school : Does pumped up kicks promote school shooting?

For upon |We have all heard it when we are walking around humming that catchy song by Foster the People that one person that says ”You know that’s about a school shooting right? You probably shouldn’t be singing that.” But does ”Pumped up Kicks” really promote school shootings? The lead singer wrote ”Pumped up Kicks” not just about the shooting but about the child, Robert.

The song tells the story of a troubled child named Robert who does not have a good family life and not a lot of friends. Nobody pays attention to him at school and he is depressed. One day Robert finds a six-shooter gun in his dad’s closet, he decides to take it to school, then the chorus. ”All the other kids with the pumped-up kicks better run outrun my gun.” All the other kids with the pumped-up kicks are the kids that had nice lives and could afford the new shoes called pumped-up kicks. Robert is upset with the kids that don’t treat him right and won’t befriend him. In the song, it sounds like he just doesn’t care anymore, as the chorus has a happy-sounding tune.

Though the song itself is about the kid, not the shooting, it is understandable that people might think it’s inappropriate, until you listen to the lyrics of the song. All you hear is the catchy tune. Some people believe that we are so desensitized by first-person shooter games nowadays, and use this song to show that we are so upbeat about such a dark topic. While in reality the song is meant to raise awareness that kids that decide to do awful things like school shootings aren’t just crazy, as they used to be claimed to be. Now when you hear the song ”Pumped up Kicks” by Foster The People realize that it is showing the story of a troubled kid that needs a couple of friends, this song is not promoting school shootings.

The article was originally published here.