I joined the Grizzly Gazette last year, my Sophomore year, incredibly shy and incredibly closed off. Being an avid writer, I knew the basics of writing an article, and using my voice quietly.
However, this class gave me a chance, the phenomenal opportunity, to establish a foothold in this world of authors; my name, in print, published for all.
Every month, I would create a new document and write two articles, based purely on my opinion and justification and personal experience. And that was the way of the world, from August to May, unbothered by criticism and hatred.
And, of course, there were quick snide comments, whispered in the hallways. The newspapers were folded into little boats and hats, and used as place mats for arts and crafts projects.
But those little nuisances are to be expected, to be known and learned by every young aspiring journalist, author, blogger.
Every little piece of published material, it is subject to evaluation and disapproval.
And that process, it is essential to a young writer’s education.
However, it is a completely other ballgame to bash another human being, online, behind a screen, most likely rotting on the couch, with a half-smile on their face. No passion, no fury, just a simple dissatisfaction for their community.
In a facebook group, known as “The Rancho Cucamonga News Group”, an anonymous poster raged on the internet, a stereotypical stupidity, raising false claims about Los Osos High School (LOHS): “are you parents aware of the satanic propaganda of Los Osos High School??,” they wrote.
They claimed LOHS “forces” students to read “The Crucible”, an amazing piece of literature written by Arthur Miller, that exposes the deep-set scrutiny and superstitions of a community, plagued by the outright fear of “witches” and women.
But instead of following my analysis, an analysis studied and learned in the classroom this year, the anonymous poster thought the play to be “a book that teaches that SATAN deserves respect… That the devil did nothing wrong and has his own side of the story…”
And even worse, the poster didn’t even READ the article. They based their assumptions, wrong and erroneous, on a title, one crafted for suspense; the most classic hook for professional journalists out there.
Hawking headlines for paying customers, it’s almost as if we (the staff of the Grizzly Gazette) have returned to the streets of New York, preying for a penny a pape.
The student’s article calls out the grouped hysteria following “satanic events”. Much like how the anonymous poster, admin, and commenters all jump into a bloody brawl, arguing over the morals of devil worship.
A worship not even founded in the walls or classrooms or lectures of LOHS!
The student journalist, publicly insulted on the social media platform, they are a person. They are my peer. And, unlike the anonymous poster, so uneducated and unethical, and unlike the admin of the facebook group, so unprofessional and so callous, this writer is a person worthy of admiration, protection, and unlimited love.
This post, as ugly as the Satan they refer to, was published to the news group on November 2, 2024. It is still up.
The admin of the page have not seen it fit to take down the hatred, spewed across the phone screen.
Like poison dripping on paper, the words and diction of the anonymous poster are as vile and toxic as the depths of mythology’s famed Underworld.
And the comments under the post, individuals battling to the bone to voice a shred of their public opinion, have created a full-blown war. There are the gullible, naive people, following the propaganda of the poster. And there are the benevolent souls, educated in humanity, fighting for common sense and respect.
“Parents speak out for your minor children!!! … If the students are asked to read the Bible, then there is an uproar and protest from parents!!!,” said a Top contributor of the news group.
Another member replied, commenting on how the Top contributor believed kids shouldn’t have their own opinion or read classic literature.
Another blind comment, one I have memorized to the word, says, “See!!! I knew it! My spirit is bothered anytime we have gone on campus. Pray for those babies!!! … Thanks for exposing this!!!”
So melodramatic, so action-packed! This commenter belongs on the stage. So impassioned, like the very characters of “The Crucible”. Reverend Parris could never!
Others fight for the rights of students, calling out their competition-seeking with their knowledge of “The Crucible” and attention to the article. It is obvious they see through the fog of drama, and I am so thankful for their consideration and time and effort and evidence to support their argument and counteract their opposition.
The complete absurdity, the complete irony is so tragically comedic, it is the perfect display of good old herd mentality.
The Rancho Cucamonga News Group usually follows their part in acting as a news group: one that informs our community of news-worthy events.
This page is not a gossip page, keep that in your family group chats. It is not a magazine to target innocent individuals and minors. And the admin should have immediately taken the post down, because it involved a slew of hate comments against a student and LOHS as a whole.
The freedom of Speech, the freedom of Press, these are fundamentals engraved in our Bill of Rights. It’s literally the First Amendment, and most consider that right to be the most important.
Our opinions might be rare, they might be off. They might not be even remotely popular.
But the difference between what one thinks is right and wrong is purely based on the justifications of pure opinion.
And when someone takes to the internet and destroys the reputation of a young writer, they have decimated the very essence of the First Amendment.
By taking to “safe” alcoves of social media, they have set a bomb. One detonated time and time again with every glance of an eye, one trace of a glimpse, flaring a massacre on independence and self-freedom.
I don’t intend to infringe on the poster’s ability to speak. But just as they did to our own, I believe this post deserves the hardy constructive criticism of a student writer.
I can’t believe a minor is smarter than a full-fledged adult. I can’t believe a student’s diction, tone, grammar is more professional than that of a college graduate.
But, unfortunately, that is just how the world spins.
In the words of “The Crucible”, “‘I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.’”