Survivors of a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, returned from spring break to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and were greeted by new security measures. Among other new regulations, the school staff provided the students with the newest mandatory accessories: a transparent backpack. The administration claims that this regulation will boost safety, but the students hate it. One of the biggest issues for this backlash has a lot to do with the female reproductive system - tampons and other menstrual thingies became impossible to hide. Saying they are beginning to feel as if inside a jail, the teens have already come up with a solution that perfectly expresses both their solidarity for natural feminine stuff and rage against the current gun situation in the country. Only it might infuriate a few conservative minds.
Tampons. The students are filling the new backpacks with loads and loads of tampons. "I only got lights. I didn’t know. Getting supers for tomorrow," student Cameron Kasky tweeted. "Sizes, pricing... I'm learning new things about women's health right now. This stuff is expensive. Steps must be taken to make these health products easier to access."
However, Rachel Padnis, a 16-year-old sophomore at Majory Stone Douglas, has a slightly different opinion. "Personally, I think that clear backpacks aren't that big of a hassle. If it even makes one person at my school feel safer, I am willing to make that sacrifice," Rachel told Bored Panda.
"It's actually pretty funny to walk through the hallways and see all the jokes everyone has written on them," she said. "Although there are a whole bunch of complaints about them and I am feeling like my privacy has been taken away, I think they have brought a lot of real laughter back to my school which was missing for a while."
Padnis believes that people could still carry around weapons there if they wanted. "I see many students with lunchboxes in their backpacks that go unchecked as well as zipper pouches which seems to defeat the intended purpose and the police presence has gone down significantly." According to her, the issue is complex. "I feel like metal detectors or some kind of detector wand would be much more beneficial, but there’s also the fact that it would take a really long time for everyone to get scanned upon their entry to my school since there are about 3,200 students who go here."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
(h/t someecards)
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors returned from spring break to new security measures
Many students expressed their disappointment on social media but Cameron Kasky decided to take a different approach
