Los Altos High School and most other high schools inside of liberal bubbles such as Silicon Valley tend to pride themselves on being a bastion of free speech, diversity, and respect for differences. However, what many self-proclaimed righteous social justice activists and "tolerant" liberals do not seem to understand is that yes.. they do indeed respect diversity, people's differences, and freedom of speech - as long as it is somebody who agrees with their viewpoints and their viewpoints only. Below, I have gathered two news stories that seem to reflect and hit on the points which many people who respect themselves and choose to think for themselves and not move along with the herd notice on a daily basis at these institutions.
___________________________________________________________________________
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/liberal-but-not-tolerant-on-the-nations-college-campuses/2016/02/11/0f79e8e8-d101-11e5-88cd-753e80cd29ad_story.html?utm_term=.f5bfa2ce85a2
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/253641-obama-hits-coddled-liberal-college-students
Coming from the my own little Midwestern bubble, I definitely felt a culture shock when I moved here. I know that I have a huge bias towards the liberal point of view. (I wouldn't consider myself righteous, but I love talking about social justice and the complexities of social interaction). I am lucky to be in a place that, for the most part, accepts and agrees with my ideas and opinions.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I think conservatives are just as likely to fall into the trap of herd mentality- it isn't just a liberal bubble thing. I don't think anyone is preventing conservatives from sharing an opinion. As a liberal, I respect your freedom of speech to say your opinion, but I also believe that I have the freedom of speech to disagree with what you're saying. (I'm assuming you would consider yourself a conservative???). Respecting freedom of speech and diversity of thought doesn't mean welcoming an idea that I disagree with- although I openly admit that I can be a little mean and shrill sometimes.
Regardless, I think everyone, myself included, can benefit from open and respectful discussions with a variety of viewpoints.