Why the response from Parkland students was suspicious

After a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, many students became abnormally vocal. A lot of people became suspicious by how well they seemed to explain their beliefs. Conspiracy theories emerged about how they were fed what to say. While I can't rule out this possibility, I actually feel that there was a much stronger reason for suspicion.


Shockingly, all of the students seemed to share the same opinions. If these students were developing properly, they would have all had their own perspectives. There would have to be at least some variability in their opinions. Instead, we had uniformity with nobody sermingly capable of contributing new ideas that we hadn't already heard before.

I believe in individualism. If all students came to the same conclusions, there had to be a reason. I found three possible explanations.

1 Common Influence

These students could very well have had a common influence on the development of their opinions. Teaching has turned out to be one of the world's most unethical professions, and teachers are known to provide a skewed narrative for the purpose of manipulating beliefs and opinions. These students' teachers certainly could have pushed a narrative on their students. In case anyone didn't know, I openly oppose child exploitation such as this.

2 Culture of Fear

Schools are known to boast of their importance to their students. If students perform well, this is supposed to help with future careers. If students fail, this could very well destroy their futures. There are no worthwhile protections for students against abuse of power from teachers, and grading almost always includes subjective elements. Most students fear the consequences of getting on their teachers' bad sides. Even if there are diverse viewpoints, students are far more likely to speak up in support of their teachers' beliefs than to openly defy them.

3 Media Corruption

Mainstream media sources have learned that they are in a position to influence public opinion. In many cases, they have shown that they are selective of what to share. This means that the media is more likely to share the views of students if they match their own personal views. Even if students are diverse in the viewpoints they are sharing, which students gain the media's attention will likely be skewed.


I don't think there's any question that there is something wrong with the uniform opinions from the Parkland students. I just gave three possible explanations. Personally, I would be surprised if all three didn't play at least some role in this suspicious behavior.