The Big School Walkout | Ep. 496

Organizational Forces

The school walkouts were not spontaneous acts of student activism but rather orchestrated events, heavily influenced by organizations like the Women's March. Ben Shapiro argues that these walkouts were facilitated by teachers and administrators who support a specific political agenda, questioning whether similar support would be extended to a pro-life walkout 1. He highlights incidents of chaos, such as students in Tennessee tearing down an American flag and jumping on a cop car, to illustrate the disorderly nature of some protests 2. Shapiro also points out the selective treatment of students based on their protest signs, noting that a student with a pro-Second Amendment sign was escorted away from a protest 3.

If you'd been holding a sign that said stop guns now, do you think that would have happened to him? The answer, of course, is no.

--- Ben Shapiro

These examples underscore his view that the walkouts were more about pushing a political agenda than genuine student-led activism.

   

Media Coverage

Media coverage of the school walkouts was overwhelmingly supportive, portraying the events as a unified stand against gun violence. Ben Shapiro criticizes this portrayal, arguing that the media's narrative was more about promoting gun control than mourning the victims of school shootings 4. He points out that networks like Viacom participated in the walkouts by going silent for 17 minutes, a gesture he views as corporate virtue signaling 5. Shapiro also questions the authenticity of the media's portrayal of the walkouts as grassroots movements, suggesting that they were top-down initiatives led by teachers and administrators 6.

This is being done from top down. When teachers tell students that it's time to walk out, when teachers inform students it's time to walk out and students walk out, that's really on the teachers, not on the students.

--- Ben Shapiro

He argues that the media's bias is evident in their selective coverage and the narratives they choose to amplify.

   

Student Voices

The voices of students involved in the walkouts were amplified by the media, but Ben Shapiro questions the depth of their understanding and the impact of their actions. He notes that while students express strong emotions and call for change, their arguments often lack nuance and are heavily influenced by media narratives 7. Shapiro criticizes the portrayal of school shootings as a daily threat, arguing that the statistical likelihood of such events is low 8. He also challenges the notion that increased security measures in schools equate to turning them into prisons, suggesting that such measures are necessary for student safety 9.

The lifetime risk of dying in a mass shooting is one in 110,000, which is the same chance of dying from a dog attack or a legal execution in the United States.

--- Ben Shapiro

Shapiro's analysis suggests that the student protests, while emotionally charged, may not be as impactful as portrayed.