This past Wednesday, the sophomore class had the unique opportunity to sit down and watch a movie together. I was not at all disappointed in the movie or the ability to do something different; however, I was very disappointed by the way some students in my class reacted.

I am sure that every student in the sophomore class feels that they are mature, and any stupid thing that they did during the movie was not stupid. Yet yelling “marco,” and hoping that everyone will respond with “polo” in the middle of a movie is a prime example of immaturity.

The fact that all the sophomores were able to watch a movie with a powerful message and an important part of history is a chance that we rarely get during school. The movie Selma is a reenactment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his march in Selma, Alabama, along with the horrors that occurred during it. The GLI leader that led the discussion is very dedicated to what she does, and I feel that the class was very disrespectful towards her cause, and even to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and those that protested with him.

Parts of the class of 2019 reacted inappropriately a multitude of times during the movie. Some even laughed during a particularly sad scene when four young girls are murdered in a bomb that went off in their church. Frankly, I found that, along with random bursts of clapping, disgusting. Also, during the discussion, some people openly admitted to falling asleep during the movie. I understand it was early in the morning and we were in a dark room; however, it is very unnecessary to openly admit that during the class discussion. During this, the discussion also got very off topic. In my opinion, taking the topic from racism in Selma to bullying at school are two completely different things on very different levels. I thought it was somewhat disrespectful to compare the two because the powerfully strong feelings on race in the time period of Selma are unbelievable, and to compare these feelings to bullying is wrong.

I hope that the next time the sophomore class is given the opportunity to watch a movie or participate in a discussion on a touchy topic we as a class are more respectful and mature about it. I know that the GLI leader is very passionate about what she does and we should show the same passion or at least support it. The idea of racism, especially in the 1900s, is a serious issue. Though it may be hard to talk about, it must be done– because believe it or not, though we have come a long way, racism is still an issue.