A familiar narrative I hear today is, “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to get shut down," but not because they are afraid of talking in front of people or are unsure of their opinions. Friends of mine who have different opinions to the majority often feel their points will be misunderstood and subsequently shut down because they are ‘different’ and against whatever is believed by the majority. The ‘majority’ here, refers to any place in which one ideology is more prominent and accepted than the other.

If you haven’t guessed it, I’m talking about the competing values and ideals we are faced with today, both in our political opinions and social values. Two distinctive sides have emerged: one based on the ideals of what is today believed to be the democratic left, and on the ideals of a conservative right.

As an immigrant to the US, I take a partial stance to both sides because I believe each needs to be given its own, equal attention and scrutiny.

I have seen this dynamic unfold during my four years here, and the way in which both sides have shifted their stances and amplified specific points within the overall narrative.

What I’ve seen is a power struggle between the ideas of the two sides. Democratic values, associated with the left side of the political spectrum, are looked-upon more favorably and are more readily accepted as the common narrative for society’s values. At the same time, conservative values, associated with the right side of the political spectrum, are more readily shut down.

These values are also reflected in the ways in which people conduct themselves in society, or believe others conduct themselves. Each side is stereotyped by the characteristics of its representative people, their culture, their hobbies and their overall social statuses. Many of these assumptions are false and misleading.

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The tendency to shut down outside opinions is especially true in the college setting. Those who do not rally behind the mainstream narrative are looked-down upon and are not given the same platform for their opinions.

Somewhere along the way, we lost our ability to engage with others’ opinions in productive ways without feeling the need to shut down foreign opinions for simply being different to our own.

By doing so, we don’t invite others’ opinions onto the debate floor to be examined in a critical light. It’s become acceptable to take jabs at those who are ‘different’ to the mainstream but it has become unacceptable to turn the criticism inwards. Today, people are more ready to blame the other side than reflect on themselves based on what is being said to them. If people are willing to dish it out, they must also be willing to take it.

Yes, both sides are guilty of such behavior because taking direct jabs is an easy way to make a point to appeal to specific audiences.

Fighting for equality means listening to each other to understand, wholeheartedly and with an open mind, the opinions and values of the other side. We don’t have to agree but we should have the capacity for empathy and understanding of one another.