As the environment in the United States grows steadily more polarized, it seems that many people are forgetting the fundamental values and rights that define America. About two weeks ago, a member of the sophomore class at Marblehead High School posted a controversial opinion about the women’s march that took place on January 20, 2018. The protest involved millions of people marching in large cities across the country, many of them protesting President Trump and his actions. This student’s post condemned the people marching, arguing that their message was disrespectful to the president and to America. Quickly, his Instagram followers responded. By the end of the school day, the post had gathered nearly 300 comments, many of which angrily disputed the student’s claims. Both at lunch and during classes, students could be heard heatedly discussing the post. Many reported it to Instagram in an effort to get the student’s account shut down.
I was horrified. Was simply stating a controversial opinion enough to garner dozens of students’ outrage and the risk of being banned from social media? In the past, it was not. Now, however, it seems that the level of tolerance for varying viewpoints has drastically decreased. One does not need to agree with another to respect that person’s right to hold an opinion. This is a message that has been overlooked by many of the students at Marblehead High School.
I do not dispute the right of students to respond to this post with their own opinions. Debate is and should be a primary aspect of a free society. What I object to is the belief held by many that this student’s action merits the shutdown of his account. He used words. Not violence or harassment, but words. Should it now be acceptable to shut down the speech of someone simply because his beliefs do not fall in line with the majority of the people receiving them? The right to free speech has been a bipartisan issue for hundreds of years. Why is it now becoming increasingly contested?
Marblehead High School usually feels very homogeneous politically. Most students have become accustomed to only hearing views with which they agree, so much so that when they encounter an opposing opinion, their first instinct is to revolt. In their minds, the opinions that they hold are unquestionably right, in large part because they have been surrounded solely by people who have told them so. They have fallen victim to confirmation bias, only seeking justification for ideas that they already support. As a result, they are entirely intolerant of any opposing ideas because they have never tried to understand why people might hold them. Instead, they ascribe negative motives that automatically render the opinions wrong and immoral. This is not okay, especially because it sets the precedent that anyone with controversial opinions will be effectively shunned by the community around them. The world is not like Marblehead High School. Outside of the tiny bubble that we all live in, millions of people hold beliefs that fall in different places along a vast spectrum. It is their right to do so. It is not anyone’s right to shut them down for it. It seems that many people at Marblehead High School must learn this lesson before the bubble is popped.