At the precipice of adulthood, teenagers look to adults in their lives for guidance, but what happens when adults are behaving worse than children? How are we, as teenagers, supposed to establish a proper life for ourselves when many adults in our lives are displaying actions more childish than our own?

Immediately following Fremont High School’s Anti-ICE walkout, hundreds of comments flooded the internet. Each comment displayed its own opinion along with a flourish of strong emotions. Often, these comments are harmless and can be looked at with skepticism, but on other occasions, the words online are no longer just characters on a screen and are nothing short of discriminatory ignorance.

Not even an hour after the protest ended, hundreds of disgusting and completely unacceptable comments were already being spread across the internet on all platforms, most shaming students who attended as well as staff who allowed this protest to take place. When blatant racism is being directed at your friends, your family, and those in your community, it makes it harder to draw your eyes from the glowing screen and all of the messages plastered across it.

One comment read, “Nuts, too bad she made a full recovery!” Another one said, “What was she doing out of special ed?” And one person, who was in a particularly rotten mood, decided to comment, “I feel sorry for the car, that was one big buffalo it hit!” What do these commenters have in common? Many things, actually. They are all members living right here in the Fremont community, and every single one of them is an adult.

Not only are these comments extremely offensive, but they are also disgraceful and sad to see coming from adults, the ones who are supposed to be our protectors and our mentors. All of these comments were found on Fremont Discussion Board, a public group on Facebook. Since these people think it’s okay to comment such shameful and disrespectful things about a young girl, it is the least we can do to recognize the men and women behind these hateful words.

“Nuts, too bad she made a full recovery!” George Baranauskas said.

“What was she doing out of special ed?” Robert Blaser said.

“I feel sorry for the car, that was one big buffalo it hit!” Debbie Crain said.

Hundreds of comments displaying similar messages can be found on Fremont Discussion Board. Not all, but most of them were made by adults. These are adults with families and jobs fighting with kids the same age as their own children. The childish behavior displayed behind the safety of a computer screen is evidence of a severe lack of understanding or knowledge of the situation. Adults, as well as all community members, have the right to share their opinions and voice their thoughts. That is a right that all Americans are lucky to have, thanks to the First Amendment.

What many people are unaware of is what the First Amendment actually says. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” As stated in the United States Constitution, people—all people—are entitled to the freedom of speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble. High school students should not be blamed for exercising their First Amendment rights. The overlooking, or general obliviousness, of this amendment in recent times does not serve as a proper example of how a country should govern itself or how a person should live their life.

Differences in opinion are not the issue here, since every American is entitled to their own. The problem is that many people, especially adults, think it’s okay to throw around discriminatory insults. Older generations are entitled to their own opinions, but recently, too many adults think publicly shaming children is acceptable. I assure you it is not. The real issue behind this situation is not the difference in political opinion, not the fact that the young student was in the road, but the fact that many Americans are convinced that violence and hate speech are okay.

The adults in our lives and in the environment around us have made it hard to know the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. Spotting the difference between frustration and genuine hatred is also a line that has blurred in recent years.

Following the protest, parents expressed their concerns at the school board meeting. A concerned mother, Kiley Meyer, shared her thoughts. “Now, we’re bending the rules of what the student handbook says to allow these students their chance to go out in protest on something that most of them don’t understand what they’re protesting.”

The irony behind these statements is that those who attended the protest are not elementary schoolers. They are high school students who are more than capable of making their own decisions and aware of what they were standing up for. These “kids” involved know more about their constitutional rights than the adults slinging insults, hiding behind their screens.

To all the adults who want to argue like children or make fun of “kids” for exercising their rights, let me “school you” one more time. It is time to return to elementary-level principles, take a look within, and THINK: Is It True? Is It Helpful? Is It Inspiring? Is It Necessary? Is It Kind? In almost every elementary classroom across the country, you will find a poster displaying these questions hung neatly on the wall.

As the next generation, being influenced by anything and everything around us, we encourage those of you, adults especially, to take a look within yourself and THINK. Is it helpful to blame the school? Is it necessary to bash a young girl, a young victim, for the senseless violence that took place on January 29, 2026? And lastly, is it kind?

The irony of the self-reflection we ask you to complete is that these are the lessons children are being taught from elementary school through high school. We are reminded every day to ask ourselves these questions: “Is it helpful?” “Is it necessary?” “Is it kind?” It seems, as a society, we either didn’t listen well enough in school or have forgotten those three fundamental aspects of being a respectable member of our communities.

“It appears we need less poster making and more education,” Lana Calvert, a grandparent of a Fremont High School student, said.

As we have seen in recent times, adults are actually the ones who should revisit the classroom and be reminded of how their actions and their words affect others. Lately, high school students and even elementary students have more composure and self-control than adults who claim that their opinion is the right one.

Of course, children’s behavior is also unforgivable at times. Some comments on the Fremont Discussion Board were made by students at the school. It is unfortunate that some students could be saying such repulsive things about their own classmates and even friends. The problem here is that hate is taught. No one is born with hatred sitting heavily in their heart. These children have learned this behavior from adults in their lives and seem to think that it is acceptable.

The commonly known phrase, “You can only be as good as those you surround yourself with,” is true. If the only thing that some developing young adults know is hatred, then, as society grows, it will be tainted with harsh division and unkindness as it is right now. The cycle of discrimination will never end. America is setting up its future to parallel its already blood-stained history—unless we make a change.

No matter your political views, no matter who was in the “wrong” or who was in the “right,” you must remember that during your time on earth, you get one life to live. We urge all readers, the next time you go to comment on something, post something, or even say something hurtful to someone, to remember to THINK first.