The Talent Show is an annual event at Lake Forest High School that is always looked forward to by the community. This year the show had a particular video that was all the hype. For those who don’t know, Lake Forest High School New Media displays their videos in between acts. This year’s fan favorite was, by no small margin, The LF vs LB rap battle starring Annalise Craig, Whitney Perschke, and our principal, Dr. Holland. Within a day of being posted to the New Media Facebook page, the video had already been shared by over 200 people and had over 18,000 views. Furthermore, the video was featured on Chicago’s WGN Morning News. But following their fame, this video has been put in the hot seat and has been criticized as “rich kids boasting about what they have.”

This argument is completely invalid. While at first glance, it may appear as if people are battling about what their material possessions and trying to make one another feel bad, that is not at all what it is. The video is a lighthearted joke and a growing tradition at Lake Forest High School. Since the first video in 2005, LFHS students have been creating rap battles to demonstrate the hyperbolized divide between the two towns. In all the videos, they mock both towns and explain why each community is superior. These videos have always been seen as funny due to the fact that everyone knew it was a playful joke. However, in this day and age it seems no one can take a joke. We’ve seen so many things be taken too far, and this is one of them.

Ever since the video was picked up by WGN News, many adults have been attacking the students in the video and exploiting them for being “spoiled.” The fact that adults are attacking the students who orchestrated this incredibly creative and hilarious video is completely and utterly unacceptable. For those who only saw the video, you would be able to see that this is a school production, which includes our principal. Dr. Holland recites her opinion in the video and explains that Lake Forest High School is so great because of the combination of all three communities (Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood). To add to this point, that aforementioned fact that our principal decided to partake in this video shows its harmlessness. Everyone knows that there is no way that Dr. Holland would participate in this video if its intent was to be offensive in any way.

All in all, this video was meant for the 2018 Talent Show at Lake Forest High School and was made to make community members laugh. The fact that adults who do not even know the history of the rap battle, nor are even from any of the discussed communities, are distorting this video out of context into something completely blown out of proportion is disappointing. The fact that it went viral is extremely exciting for anyone and everyone involved in the video. These adults should not ruin it for them by trolling on Facebook and leaving ignorant comments intended to hurt high schoolers less than half their age.