Hi there,
My name is Danielle and I am a senior, about to graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. On behalf of the Class of 2020, I’d like to take a few moments of your time to chat about something that has recently come to my attention.
By now, virtually everybody on the planet is aware that the novel coronavirus has affected a massive percentage of the human population and has thrown everybody’s lives out of order. Over the past few weeks in quarantine, I was reading some articles written by senior students who were expressing their disappointment of having milestone events such as graduation and prom canceled. None of the articles were “whiny” or “ignorant,” rather, they were all very respectfully written and acknowledged how the pandemic was a severe global issue, but also how they were saddened by how the virus affected their school year.
In the same vein as the articles, social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok have been showcasing videos of young women putting on the prom outfits they had bought weeks in advance and throwing their own proms at home. In many of the videos, the girls did not even speak, they simply smiled at the camera, snapped their fingers, and suddenly they were prom-ready and dancing in their living rooms with family members. Completely harmless, in my opinion. The comment section was another story.
While scrolling through the responses, I was shocked at the sheer volume of negativity and disgust people were throwing towards the seniors for “complaining” about how “futile” things like prom were being taken away. These same commenters brought up how either they or their relatives had to endure horrific events like the Vietnam War and the Great Depression so we, as a graduating class, had no right to open our mouths and cry over losing out on dances and commencement ceremonies. This is what I’d like to talk to you guys about.
First and foremost, I’d like to say this letter is by no means trying to diminish the history that you and/or your loved ones lived through. In fact, I’m trying to state the opposite on behalf of all the graduating seniors who are desperately trying to express their current disappointment in the most respectful way possible. Of course, of course, we respect and admire your resilience for surviving through those horrible eras. Some of you have experienced some truly horrific time periods and said-periods will never be forgotten. Our world history is full of darkness and devastation, and COVID-19 will go down in the record book as one of those times.
This being said, please, if at all possible, stop comparing one tragedy to another. War, economic depressions, disease, etc. all have their individual consequences and should be treated as such. One time period should not have to be compared to another in order to determine which was worse. We understand that you may feel angered and irritated by our mourning the loss of — what you might believe to be pointless — occasions, but please also try to realize that our disappointment does not reflect ignorance.
We are fully aware that the world is suffering from a catastrophic virus and the results are terribly brutal. People are either in unbelievable pain or dying, businesses have ceased all operations creating an unsteady economy, essential workers are being run-down with an unprecedented amount of work, and families are desperately trying to hold everything together so their world doesn’t fall apart overnight.
We know and we stand in solidarity with the rest of society as we try to navigate our way through this confusing and traumatic time. So, if you’re sitting at your computer typing away some comment that will make a senior feel bad for being disheartened to learn that their milestone moments are all being canceled, please don’t. Please try to have some compassion and empathy, or at the very least, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”.
My class has worked for years leading up to these final moments in our education. We have gone nights without sleep studying for exams, we have poured hours of our lives into papers and projects, we have worked multiple side jobs (sometimes at the same time) in order to pay for our schooling, we have done it all and now we have no authentic way of celebrating our accomplishments. Some schools are postponing in-person graduation ceremonies, others are resorting to virtual celebrations, and some events like prom and commencement balls are obviously having to be completely canceled. In addition to all of this, thousands of medical and nursing school students did not have the chance to take even a few days off after their premature online graduations. Rather, they immediately took their skills into hospitals and research labs and are now working nonstop to help fight COVID-19. It’s like finishing the longest marathon in the world with no one waiting for you at the finish line.
Please let us be emotional during this unsettling and unpredictable time. The college seniors are frantically trying to find any open jobs, high school seniors are now forced to debate whether or not to take a year off from college to avoid a virtual first semester, and our class as a whole is walking on eggshells around the people who are belittling them for showing their disappointment.
We are allowed to be sad but our sadness does not mean we are unaware that the world has “bigger problems.” Again, my class respects you and our world’s history, but we are all living through this current cataclysmic time, and negativity is the last thing anyone needs right now. Spread kindness around like confetti, y’all. We really need it now more than ever.
Thanks for reading and stay safe,
Danielle