9/16/13
SAFETY: Hardwire Armor Systems creates inessential bulletproof whiteboards, backpacks and jackets in response to shootings in American public schools.
By Valeria Gutierrez, Staff Writer
Schools around the country are adapting to the new changes brought about by both society and its students, but just how far are schools willing to go? Multiple schools in Eastern America such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and an entire district of public schools in Connecticut deemed it necessary for each classroom to be supplied with a bulletproof whiteboard. Each whiteboard starts at $299 apiece. Regardless of that exorbitant price, UMES has already spent $60,000 on the whiteboards for security purposes. The bulletproof whiteboards are composed of Dyneema (a lightweight and spider silk strong artificial material) which Hardwire also uses to build tanks and armor for American soldiers.
That’s right–now a bulletproof whiteboard, backpack and jacket will be waiting beside your door for school. Before long, every teacher on campus will mandatorily wear a bulletproof vest. But just like any other safety precaution and procedure, what good are they if you don’t know how to use them? After a few months of these new technologies, teachers and students will be trained like the average policeman. By accepting the security precautions, schools around America will turn into military academies.
This isn’t the first time companies have gone out of their way to create products for the common person. There are hundreds of preparation kits for terrorist attacks and zombie apocalypses–you can even purchase a Doomsday Survival Guide. All of these preparations are priced from an inexpensive $20 to a costly $700. Although consumers of these products believe their purchases to be a sensible investment, why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars on situations that may never actually happen?
To a human being, the unknown causes fear. To others, the thought of dying causes fear. However uneasy events cause attention to be pulled away from everyday life in order to take these “safety measures”.
These radical ideas of security cause consumers to question what they fear in everyday life. Companies make huge profits by feeding off the fears of their customers. I believe people should let go of worries that may never happen. This will result in people simplifying their lives, as well as making them more enjoyable. Fearing the unknown is natural. So take in every moment and every day as it may be your last. Regardless of how strong and protected you are, you never know what fate may bring through the door.