The show, “The Newsroom,” is famous for its opening clip where Will McAvoy sits on a stage and derails a young college girl for "foolishly" believing that America is a great country. He cites defense spending and calls Liberals losers, all while bringing a flashback to a "golden era" of our country’s history.
In truth, within the confines of our modern era, Liberals have won. They’ve hit the big time by being pervasive in the media and in educational thought. I’ve come to call it the “Echo Chamber,” and I’ve seen it called similar names by other people.
The true beauty of education is diversity in culture and thought. Each different opinion is to be praised and discussed for the sake of true learning. In a sense, this is still the case, except, of course, if you delineate from the path laid out before you.
At a recent lecture at DePaul University, Milo Yiannopoulos was threatened, interrupted and frankly harassed by a young group of men and women. (One, of which, was an ordained minister.) I get it, the man is a vulgar "take nothing seriously" Republican who's also a Trump supporter. Honestly, I’m still a bit confused about that one myself, but he speaks truth.
He talks about the underprivileged men unable to attend college, and recent statistics seem to agree with him. Young, white men have fallen behind in our education system. I’m not saying we need to stick up for whitey and raise him up, but it’s time we start questioning the narratives.
Diversity of thought, means accepting that sometimes you may be wrong. Objectivity is key for the sake of learning as well as debate. If both sides of the table come to an argument expecting to win, what is the point of the argument?
I suppose, for me, I am lucky. I am the epitome of a “privileged white male.” I’m a middle class young, white man, blessed with the opportunity for higher learning, but I want to see everyone be able to find a way to receive the education they desire, and I want that education to not be an indoctrination with common narratives. I want discussion and discourse for the sake of improvement.
An improvement of the individual can lead to improvement of society. So, I beg each and every person who would silence public liberty of thought to think for a moment. You may be right, and they may be wrong, but let them be heard. Let the masses, as a whole, decide the case. Don’t take it upon yourself to silence someone, lest you merely make them martyrs and make yourselves look like bigots.
I’m calling out everyone here. America can be good, and it can be a place of freedom for majority and minority alike, but only if we respect diversity of thought and condemn injustice, not conflicting world views.
To the students of DePaul and to the teachers, talk, don’t go run to your ideological safe spaces, meet on common ground and debate. Debate and let reason decide. If we lose discussion and reason, what use have we for college in the first place?
