Florida, high school with a legally purchased military-style rifle.
In the past, the NRA has advertised that its members could enjoy discounted deals from companies like Avis Budget Group, Best Western, United Airlines, MetLife and Wyndham Worldwide. But since Thursday, those companies and several others have announced they have ended or will soon end their corporate partnerships with the gun group. The announcements come in the wake of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 and as much of the public has buffeted the NRA and called for stricter gun regulations.
As Students Demand Gun Control, Arms Manufacturers Continue Targeting “Next Generation of Shooters”
In Parkland, Florida, students returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday afternoon for the first time inside their school since February 14, when a 19-year-old former student named Nikolas Cruz walked into the school and opened fire with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, killing 17 people. This comes as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill today after a one-week vacation. Congress is facing massive pressure to pass gun control measures amid the rise of an unprecedented youth movement, led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who survived the mass shooting. President Trump has reiterated his calls to arm teachers with concealed weapons. For more, we speak with The Intercept’s investigative reporter Lee Fang, whose recent piece is entitled “Even as a Student Movement Rises, Gun Manufacturers Are Targeting Young People.” Read the whole article and see the tv coverage here.
Emma Gonzalez says:
“Adults are saying that children are emotional. I should hope so—some of our closest friends were taken before their time because of a senseless act of violence that should never have occurred. If we weren’t emotional, they would criticize us for that, as well. Adults are saying that children are disrespectful. But how can we respect people who don’t respect us? We have always been told that if we see something wrong, we need to speak up; but now that we are, all we’re getting is disrespect from the people who made the rules in the first place. Adults like us when we have strong test scores, but they hate us when we have strong opinions.”
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a18715714/protesting-nra-gun-control-true-story/
Emma’s Twitter account is @ Emma4Change
One comment