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Safe (?) Spaces

What a boys' bathroom, high school Bible study, and College Democrats have in common

Sara Auger
Oct 31, 2016
Emory University
35
Safe (?) Spaces
The Harvard Kennedy School Citizen

At Emory, freshman have to endure the once a week, 50 minute nothing class. The faculty calls it PACE. We call it pointless. As I was wracking my brain for something valuable to say this week, I had a flash back to this class. One comment in particular, about safe spaces. The gist of this girl's thought is one that sounds really nice: everyone should be welcome and feel safe everywhere. The professors nodded appreciatively, but one guy disagreed. "Everyone is not meant to be welcome everywhere."

That got some shock from the more... sensitive among us.

However, in my quiet back-row way, I completely agree.

Now, I'm probably going to get a lot of cringes from the PC millennial generation for thinking that, but it's true. Obviously, some spaces should be safe for everybody. Places like a classroom. Dining hall. Library. Everyone should feel safe i these places, and their own dorm room or bathroom.

But I shouldn't feel welcome in the boys' bathroom. Guess why? Cause I'm not welcome in the boys bathroom. That is not a space meant for me.

I'm also not welcome in a support group for people who've been sexually assaulted, because I haven't been, and I;m not what that group was created for. I'm not welcome in a Bible study for guys, or for college graduates, or for high school students, because they're tackling issues that I'm not and I don't need to know about.

Before you get mad about it (if you are) think about it another situation. If you're a Black Lives Matter activist at a rally, would you want All Lives Matter supporters there? Would you want a BLM rally to be a safe space for ALM activists? Probably not. Or take America's least favorite people (but favorite "Baby It's Cold Outside" duet) Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

I guarantee Hillary's safe space doesn't have Donald Trump in it, and he wouldn't be welcome in her safe space (and vice versa.) Hillary wouldn't be welcome in my safe space either, and I wouldn't be welcome in a lot of safe spaces (here's looking at you, College Democrats.)

And that's okay. It is okay to not be welcome everywhere. It doesn't make the "intruder" bad, it doesn't make those intruded upon bad. It's like when your towel falls in the communal bathroom. It's no one's fault, but shouldn't we do our best to avoid it and be polite when it happens?

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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