AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN
MASSACHUSETTS IS GETTING A OF ATTENTION AFTER PARENTS WHO WERE
THINKING ABOUT SENDING THEIR CHILD THERE CAME ACROSS A
NURSERY RHYME THAT WOULD PREPARE KINDERGARTNERS FOR A POTENTIAL
LOCKDOWN IN RESPONSE TO A SHOOTER.
I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU
THE NOTE THAT WAS TWEETED BY THESE PARENTS.
IT WENT VIRAL.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO READ IT, IT SAYS
LOCKDOWN, LOCKDOWN, LOCK THE DOOR.
SHUT THE LIGHTS OFF, SAY
NO MORE.
GO BEHIND THE DESK AND HIDE, WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE
INSIDE.
LOCKDOWN, LOCKDOWN, IT'S ALL DONE.
NOW IT'S TIME TO HAVE
SOME FUN.
AGAIN, THIS WAS POSTED IN THE KINDERGARTEN CLASS AND I
COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY THE SCHOOL AND TEACHERS WOULD
WANT TO DO IT.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND HOW DO YOU
COMMUNICATE THIS PROBLEM OR PREPARE KINDERGARTNERS FOR
A POTENTIAL SHOOTER?
IT IS A PRETTY DEVESTATING COMMENTARY ON THE STATE OF THE
COUNTRY, HOW SCHOOLS ARE DEALING AND COPING WITH A VERY REAL
PROBLEM AND BY THE WAY, THE LACK OF ACTION ON A FEDERAL LEVEL.
BETSY DEVOS IS NOW THE HEAD OF A COMMISSION THAT IS SUPPOSED TO
RESPOND TO THESE MASS SHOOTINGS AND WHEN ASKED BY SENATOR
PATRICK LEAHY, WILL YOU BE LOOKING INTO THE ISSUE OF GUNS?
SHE SPECIFICALLY SAID WITH A BIG SMILE ON HER FACE THAT THEY
WILL NOT ADDRESS GUNS.
OF COURSE.
IT IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT NURSERY RHYMES ARE
FOR TRADITIONALLY IN HISTORY.
RING AROUND THE ROSIE IS ABOUT
THE PLAGUE.
IT IS ABOUT HOW TO DIAGNOSE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE
PLAGUE.
YOU HAVE A RED RING, POCKET FULL OF POSEY, ASHES,
ASHES, WE ALL FALL DOWN, WE DIE.
AND JUST ON THEIR FACE THESE
NURSERY RHYMES ARE TERRIFYING.
JACK AND JILL WENT UP THE HILL
TO GET A PAIL OF WATER AND THEN THEY FALL DOWN THE HILL AND THEY
DIE.
IT IS WEIRD.
ROCK-A-BYE BABY.
WHEN THE BOW BREAKS.
THAT HAUNTS ME.
I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
I NEVER DID AN ANALYSIS ON NURSERY RHYMES.
AS A PARENT, YOU ARE LIKE WHAT AM I SINGING TO MY BABY?
BETWEEN THAT AND DISNEY MOVIES, EVERY MOTHER, STEPMOTHER
TRYING TO KILL A CHILD AND A DEAD SOMEBODY.
DID YOU SEE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, IT'S PRO-BEASTIALITY
MESSAGE, INTER-SPECIES MATING IS GREAT.
FROZEN, COCAINE
COMING OUT OF HER HANDS.
ICE QUEEN.
HAD A GOOD MESSAGE.
THERE MIGHT BE REAL BEAUTY INSIDE THE.
THAT IS BEAUTIFUL BUT I WENT ONLINE AND I LOOKED AT SOME OF
THE RESPONSES TO THIS.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT I THINK ABOUT
SANDY HOOK.
THOSE LITTLE KIDS DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANYTHING
THAT WAS PREPARING THEM FOR MURDER, BECAUSE THEY WERE
NOT PREPARED BECAUSE THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE BUT WHEN I
SAW ALL THE OUTRAGE ABOUT THESE NURSERY RHYMES, YOU KNOW WHAT?
WHY DON'T YOU BE OUTRAGED ABOUT THESE HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS THAT
ARE THE REASON WHY THESE CHILDREN, WHY WE HAVE HAD
TO UPDATE THE NURSERY RHYMES TO ADDRESS MASS SHOOTINGS THAT ARE
NOW A REALITY THAT WE ALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AS A GROWN-UP I
GO INTO A MOVIE THEATER, I WAS IN THE THEATER NERVOUS BECAUSE I
WAS PROFILING THE WHITE DUDE SITTING NEXT TO ME.
HE IS BY
HIMSELF.
IT MAKES ME NERVOUS.
SO IMAGINE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD NOT
HAVING THE BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THIS
IS HOW YOU PROGRAM CHILDREN THROUGH MUSIC AND HOW YOU
PROGRAM THEM TO LEARN THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO GET THEM
PROGRAM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IF SOMEBODY
GOES IN THEIR CLASSROOM WITH A GUN.
WE HAVE TO STOP CODDLING THESE MURDERERS.
IT IS FUNNY BECAUSE OFTENTIMES I WILL DO A
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HOW AMERICANS PREPARE CHILDREN FOR
PRETTY DEVASTATING THINGS, ADULT PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULT CONCEPTS
TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN I THINK ABOUT HOW MY PARENTS PREPARED ME
FOR THINGS OR HOW ARMENIAN PARENTS WILL TRADITIONALLY
PREPARE THEIR CHILDREN.
LISTEN, PEOPLE COME TO SCHOOL, THEY HAVE
GUN, THEY TRY TO KILL YOU, SO I GIVE YOU A GUN.
NO, MY MOM NEVER
TRY TO RHYME OR DO SOMETHING CUTESY WITH ANYTHING.
