This photo series tracks my journey across London from the morning to the night where this posh regal elder woman sat in thought, sipping her coffee.
Beautiful chaos all around us.
As she sits I sit.
Two women, different lives, different phases, different thoughts, same place, same drink.
Despite the fact that the pandemic hindered schools from opening their doors in 2019 and 2020, it did not hinder school shootings in 2021. In fact, 14 school shootings were reported in the year 2021 according to this article on Education Week.org.
This article reminds us that “The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting shift to remote learning, interrupted the trend of school shootings, the data show, as there were only 10 shootings in all of 2020 compared to 25 in 2019 and 24 in 2018.” However, we cannot ignore the steady increase in school shootings across the country as data reveals.
The first school shooting that is documented in America occurred in 1764. It is known as the Pontiac Rebellion School Massacre. 13 students went into class that day and only 3 came out (Dixon,2005). During the 19th century, there were 49 K–12 school shootings. In the 20th century there were 207 K–12 school shootings nationwide., Since 2000 there have been 152 K–12 school shootings. School violence has amplified by 19% in the 21st century.
Needless to say, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors and students are alarmed. Recently, yet again U.S. citizens hear of another school shooting. A 15-year-old student was charged with murder and terrorism in Oxford Township, Mich. For killing four students and injuring more. According to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database this school shooting was the deadliest school shooting since the Santa Fe, Texas, High School massacre in 2018. Let us not forget that the U.S. has had 31 mass killings this year of which 28 involved firearms.
When it comes to ages, 69% of those committing violent acts using a gun within the school were between 10 and 19 years of age. Meanwhile, 15% were students between the ages of 20 and 29 (Vossekuil et al., 2002). The perpetrators race is also documented, 76% were Caucasian, 12% were African American, 2% were Native American, and 2% were Asian (Lee, 2013). 99% of these school shootings were committed by males. One-fifth of these students were diagnosed with a mental disorder yet 78% of school shooters had a history of suicide attempts before the date of their attack.
The hardest question to answer is why someone especially a student would want to do such a permanent and awful action. Data shows that the two leading cases are bullying at 87% and side effects from prescribed psychiatric drugs at 12%. However, a federal investigation in the United States has not studied the relationship between psychiatric drugs and acts of school shootings so far.
In order to see just how much school shootings have increased since 2013 (Sandy Hook school shooting) alone, here is a line chart:
For a more in-depth map please go to Education Week.
Sources:
Lee, J. H. (2013). School shootings in the U.S. public schools: Analysis through the eyes of an educator. Review of Higher Education and Self-Learning, 6, 88–120.
Vossekuil, B., Fein, R. A., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The final report and findings of the safe school initiative: Implications for the prevention of school attacks in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education.
Dixon, D. (2005). Never come to peace again: Pontiac’s uprising and the fate of the British Empire in North America. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States
https://www.chds.us/ssdb/are-school-shootings-becoming-more-frequent-we-ran-the-numbers/
https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/school-shootings-since-columbine/1908046/
This non-biased interview is a deep dive into the mind of Jim Wallace, writer of a Bill that is pro-gun rights in addition to Massachusetts gun laws.
The proof is in the pudding or, in this case, in the heat and graveyards, the article Earth is overheating. Millions are already feeling the pain. (Links to an external site.) reveals that people of the poorer class are suffering from the consequences of humanity, specifically the heat. This is not just an issue identified to one country in particular but worldwide. This article also brings in another matter that those with less money have suffered from more than those of wealth, and that is Covid. This article shows us that those with less money are pushed aside in many respects, which is just as big a problem as the environment itself.
The evidence that is provided varies. Through data and a wide range of interviews, one can conclude that this is true. The reader is immersed into the lives of 6 individuals where photography and discussion reveal that extreme heat is not a problem for the future but a problem of the past and very much the present. Not only for the planet but also those with less protection from the heat, as this quote explains, “Episodes of extreme humid heat at levels the human body cannot tolerate for many hours at a time have more than doubled in frequency since 1979, according to a recent scientific paper. South Asia and the Gulf Coast of the United States are among the places hardest hit. Sweat can’t evaporate as fast. The body can’t cool down.”
It is hard to ignore the turmoil glazed through each and every photo intertwined throughout this piece. Most people need a visual to understand the emotion behind the words. The photographers did a great job capturing the essence of what this means for those experiencing extreme heat and poverty. The images provide depth, evidence, understanding, and a truth that is indelible for those living it.
When your eyes leave the page one question begs to be answered- can humans that are not suffering firsthand from these environmental woes empathize enough to change their ways for the betterment of others and the planet? Furthermore, has Covid-19 and the media’s silence on this crisis shown us that empathy has been lost? Some might argue that these people choose to live this way or that it is not because of fossil fuels that Earth is overheating. This way of thinking is how we got to this point. There is no other argument besides opinion, and while opinions are respected, opinions are not facts.
