Editorial Page 4
The Lightning Strike • November-December 2011
STAFF EDITORIAL
Freedom of speech should not be abused when directed towards others In My Opinion Taylor
Silver staff writer Ah, freedom of speech. It’s a beautiful thing and one of the most important rights we have as American citizens. My biggest pet peeve regarding this right, however, has to do with those who make every situation into a soapbox effort to convince others to “see things their way.” What they fail to realize, however, is that they cannot change everybody’s mind no matter how hard they try, or no matter how much freedom they are granted. I experienced some of this frustration as I ate my lunch the other day. The girl next to me shot me a look of disgust before barking at me “You know that Jell-O you’re eating is made of pig bones.” I contemplated a witty response, visualizing a stinging comeback along the lines of “But it’s not as good as the bacon and egg McMuffin I had for breakfast.” But, I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t care enough to get into an argument with a high-strung animal activist preaching the words of her Vegan bible. Continuing her harsh and offensive
rampage, she didn’t even notice me slip on my iPod headphones. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I simply didn’t care what she had to say. I might sound heartless and insensitive, but is it so wrong to eat whatever I want without receiving a lecture? I don’t go parading around to vegetarians waving some ham in their faces. This conversation, or lack thereof, represents society today. While one group shouts and protests, another group tries desperately to ignore them. Similar to feuding political parties, the Vegan and I represented different ends of a spectrum. But, as the meat eater doesn’t want to be criticized for eating Jell-O, a Republican doesn’t want a Democrat whispering in his ear suggesting who he should vote for in an election. These passionate individuals should keep the audience they’re preaching to in mind, and accept that some leopards can’t change their spots no matter how hard they persist. From now on, when someone voices their beliefs, I’ll try my best to be more tolerant and attentive. I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion as long as they aren’t shoving it down my throat, especially when I’m trying to enjoy my lunch.
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editorial policy
The Lightning Strike is the student newspaper of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School: 1410 Countyline Road, Miami, FL 33179; (305) 652-6808 Ext. 238. Opinions expressed in the editorial section do not reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school. The Lightning Strike welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. However, we will NOT print anonymous letters. Please keep letters under 150 words and saved to disk if possible. The editors reserve the right to reject, edit and condense letters. All letters should be turned in to room 2-233.
CHRIS DOUGNAC
“REACHING ACROSS THE ISLE”
Letters Lunch lines move too slowly Hygene class should be offered The lunch lines here are extremely long. Everyday my friend and I run to the cafeteria for a great spot in line. This slow moving line is caused by the lunch servers who are easily distracted by little things. You start to get pretty angry when you wait ten minutes for your lunch and the server leaves to go talk with the cashier. I’ve had many experiences going into the lunch line, which have showed me that it is not a one time thing. If you’re really lucky you can see one of them leave the line and go to the sitting area. These little things may not seem like a huge issue, but they are. Minutes add up at lunch and most of it is taken by waiting in the line. This is a huge problem that could be easily solved if recognized. Briana Knowles Grade 9
School’s sanitation relies on us Many of us complain that the halls are dirty or that the cafeteria floor always has leftover food, wrappers, and bottles all over it, but what do we do about it? Nothing. Well it’s time we stop complaining and do something about it. Pick up a bottle and put it in the recycling can or pick up a wrapper and throw it in the trash can. I’m sure not many students would like to come home to a dirty house, so why come to a dirty school? We spend almost our whole day here. Encourage your friends to also do the same. Don’t throw paper on the floor when you can go to a trash can or throw wrappers on the ground that will get stuck to branches on a bush. What good will come from that? It’s time we act like civilized people and be responsible for our actions. If we want this school to be clean, we have to help make it that way. Jhanai Frasher Grade 9
Every year, freshmen complain about how their “Tools for Success” class is a waste of time, but, rather than a curriculum error, I am more concerned about the lack of sanitation among the student body. Luckily, I have a solution to both issues: Replace the mandatory ninth grade class with a personal hygiene course. The smells that linger in our hallways are absolutely revolting. It seems that none of the students in this school understand the concept of deodorant or, much more importantly, showers. When I get stuck in the overcrowded math hallway, I am not particularly pleased about being shoved into somebody’s sweaty armpit. By teaching impressionable ninth graders how to properly apply soap as soon as they enter high school, we can ensure that their future will be full of “success” (since they will not be creating a force field of odor that does not allow anyone within five feet of them), and my nostrils will not have been burned to cinders. Andrea Plat Grade 11
Air condition needs fixing The air conditioning inconvenience in classrooms should be getting on almost everyone’s nerves by now. In some classrooms, it is freezing and in others it is very hot. In one of my classrooms, the air conditioning blows so hard the door will not close. Not only is this annoying, it also affects our education. In the classrooms that are very warm, it is hard for me to concentrate on learning when there is a horrid smell of body odor surrounding me. In the classrooms that are cold, it is a little hard for me to focus on school when all my focus is on trying to stay warm. Needless to say, the air conditioning needs fixing. Adam Seit Grade 9