Last summer, I wrote an article here on Odyssey called "Why We Should Stop Legitimizing Race" to express my opinions and frustrations about racism and how we talk about race, especially as social media student activists at Haverford. In the article, I shared my life experience and how it has shaped my understanding of race and racism, and it was written in response to backlash I faced for saying that we are one human race.
The article was very successful, and it was shared over 300 times, which is something I appreciate to say the least. However, I faced a lot of negative responses that received a lot of support, even with some support for borderline personal attacks by one of the people who responded to me on Facebook. I tried to tune out those responses, and the following week I proceeded to write an article about cultural appropriation.
Before the article was published, I shared my opinion from the article in a Facebook status, an opinion that disagreed with the entire mantra of cultural appropriation but agreed that there were legitimate problems that people are trying to address in the framework of cultural appropriation. Some of the responses I was greeted with were even more hostile response than those I received for my first article. It's not like I dismissed the frustrations shared by those who talk about cultural appropriation. In fact I did my best to acknowledge them and I tried to provide an earnest solution to address the root of one the problems. But some treated my response as if it were the most offensive and insensitive thing that anyone could possibly say. Some people close to me told me I should not have posted that status, and a lot of people whom I consider friends supported the most visceral responses to what I said. Ever since, I have felt too discouraged to write anything new.
After my status about cultural appropriation, Odyssey published two articles I wrote, including the article about cultural appropriation. Then I stopped responding to inquiries from Odyssey editors, until Monday, October 12th, when I was asked whether I planned on writing any more articles. I finally explained how I felt about writing.
That made me think about all of this and forced me to finally confront my feelings about writing. I realized I shouldn't have those feelings, not in an environment that is supposed to be an open-minded institution for higher education. But there are those in the Haverford student body who are far from open-minded. The least open-minded are a vocal minority telling everyone how to think; the ones guilt-tripping the student body on the basis of morality to support their feeling-based opinions; and the ones who aspire to be activists but are absolutely intolerant of any opinions that don't completely coincide with their own, and view those opinions as existential threats (and I'm not even saying that as hyperbole). These are the same people who responded with hostility to my first article and to my Facebook status, and the same ones who would assert that it's not them, but the moderate white student body at Haverford who are close-minded and intolerant. But the truth is, I have yet to be intimidated from speaking my mind by any white moderate or even conservative students at Haverford.
As long as this intolerant environment exists at Haverford, it's difficult to write for Odyssey or for any outlet, knowing I'm going to be discouraged from thinking critically and expressing those thoughts whenever they don't agree with Haverford's most liberal crowd. This is not coming from a conservative, a dead-center moderate, or even a non-minority. My opinions tend to be liberal; but the crowd does not tolerate some of those opinions, because those opinions are not liberal enough, or at least they're not the right kind of liberal, and hence they are treated like blasphemy.
All I want to do is give my honest two cents on topics such as social issues that are being discussed by my peers, especially when I believe those issues pertain to my life, whether or not my opinion makes the crowd comfortable. I just want people to respectfully listen to what I have to say with an open mind, because I'd like to think I have something to contribute; especially since I recognize that I have a rare life experience, one where I've had the opportunity to live abroad and grow up in an international environment. But I know that there are those in the most liberal crowd at Haverford who believe my experience, privileged and uncommon for a person of color, invalidates my voice on social issues such as race and racism even though they undoubtedly pertain to my life.
It's hard to write in an environment where those people, backed by what seems to be everyone's support, can shout me down in the most disrespectful manner possible whenever I voice an opinion that makes them uncomfortable with nobody to defend me or my personal respect except for myself. And I know there are many others at Haverford and in the Bi-Co who feel the same way and have experienced those situations as well.
I understand that in journalism writers are faced with criticism, and a lot of times that criticism is incredibly disrespectful. I also understand that there are many times where people will strongly disagree on issues and the conversation will become polarized and emotional, and people will lash out at each other. But there's a serious problem when one political crowd discourages any disagreement with their ideology through intimidation as a moral authority in an environment where people are supposed to learn how to think for themselves.
For more than a month I was dissuaded from writing after some of in that political crowd responded to my independent thoughts with hostility, intimidation, and disrespect. But at the end of the day, the backlash should not have dissuaded me. Not only is it wrong to threaten journalistic and personal integrity by discouraging others against thinking for themselves; it also reflects weakness, insecurity, and lack of integrity on the part of those who do so. It is not a sign of their strength, confidence, honesty, or morality. And as hard as it might be to continue expressing your thoughts in spite of the backlash, it's also wrong to give in and stop. Hostile, intimidating, and disrespectful responses should never dissuade you from thinking for yourself and expressing those thoughts; nor should you validate and empower those responses by giving in. And that's why I will continue writing.
