Here’s what’s different this time. First, while we’ve seen many similar marches in the Trump era, this was the first major one largely organized by kids. While they undoubtedly garnered support from adults and celebrities, children were the most prominent voices calling on people to participate and speaking at the march in the nation’s capital, which was the focus of much media coverage. It’s also the first time that youth have had such prominent voices on the issue in the media. After past school shootings, we’ve typically heard more from parents. [...]
A second big change, Pariser said, is that the students who have spoken out after the shooting haven’t generally been accused by mainstream political figures of politicizing the event. That’s probably because adults typically do not see kids as having political agendas. In the past, people who have been vocal about the need for gun reform after massacres have often been charged with trying to take advantage of a tragedy to promulgate their beliefs. This was another norm that needed to change before such events could finally force lawmakers to do something.
Third, Pariser said, these kids have given other students a playbook to follow the next time young people are targeted in a shooting. Future victims are likely to copy the Parkland students in speaking out about the violence, being direct about the political failings that led to the events, vocally demanding that lawmakers fix the problem, and knocking down conspiracy theories.
