Since 2002, a Texas high school cheerleading squad performs a routine meant as a tribute to the events of Sept. 11, the first responders and those who lost their lives.
This year, however, the routine performed by the Lumberton High School cheerleading squad has gone viral. A video of the performance was uploaded to Facebook on 9/11 and has garnered a mind-boggling 23 million views as of this writing. But not everyone is cheering for it.
Audio from the events of 9/11 accompany Lee Greenwood’s iconic song “God Bless the USA,” and even though it was a cheerleading squad that performed it, it was anything but upbeat and cheerful.
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While it has generally been well received by those who have viewed the video…
Watched the Lumberton cheerleader's 9/11 performance and I have goosebumps
— allie oop (@allietindal) September 13, 2015
Saw a 9/11 cheerleader routine to God Bless The U.S.A. with news and George Bush audio. Talk about goosebumps
— Brandt (@BWood_chuck) September 12, 2015
Not everyone is cheering the performance.
oh my god the "cheerleader routine to the sounds of 9/11" video isn't a joke https://t.co/8GuxpFywaZ
— kill 💀 tim 💀 faust (@crulge) September 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/thejessdesserts/status/642902026561548288
One major complaint about the routine has to do with the inclusion of audio from President Bush and live reporting from the day, as well as the fact that they feel cheerleading is an inappropriate medium in which to pay tribute to such a solemn experience.
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Of course, everyone has their own opinion, which is fine, and not everything is going to appeal to everybody, which is also fine. However, while these girls are not old enough to remember the events of that terrible day, this routine was done with only good intentions in mind. The squad’s sponsor, Lauren Sheffield, told E! News that they do a 9/11 routine every year as tribute to those who helped, those who were lost and those who have been left behind.
Everyone grieves, mourns and remembers differently. Sept. 11 memorials and tributes are supposed to draw us together, and if you remember, the entire nation mourned along with those who were directly affected 14 years ago. While this routine may seem lighthearted or silly, you really can’t bemoan the fact that they’re expressing their thoughts and feelings in their own cheerleader-ish way.
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Those who are too young to remember 9/11 should be encouraged to learn about how that day unfolded and how we all felt horror, grief and, finally, a sense of unity and solidarity. Keeping these events alive in the minds of our kids and other young people shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing, and even though some folks thought it was inappropriate, it really is touching that this high school has done a tribute with its cheerleading squad every year since 2002.