Keep your laughter to yourself

Ginger Hervey, Editor-in-chief

Out of the ten interviews I did during the Shattered Dreams simulated car crash, three people had known somebody who died or was involved in a drunk driving car crash. Two of these people were crying too hard to finish the interview.

What were they crying about? The memory of the crash and the living hell they went through afterward? Probably, in part. But what they were mostly upset about was the utter lack of respect some of their classmates were showing during this event.

Firefighters were rushing to the scene to help a driver covered in blood. Officer Mitchell was holding back the crying mother and little sister of a victim. A CareFlite helicopter landed on the lawn of the school. And what were some students talking about? The fact that it was raining.

Students that you see in class every day are being dragged from a car, covered in blood, and you are complaining about the cold? Yes, I realize that the crash was not real. Yes, I know that Katie Ruhala is not actually in a wheelchair. But can we show some respect for not only the students and adults that have put weeks of planning into this event, but for those who have been affected by drunk driving?

I witnessed a girl leaving the scene crying her eyes out with one friend trying to comfort her. When she got far enough away that no one could hear her, I heard her say to her friend, “They are just laughing and making jokes and they don’t know what it is like to watch your mom cry and to actually go through this.”

 

The point of the simulation was that drunk driving could affect anyone, at any time. But what lots of students don’t realize is that for some students, it already has. And these students deserve our respect. This situation is not a joke. It’s not an excuse to get out of class. It is a terrifyingly real issue, and it disappoints me that some people don’t realize that.

So go ahead- be annoyed about the weather. Silently mock how authentic the acting of a student was as he shook on the sidewalk, caked in fake blood and with his head in his hands. Wonder how much money was spent getting a real CareFlite helicopter to fly in. But if nothing else, realize that drunk driving is serious, and if it hasn’t affected you yet, it could have affected the person next to you. So, don’t pay attention if you want, but keep your laughter to yourself.

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