how lucky we are by burke simpson battle by therese giersch

battle by therese giersch

how lucky we are. by burke simpson

The world is not what it used to be. 40 years ago, the idea of facetime was inconceivable, unbelievable, not dreamable. There were no snapchats or computer hacks. People had to f i n d their way from point A to B using a paper map! And saddest of all, they couldn’t google the answer to question 37 on their history f i n a l . No, they weren’t as lucky as us. At least, that’s what they always say.

Lucky. Is that the word that describes Faith from gym class? The girl with a slash on her arm for every classmate who didn’t follow her back on Instagram. For every day she goes home without a text or call or Snapchat from anyone. For every post on Instagram that didn’t get enough likes. And every story on Snapchat of yet another party she didn’t get the invite. No, instead she bleeds the truth of the internet we all don’t see under her sleeve. They say the world’s moving forward, but is it worth moving forward if we aren’t going in the right direction? A direction drowning people like Jake. A high schooler who let the world know he was gay. The guy who cries from hate messages that f l y through his phone. He tries to hide the scars in his mind. Blinded by hate

but they did not warn Jake + Faith and countless others that suicide rates have gone up “ headed at Faith with every n o t i f i c a t i on t elling her she’s a disgrace. No. Faith can’t f i g h t anymore. Tied down by digital rope with her thumbs cut off by the voices in her phone. She has been a prisoner of this war since the day she stepped online. Imprisoned for war crimes of being labeled a slut and not skinny enough. Now she is forced to rely on those who f i g h t her battle for her. The ones who are accepted into the internet’s trust. Undercover operatives wagering a war on the unjust. Fighting in a battle to help those who have been cussed and beaten and shot at many times. Helping with every Instagram post and every website made to prevent parents from f i n d i n g another suicide note. Caskets are lowered for new victims of this war everday. Just one more casualty

30% since we met the internet.”

as people around the globe message him death threats, leaving “kill yourself” tattooed on the back of his mind. But Jake is strong. He has learned to f i g h t in a world where the internet has become a b a t t l e f i e l d. Where soldiers are constantly f i g h t i n g a war on two fronts using keyboards as guns and words as bullets. Sharpening their knives with each new word made to tear people apart. A battle between hate and acceptance. Hate, growing in soldiers everytime a new apprentice writes a sentence attacking people like Jake. Creating a titlewave taken down by keyboard bullets. Each one of them who told themselves its ok it doesn’t matter what they say. Day by day we go on like this Moving forward. How great.

The world is moving forward. They tell us how lucky we are to have technology. But they did not warn Jake and Faith and the countless others who stepped online that suicide rates have increased 30 percent since the world met the internet. So in the end, how lucky are we? 33//Growth