Following a shooting on Valentine’s Day that killed 17 of their classmates and teachers, the teenage students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, have stepped, with impressive force and eloquence, into new roles as gun-control activists. At this point, you probably know who they are. You’ve likely seen David Hogg’s interview with CNN immediately after escaping the school, staring into the camera asking that “adults” do something to keep “children” from being gunned down. Or Emma Gonzalez’s speech at a rally in Fort Lauderdale last Saturday that inspired people on Twitter to, half-jokingly, cry for her to run for president. Or Cameron Kasky taking Marco Rubio to task during CNN’s town hall on Wednesday night.
Kasky asked Florida senator Marco Rubio if he would continue to take money from the NRA. “Can you tell me you won’t accept a single donation from the NRA?” Kasky asked.
Rubio hemmed and hawed around answering the question, finally telling Kasky — who offered to fundraise the funds that Rubio historically has received from the NRA — “I will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda.” Earlier in the day, Kasky tweeted that he was taking some time away from Facebook after receiving “graphic death threats” from “NRA cultists.” Kasky noted that unlike Twitter, which caps tweets at 280 characters, on Facebook his aggressors could threaten him for as many sentences as they like.
Temporarily got off Facebook because there’s no character count so the death threats from the cultists are a bit more graphic than those on twitter. Will be back when I have the time for it. Busy getting my feelings hurt by fellow teenagers at Br**tb*rt
Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) February 21, 2018
Despite this, Kasky and his peers seem undeterred. Kasky’s habit of calling out his trolls via quote-tweet makes this very clear. These teens have already survived a shooting.
They know the very real damage bullets are capable of doing; they aren’t going to be fazed by cyberbullies.
Alright, I’m done feeding the trolls for a couple hours. Sorry if I’m taking up too much of your feed. It’s just so fun. Guys, it is SO FUN. My amazing team is hard at work today. We’re here to protect you and your children whether you’re with us or against us.
Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) February 22, 2018