The hypocrisy of red ribbon week
The infamous Red Ribbon Week ended last Friday. “People who participate just do it to make them look clean,” a Lugo student expresses. The big pledge took place on Wednesday during lunch where students promised to stay away from drugs.
October 25, 2016
As students go through a week filled with lies and dishonesty, Red Ribbon Week has come to an end. Students celebrated the last week with spirit events and their annual pledge to stay drug and alcohol free. Although, the tradition of the event has been with students since elementary school, Lugo’s older population finds Red Ribbon Week to be nothing more than a sad joke.
One Don Lugo 11th grader states, “I’ve been using drugs for a long time so a silly event won’t change my mind.” A recent Twitter poll revealed that 30 percent of Lugo students chose drugs over being drug free. The famous slogan,”Say No to Drugs!” is seen to be totally useless since everyone just throws it aside and does what they want.
A study shows that thirty percent of 10th graders and forty percent of 12 graders use drugs.”Most of my friends only participate in Red Ribbon week because they want to give off a persona of being drug-free,” a Lugo senior expresses. To me, and apparently every teen ever, Red Ribbon Week is a thing of the past. As awful as that sounds, it’s true! Nowadays kids of all ages will do drugs just to be cool and then they get hooked. It’s a never ending cycle.
Sure, there is the argument that Red Ribbon Week actually helps kids and teens to stay away from drugs. Red Ribbon Week appeals to elementary and middle school kids. Kids who are still innocent and who think writing a one page essay is difficult.
I don’t use drugs because I’m not dumb, but if someone truly thinks that drugs will help them, I don’t think a silly Red Ribbon slogan will stop them. Red Ribbon Week barely has students participating in it, anyways. Teens don’t find it necessary to dress up on spirit days for awareness, so what makes schools think the students will for something most of them don’t even believe in?
Justina • Nov 3, 2021 at 5:21 PM
I don’t think Red Ribbon week is about alcohol. I believe it is just about illegal drugs.
Maybe if they actually taught Red Ribbon correctly… read up about Kiki Camarena
Here is a quick synopsis
“Red Ribbon Week started after the death of Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who in 1985 was brutally murdered by drug traffickers he was investigating in Mexico. After his death, people started wearing red ribbons to honor Kiki’s sacrifice.”
Kiki was tortured to death. But here’s the thing, the Cartel are committing horrible crimes all the time. It’s not just about what happened to Kiki, the trafficking of illegal drugs is terrible in every community that it touches.
Not to mention the use of any extreme drug and how it destroys lives and the lives of families and friends around the user.
I think if at an appropriate age if schools (or parents) really discussed what happened to Kiki and how drugs in general ruin lives … and don’t sugarcoat it. Then maybe Red Ribbon Week would be more effective