Why have the parameters of an opinion become so contrived that an opinion is no longer an honest assessment of a person's beliefs? Perhaps the perpetuation of a newfound American mentality is hurting more than it’s helping. The problem arises in social issues such as politics and economics and eventually engulfs the entire spectrum of controversial topics. What once were innocent and often times invigorating debates have recently become stigmatized. Lukianoff and Hadit's article, “The Coddling of the American Mind," discusses the boundaries set on the new generation of Americans in the way they approach and deal with daily issues. Classrooms have been guilty of teaching in ways that limit the “real world” problems societies face. In doing so, we slowly give up the right to form opinions without being shamed if they do not conform to those of others.
The use of trigger warnings — a precursor to serious or potentially emotional topics — on college campuses and schools all around America keeps the public uneducated on social and controversial topics. The problems with these “trigger warnings” are not only that they don’t address issues but the reasons behind why they don’t address them. Reasons such as emotional responses and fear of offense all breed a distorted reality. According to Lukianoff and Hadit, “the ultimate aim, it seems, is to turn campuses into 'safe spaces' where young adults are shielded from words and ideas that make some uncomfortable." When these students are then approached with a situation outside of the classroom and in the "real world" that challenges "the opinion to have" that they were taught, it is viewed as wrong or offensive.
Since when is challenging an idea considered offensive? America was built on challenge and opinions that defied the rest. The fear surrounding statements takes away from the innocence of these opinions as well as their importance. While it is true that people may be insulting or degrading toward others in their beliefs, these opinions are a factor in which people base their own and have the freedom to decide what is right and wrong. Freedom of speech without limits is having the power to voice an opinion without the fear of being ridiculed or ostracized. When limits are placed on opinions, they are also placed on this freedom that we as Americans have. Incoming generations, as well as our own, are being robbed of these freedoms.
The environment of a person shapes who they become. By having the environment of a classroom that shelters through overwhelming amounts of security and hypersensitivity, the population becomes unable to discuss an idea without the fear of being judged or told they are wrong. Discussion becomes obsolete and people immediately resort to topics that are said to be “acceptable." Freedom of speech is becoming concealed by the boundaries society has set for itself. With this, opinions become uniform or unspoken, and people resort to a state of conformity instead of exploration because with so many parameters sometimes it’s easier not to state your opinion at all. Without opinions, progress cannot be made.
