Today, colleges everywhere have been promoting a "safe space." A safe space is defined as an area or an environment in which people can say what they want and can feel confident that they will not be judged or criticized for their beliefs or for how they identify. At my own college, many places on campus including where I work have been declared a safe space where people can be free to be who they are. Now, I am going to say something that will leave many people unsettled and more than a few of you will be angry with me. I do not believe in safe spaces.
Now, before a lynch mob comes after me let me clarify what I mean. I believe that the concept of a safe space is a good one. However, I do not believe that it is realistic in the real world. On a college campus having a safe space makes sense; however, I believe that in a way it sets students up to fail. If we are all being honest, safe spaces do not exist in the real world. In the real world, not all places of employment will ask a potential employee what their pronouns are. Some places will assume they go by Mr. or Ms. based on their name and how they look. I am not saying that this is socially just, however it is the way things are.
Safe spaces are a good idea in theory. The idea that someone can be "who they are and that no one will judge them" is a good idea, but it's unrealistic. The world is full of judgmental people. There are employers out there who claim that a certain candidate was the best person for the job, but in reality they may have gone with that person because they were white, or because they were not a woman. Some places of employment strive to be ethnically diverse and other places do not. This is not right, but I believe that it is something we have to accept. Be honest with yourself, would you really want to work at a place who did not want you because of how you identified or how you looked? I didn't think so.
In my lifetime, people have hurt my feelings time and time again. However, instead of looking for a safe space I have strived to prove those people wrong. I have taken their hateful words and channeled my anger into something productive. Tell me that I am not smart enough to go to college? I am currently on full academic scholarship. Tell me that I won't achieve much in life? Your words of spite and anger are what fuel my drive to succeed.
I believe that safe spaces are good in nature. However, by having them all around college campuses I believe they are setting up current students who have graduated to fail. It would be great if the world was a gigantic safe space and if everyone was treated equally and fairly, but that's not reality. Instead of having a safe space, encourage students to take those words that have hurt them and use them to their advantage. To me, there is nothing better than proving someone wrong. I encourage you all to break out of your safe space, embrace the words that hurt you, and use those words to fuel the fire of success within you.
