I absolutely support the burning of the American flag. Hell, I think it’s downright patriotic in a poetic sense.

This is an unpopular opinion but I don’t think it should be. Flag burning is an act of symbolic speech which is protected by our Constitution and subsequently affirmed by the 1984 Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson.

I’m a big fan of free speech and as a result am 100% in support of those who choose to express themselves by burning the American flag. Nothing is a bigger threat to our nation as a whole and our personal growth as individuals as our society’s obsession with political correctness.

Are you ready to hear something crazy? I am a bleeding heart liberal and damn proud of it. I’m a hippie through and through. I’m all about good vibes and spreading peace and love, man. Race and gender issues are so important to me that I am a Women and Gender Studies minor and want to work with a nonprofit when I graduate that deals with race issues and the criminal justice system.

So what’s so crazy? I HATE the idea of safe spaces and trigger warnings and all the other symptoms of our insane, politically correct society.

Yup. That’s right, I’m sick of hearing people complain about how they don’t want to be offended or how they need a safe space free from “racism” or “bigotry”. I’m even starting to think that college may not be all that it’s cracked up to be since it seems like every other day another campus is protesting and disrupting speakers who are too conservative for their liking (I’m looking at you Rutgers and DePaul).

So yeah, I’m angry. Trigger warnings and safe spaces are not only idiotic but downright ignorant. What bothers me the most is the willingness to silence those who go against our beliefs. Why? Anyone who claims they need safe spaces must inherently recognize that their argument is flawed. Why else would they refuse to listen to someone with an opposing view? Freedom of speech is meant to be a "freedom to" not a "freedom from". I can say what I want and you can too. However, we shouldn't attempt to silence one another because we don't like hearing what the other has to say,

I have taken a lot of blowback from comments I have made about instances in my personal life such as “The Chalkening” at Berry College this spring. People were upset that I had no issue with the fact that someone wrote “Trump 2016” and “Build The Wall” in sidewalk chalk outside of the Krannert Center, Berry’s version of a student union. In my mind it did not matter. Berry was not making an official endorsement and frankly anyone who was offended by it is overly sensitive in my mind. Is Trump a hateful man? Perhaps. Is his platform based on some faulty policy points? You could argue that (if you can even call them policy points). But at the end of the day, it is just words written on the ground. You have a right to be offended and I have a right to not give a sh*t. We cannot keep giving words power that they do not have. We should respond to opposing viewpoints with critique, allowing us to keep our views as they are, or compromise, allowing our beliefs and views to evolve as we learn more about issues. Calling someone a racist or a bigot does nothing productive and keeps us ignorant.

So burn your flags and use your racial slurs and please do and say these things around people who disagree with you. Just don’t be surprised if they respond with reasons you are wrong. Engage in discussions and surround yourself with people of opposing viewpoints.

At the end of the day, there is nothing that encompasses the founding principles of this nation more than burning our flag. We have the freedom to criticize the government and we have the freedom to offend people. So let’s exercise that freedom instead of avoiding important conversations out of fear of offending someone or instead of crying oppression whenever someone says something we disagree with.

America, it’s time to put on your big girl panties and deal with it.