For someone who’s still figuring out where they are when it comes to politics, religion and social situations, college should be the perfect opportunity to explore and discuss new ideas with friends and classmates.
When we’re younger, it’s easy to simply accept our parents’ views without thinking for ourselves. When coming to college and living on our own for the first time, it’s tempting to quickly abandon the teachings of our parents for more liberal views.
Of course, students should examine new areas, make decisions, question everything and yes, solidify old ideas. However, when we come to college there can be such a flood of new ideas that students are forced to absorb everything without time to properly process it all, as we previously failed to properly process our parents’ ideas. Switching from one extreme (passive acceptance) to another (total rejection) isn’t productive. It prevents the full exploration of complex issues.
To add to the overwhelming flow of new ideas, the active political environment of college pushes students to draw allegiance on one side or the other in complex debates they may not fully understand. Students can work to understand the issues surrounding these debates by reading the news and discussing what they’ve seen, but apathy and social pressure prevent them from taking time to pursue independent information. Instead, they receive their information as it is readily available: from headlines, Twitter, Facebook and opinionated friends. The student may then passively accept this information as they did before or instantly decide which group and set of opinions to adopt. When someone isn’t willing to decide that quickly or to fully align with new opinions, he or she is dismissed as weak.
This judgment continues as we enter college. We meet new people and attempt to introduce ourselves in a few short phrases. As soon as I begin to describe myself, I expose myself to judgment: Caucasian, middle class, moderate Republican/Libertarian, Christian. It’s sad how much of a stereotype I could become.
But I’m not. I’m in full possession of my own ideas about the world. Yes, these have been influenced by my family, but I’ve taken the time to explore these ideas on my own. My ideas may be flawed and it’s difficult to fully explain them in simple terms because they’re still developing.
Unfortunately at U. Nebraska-Lincoln, our idea of “Christian” is defined by the protesters with giant crosses near the Broyhill Fountain. Our idea of “conservative Republican” is the Rick Perry’s unpopular opinion meme. Issues have become so split by party lines that as soon as you label yourself, you adopt every flaw pertaining to “your side.”
Yes, we associate certain groups with certain characteristics for a reason. It makes it easier for us to break down and process the world around us. This is how we come up with stereotypes which, though not entirely untrue, limit our view of people as labels instead of a set of personal beliefs.
I enjoy debates in academic and social settings, but when my charmingly-liberal friends begin to bond over how much they hate the Republican presidential candidates and everything they stand for, I get quiet. I will be the first to admit several of the candidates are more than a little ridiculous and the GOP is in need of serious change. However, that doesn’t mean everything they say should be disregarded and every Republican is a fool.
When my friends begin to talk, I could speak up, but I know they won’t agree with me. It’s incredibly daunting to be the one voice of dissent, especially when you value the opinions and friendships of those you are contradicting. The harshly liberal environment of college has made it so we cannot openly discuss different opinions without seeming to bow to “the other side” and the constricting views of our past.
When examined, any group will show its flaws in terms of open communication. In no way do I wish to imply those on the liberal side are the only ones who limit their view of the world by adopting hard-line opinions. However, it’s wrong for any group or individual to believe if someone doesn’t like the same things in the same way for the same reasons, that person is wrong. Nor is it right for one to be considered weak if he or she isn’t willing to join abrasive debates because they have moderate views.
I don’t believe we should silence our beliefs for the comfort of others. But I also don’t believe those with strong beliefs should dominate those who are less vocal about their views. Instead, we should understand the world is transitory and we can question beliefs without threatening anyone.
We are most educated and most prepared to defend our own beliefs when we take time to listen to others. UNL would benefit from more open communication between all groups and, most especially, individuals.