This piece was motivated by a recent viral video of newscasters in Toledo, Ohio using slang to encourage students on state test day. The "Twitterverse" and other social media sites tore into the video as shameful, degrading, and a perpetuation of stereotypes. Other people, including some educators, thought the video was fine and a light-hearted attempt to motivate students. WTOL TV - Channel 11 general manager Brian Lorenzen said in a statement on the channel's website, "The intent from the very beginning was to help TPS (Toledo Public Schools) students take the tests and to get the district the funding it needs." The station pointed out that TPS had failing grades on state report cards and over 800 students were absent from testing in 2018. There is absolutely no argument with the intent of the station. They deserve "kudos" for such engagement with the community even if the execution was a bit cringe-worthy. I will candidly admit that for me the video somewhat marginalized youth culture and assumed monolithic behavior among kids. The video inspired me to use the lens of climate science to highlight youth culture rather than mock it.
I get it. The WTOL video is a small blip on the "radar of life." However, it is frustrating to watch generalization of our youth (or any group for that matter). Honestly, the video is not really the point so let me move on from it. While this awkward video went viral, most people beyond the climate-attentive community probably had no idea that youth around the world recently staged a strike because of climate change. Chad Frischmann wrote for the BBC,
Younger generations, however, seem to be clued in to the reality that there are indeed climate solutions to this global problem. "The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change,” said Nobel Prize nominee Greta Thunberg in her 2018 TED talk.
By the way, Greta Thunberg is 16-years old, has a Nobel Prize nomination, and has given a TED talk. Something tells me her vocabulary is far more extensive than "lit" and "yo." Thunberg articulates in her TED talk why she walked out of school and organized a strike to raise awareness about climate change in August 2018. On March 15th 2019, students from around the world staged the Youth Climate Strike.
The Youth Climate Strike is not the only example of "the children leading them." Our youth understand that we are already facing dire consequences from climate change and that their generation will bear more of the brunt of this crisis. They see adults spewing inaccurate information steeped in confirmation bias, political ideology, or other misperceptions. They wade through false narratives and disingenuous arguments fueled by special interests.
Did you know that a group of 21 children and young adults recently brought a suit against the U.S. federal government because of inaction on climate change? Levi Draheim lives in Satellite Beach, Florida and is one of the kids suing on behalf on an entire generation. Levi didn't use any slang, but his message is crystal clear. He told ScienceNewsForStudents.org, "If climate change worsens, the barrier island that I live on will be gone."
Before I close, I want to circle back to Toledo. The statistics for Toledo Public Schools are concerning, but I am a scientist so I decided to take a closer look at the data. According to a 2017 report in the Toledo Blade, this school system had the most homeless students in Ohio. WTOL reported that 80% of Toledo Public Schools qualify for free or reduced lunch. My point is that there are more systemic reasons that kids may not be attending schools or performing at the highest levels on testing. Like many of these challenges, it is going to take more than "cutesy" videos to address such deep-rooted problems.
I salute our youth for their courage on some of the most difficult issues facing society right now. Let's resist the urge to typecast them also. They are leading on climate change when we should be.
