Terrorism is the worst joke I’ve ever heard

“Now is not the time to have a dark sense of humor.” | Photo courtesy of Heidi Cuevas, PantherNOW

Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer

Terrorism and comedy don’t mix, it’s common sense.  

On Jan. 6 Ronaldo Hernandez-Padron, an FIU honors student, was charged for allegedly writing and posting online threats of terrorism.

Hernandez-Padron and his attorney, David Donet, are currently using the defense that it was a “joke” to help his case.

It wasn’t funny and it never has been funny. 

Words have meaning and using them to promote violence and destruction should not be taken lightly. If the charges were dropped, it would send the wrong message that you can say whatever you want without facing any consequences.

It’s also ignorant of the reality we are living in. We live in a world where gun rights are being protected despite the overwhelming gun violence.

According to US News, Florida experienced 14 school shooting incidents, where a total of 56 people were injured or killed from 2018 to 2023. There were also 27 shootings across college campuses in the United States in 2024. 

We have seen the devastation and fear that comes with school shootings in our backyard. We should be striving to be empathetic to the victims and their families, raise awareness and most importantly, not let this happen again. 

Social media can reach people across the globe, making written acts of terrorism that much more lethal.

Digitally written acts of terrorism are considered second-degree felonies and can carry a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison. 

The punishment alone should be enough to dissuade people from making these threats, whether it’s real or not.

Now is not the time to have a dark sense of humor. The floodgates will open for more terror if we let this slide.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.

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