IF BULLY
COMES TO YOU, YOU PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE.
IT IS VERY DIFFERENT
AND THE THING IS THE WAY I THINK AMERICAN CULTURE HANDLES THESE
SITUATIONS, IT ALMOST KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT,
WHITEWASHING IT IS NOT THE RIGHT TURN BUT IT MAKES A VERY SERIOUS
ISSUE SEEM LESS SERIOUS.
THAT IS WHAT I MEAN TO SAY.
WE BOTH GREW UP IN LOS ANGELES, AND WE HAD THAT
TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE OF AN EARTHQUAKE, THE GROUND WHICH YOU
RELY ON TO BE A SOLID THING JUST SUDDENLY MESSING WITH YOU,
SHAKING ALL AROUND AND SO THE WAY THEY PREPARED US, WE HAD
DRILLS OF COURSE BUT THEY ALSO HAD THE SHAKY KEY BUS WHICH WAS
A HYDRAULICALLY FITTED VAN AT YOUR SCHOOL AND ROOM B
GOES DOWN AND YOGI BEAR IS LIKE HEY, BOO-BOO, WHAT YOU DO
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY?
ONLY IN AMERICA.
THE HYDRAULICS SHAKE AND THIS IS A FIVE POINT GLAZE, SIX
POINT, BUT WHAT ELSE ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO?
THERE ISN'T REALLY MUCH YOU CAN DO, THIS IS DONALD TRUMP'S
AMERICA SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
IT WAS OBAMA'S AMERICA TO THOUGH.
A GETS WORSE EVERY
YEAR, THERE IS NOT ANY QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
IT HAPPENS MORE
OFTEN NOW THAT MASS SHOOTER IS NO, NOTHING IS GOING TO BE
DONE ABOUT THIS, THEY MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THEMSELVES WHICH
BY THE WAY I DO BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, BUT IT IS NOT JUST
HEALTH ISSUES, IT IS ALSO GUNS DIED TOTALLY INTERRUPTED YOU.
THAT IS FINE.
WE HAVE PUT IT DOWN TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR
IF IT IS A SCHOOL, I WANT TO KILL A BUNCH OF KIDS, IF IT IS A
CHURCH, PEOPLE OF COLOR, BLACK PEOPLE GOT SHY IT WAS RACISM AND
THEY ALWAYS PUT IT DOWN TO MENTAL HEALTH WHEN IT IS A WHITE
GUY BUT IF IT IS A BLACK OR BROWN GUY, IT IS A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT SCENE.
EVEN DOWN TO THE WAY, THERE WAS RECENTLY THAT
COP THAT DROVE INTO THE GUY WHO WAS RUNNING OFF, DAY BEFORE
YESTERDAY, AND EVEN THEIR THAT WAS PROFILING THIS POOR BLACK
BOY.
IF IT HAD BEEN, THAT WHITE COP HAD NEVER GOTTEN ANOTHER JOB
IF HE HAD BEEN BLACK SO AGAIN, LOOK AT THE SITUATIONS AND
HOW THEY PLAY OUT.
HE GOT HIRED THE NEXT COUNTY OVER THE.
BECAUSE HE IS A NICE BOY AND WE KNEW HIM WHEN HE WAS LITTLE.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?
THERE ARE A TON OF PEOPLE I KNEW WHEN I WAS LITTLE AND I
KNOW THEM NOW AND I WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEM.
I KNEW HIM AS A KID, HE WAS LOVELY.
SOMEBODY KNEW JEFFREY DAHMER AS A KID.
TED BUNDY.
IN THIS SPECIFICALLY TO THE ISSUES OF GUNS IN SCHOOL, BETSY
DEVOS, THERE WAS THE MOMENT WHEN SHE WENT INTO THE HEARING
AND SENATOR LEAHY WAS LIKE, TRUMP CREATED A TASK FORCE TO
STUDY SAFETY IN SCHOOLS AND HE IS LIKELY GOING TO STUDY GUNS AS
IT RELATES TO SAFETY IN SCHOOLS AND SHE JUST BALKED, NO, WE
WON'T.
WON'T EVEN COMMIT TO STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF GUNS ON
SCHOOL SAFETY.
BY THE WAY, THAT COMMISSION WAS CREATED IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THE SHOOTING IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA AND SO IT WAS CREATED IN
RESPONSE TO A SHOOTING AND THEY ARE REFUSING TO EVEN CONSIDER
THE ISSUE OF GUNS AND IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE
FACT THAT BETSY DEVOS HERSELF IS INVESTED IN A COMPANY THAT
MAKES PARTS FOR MILITARY WEAPONRY, I.E., GUNS AND BY THE
WAY, YOU ARE INCORRECT ABOUT ONE THING.
AS SHE WAS ANSWERING,
SHE DIDN'T HAVE A SERIOUS LOOK ON HER FACE, SHE SMILED AS SHE
IS TELLING LEAHY, WE WILL NOT BE LOOKING AT THE ISSUE OF GUNS.
SHE THINKS IS SMILING WHILE SHE IS SAYING SOMETHING INCREDIBLY
STUPID SOMEHOW MASKS THE STUPIDITY OF HER STATEMENT.
IT
IS UNBELIEVABLE BUT OF COURSE THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE.
WE
NEED TO GET MORE ACTIVE POLITICALLY AND THAT IS REALLY
THE ONLY HOPE THAT WE HAVE.
PLEASE GET INVOLVED IN YOUR
LOCAL ELECTIONS, BE INVOLVED IN THE GENERAL ELECTION AS WELL BUT
MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE PRIMARY SMATTER.
THEY MATTER A LOT AND DON'T LEAVE IT TO THE LAST MINUTE
WHERE YOU DO HAVE AN OPTION BETWEEN THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS.