A Snarky Society

Reilly Johnson, Staff Writer

Society has become less kind. People rarely give money to the homeless, leave a note when they ding a car, and we rarely even say thank you. Everyone has slowly become less considerate. Certain decency has been forgotten, like putting down our phones at dinner and showing compassion to people in need. A lot of this is due to the internet and electronics. Most bullies hide behind a screen to say cruel things which will eventually lead them to say these things to people’s faces. Guys no longer hold open car doors for girls, and girls don’t support other girls the way they used to.

As teenagers, we know drama is a huge part of our life. Judgment is all around us. You can wear the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, or even do your hair the wrong way, and people will judge you. A lot of the world’s hospitality has dissipated. People hardly ever get help when they break down or are offered something to drink when visiting a friend’s house. If we all took to heart the things others go through and how hard their life may be, we would all be kinder to each other.

Some people argue that humans are inherently bad, but society has made us this way. We have learned that there aren’t many consequences to saying or doing mean things. We all believe we have had a harder life than everyone else when that’s not really true. So many people have terrible home lives and then they come to school or go to work and are treated like sent to the students of Wallace that this kind of behavior was not acceptable. People on both sides responded accordingly. The people who supported this free speech were furious that a professor lost their job for saying something against the standard quo. The others said that she rightfully got what she deserved. Here’s the truth. Alabama is a “no reason fire state.” This means if an employer decides that they do not like the message that the employee is displaying they can rightfully fire that person. It was the speech that got the professor fired, but it was not the free speech that was impaired. All actions have consequences. This was never a fight against or for free speech. It is about restricting the responses to the supposed free speech. It is ironic because those who say they support free speech are actually the ones that don’t want it either. Society is the majority. Majority rules. That is our system. If someone goes against this system then there will be consequences, good or bad. People can go too far about things that seem to be miniscule, but at the end of the day they are trying to make the world a more accepting place. less-than-human beings. If someone doesn’t have enough money or they aren’t pretty enough, people don’t socialize with them. You would be surprised at how much one nice thing can affect someone. Everyone wants to fit in and are scared of missing out so they judge others in hopes it will make people like them, sadly, it usually does. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Being nice is free”, and it’s true. It costs nothing to be nice to others. We as a society have become so selfish that we don’t really care how our words can affect others. I mean, think about it: If you were driving down the road and you saw someone standing next to a broken down car who was visibly stressed and waving their arms for help, would you stop? Probably not. If we can all change our thinking, the world would be a much better place all around.

Can you imagine how it would be if everyone got the help they needed? If everyone was kind and compassionate? If we thought more about how others feel rather than ourselves, we could make a real change in the world. The drama that goes on at school and the gossip that’s exchanged can extremely affect people. Next time you think or say something negative about someone else, ask yourself how you would feel if someone said that to you. Or if you would even be willing to say it to the person’s face. For this new year, be kind.

You have the right to say whatever you please, but don’t get mad when your college scholarship is on the line because you posted something on TikTok that people found offensive. Just like you have the right to say it, others have the right to respond accordingly. Remember the internet is forever and anything you or someone else puts on it, lasts forever.