As I am up tonight and scrolling through social media, I just want to throw my voice into the mix. It may be just me, but there has been an eerie lack of conversation on the topic when I go through my Facebook feed. Living in San Diego, I expected to see people posting more, and yet what I have mostly noticed is a lot of silence. [NOTE: This also made me think about the Freakonomics podcast episode "Is the Internet Being Ruined." Listen and you'll hear the connection!]
Of course, perhaps no one really knows what to say or to post. Perhaps being rendered speechless is a pretty normal behavior. After all, as I write this, I myself don't quite know what I'm trying to convey, except that I find the silence to be deafening at a time when people are suffering.
Another thought I have is that perhaps no one wants to say something that could hurt others. No one wants to be perceived as being anti-police or anti-black, and so silence may be a proper response of respect. Also, perhaps people are wisely waiting to learn more before expressing themselves.
Along the lines of waiting to learn more, a helpful On the Media "Breaking News Consumer's Handbook" that I recently came across suggests just that. The first point is that "in the immediate aftermath, news outlets will get it wrong." While some of the points from the handbook may not directly relate (e.g., there's almost never a second shooter), I think that the overall guide provides practical information literacy ideas for making sense of what is a timely and highly relevant situation.
Although I haven't seen much discussion of the shooting and protests on my Facebook feed, I have found there is a lot of chatter on social media outlets that our students do use regularly, including Twitter and Snapchat. On these other platforms, students may be exposed to a constant stream of content that includes live video footage taken by everyday citizens. When thinking about media bias, it could be interesting for students to compare and contrast mainstream media news coverage with these other grassroots forms of reporting. How do they personally define and value the different forms of authority? How are narratives framed differently and with what potential impact?
Another aspect to consider regarding social media coverage is that students may encounter a number of charged, discriminatory, and/or hateful comments and "trolling." My hope is that students are not also sources of these comments. Even just reading them, though, may affect a student, and this presents an opportunity to have an authentic discussion about digital citizenship.
Finally, Santee is so close to El Cajon that the events hit home for all in our school community. At the same time, I think it is important to remember that we have a number of students who live in El Cajon and commute to West Hills. We have a number of students who work in El Cajon, and goodness knows they nearly all shop in El Cajon at Parkway Plaza. I can't go there without running into our students! These events have happened and continue to unfold in their space.
Along these lines, we likely have students who have some connection to those involved in the shooting, either in terms of knowing or relating to Alfred Olango's family and/or local law enforcement. We may have students who have made an effort to participate in the protests and others who have been fearful of them or angry about them. This is one of those moments when I feel the weight of responsibility in being an educator. We may feel helpless to change all of the inequities of our society, but we may listen. We may create safe spaces, and we may make sure students know that we care.
I know I had a student in tears today worried about their dad who is on officer.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much hurt. It is hard enough to make sense of and talk as adults - I don't have answers, but it is my hope that we can find ways to help build community rather than to become more isolated.
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