You Kids Get Off My Con

“They are old enough to advocate for themselves, yet young enough to still embody a certain innocence, to retain a certain idealism about how the world should be. They come across as both fearless and fragile. And like all teenagers, they have no tolerance for BS.” The Atlantic’s Michelle Cottle on one of the more amazing stories we’ve seen in a long time. How Parkland Students Changed the Gun Debate. (It’s not necessarily a new thing that young people are leading a movement for change. But one of the things that makes this moment feel different is that the teens and the corporations are on the same side.)

+ Excellent piece by Dahlia Lithwick on how the student activists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High demonstrate the power of a comprehensive education: They Were Trained for This Moment.

+ Teens leading such efforts isn’t new. And neither are the resulting conspiracy theories. NYT: ‘Crisis Actor’ Isn’t a New Smear. The Idea Goes Back to the Civil War Era. And from TNR: The tradition of conspiracy theories and hate groups.