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that Americans are more divided than ever before. crowd is also expected to be dwarfed by protesters.
5
These divisions are exploited and encouraged by And one task that we could not have counted on
those at the top, the people we once called having to do when we first got started in this effort
“leaders,” who are supposed to make our is having to clear up so much slander that has
democracy function, smooth over our differences, been spread about us — in my case, especially,
and lead us toward solutions to our problems. the nonsense that I was not at Marjory Stoneman
Instead, our “leaders” too often have us at each Douglas High School that day, that I was not even
other’s throats and encourage us to think the very a student there, that I am a professional “crisis
Changing the World
worst of each other, which only hardens positions actor,” that I am ABC news anchor David Muir,
and hearts, reinforces biases, and closes minds that I am a shape-shifting lizard, etc., etc., etc.
and ears. This is no way for adults to behave, and These are the times in which we live. 5
no way to solve problems, much less run a country. When my friends and I survived the murder
This is the world that we are trying to change. of seventeen of our schoolmates, we felt
These polarized politics existed before compelled to enter into an arena that was alien
February 14, 2018, and it is obviously not just to us — politics — with the goal of being engaged
about gun violence and not just about the Second citizens and appealing for commonsense laws to
Amendment. There are deep cultural chasms in change the circumstances that made our friends’
the country — regional, religious, economic, murders possible. I am not sure what we thought
political — and all of us find it too easy to go to our the response of the world would be, but to see a
corners with our tribes when a serious and divisive fictional villainous version of yourself emerge
issue comes up. The mistrust in this country is just from internet trolls and ideologues and Alex
intolerable. This politics of dehumanization Jones, well, that certainly is something I never
dehumanizes us all and makes it easier to be imagined. And because there have been so
perpetual, intractable enemies, forever unable many outrageous and untrue things written and
to even talk to each other. But the dirty little said about us, the protesters we meet often
secret is that this just plays into the hands of the expect the absolute worst at first. They are angry
powerful lobbies, because that way the status and worked up, calling us “gun grabbers” and
quo prevails, kids remain at risk in their schools things like that. It takes a long time to undo that
and communities, and nothing ever changes for misconception, to show a human face, to
the better. It is only by looking each other in the persuade people who have been conditioned to
eye and speaking from the heart that we will have hate us and our views that we aren’t the
a chance to understand each other, respectfully bogeymen that they have been told we are.
explain ourselves to each other, rehumanize each All of this takes patience and kindness,
other, and defeat the deeply troubling vision that qualities that sometimes honestly are in short
we have discovered of an America forever supply. But it is the only thing to do, because, to
reduced to warring camps. I believe in my heart quote that wise saying, you’ve got to be the change
that very few people want to live like that. you wish to see in the world. And screaming and
As I begin to write this — from Bismarck, North yelling and calling people stupid is not only rude,
Dakota — the March For Our Lives group is but it will also accomplish precisely nothing. When
preparing for a rally in our Road to Change tour. you are going to new towns and asking to be heard,
This evening, we are projected to have a good the most important thing you can do is listen to the
group at the rally — here to talk about sensible people who live there. Hear their stories, learn their
solutions to our undeniable problem of gun perspectives, find connections, because they are
violence, register to vote, maybe volunteer, but that there. Before we are Democrats or Republicans, red
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