Should we be protecting our students from ideas and dialogue?

With midterm elections right around the corner, I think it's a good time to reflect on how much more polarized the country seems to have become, even in our lifetime.

It's scary stuff, and I think we need to take a long hard look at how we view people whose opinions are different than ours, even if we truly believe someone is delusional/misled/being manipulated by "fake news" (a separate and altogether horrifying element). I know from personal experience that it has become damn near impossible to keep from feeling like the other side of the argument is represented solely by rabid maniacs. Much of this is exacerbated by traditional news media coverage, but we are complicit in how we react to each other at least on an individual level.

Social media makes it so easy to fall into the echo chamber effect, where because of the things we've "liked" before, we see more and more related content until we're only seeing the side of the argument we've accidentally (or purposely) decided is the "right" one. At that point it becomes difficult not to vilify anyone who could possibly interpret the situation differently.

Tangentially related to the current investigation into the history of the admissions process at Harvard, the stated purpose of creating diversity in universities is to allow diversity of ideas and opinions and viewpoints as much as it is about the diversity of skin color. But what happens to this mission statement when visitors to these schools are booed off the stage for stating their well-known opinions which may be deemed to be hateful by some percentage of the audience? What happens when professors are fired for teaching subjects which could be seen as offensive to some number of outspoken and/or radical students? Where is the line supposed to be between making all students feel safe and exposing them to the very ideas they may need to find a way to work with, or actively combat, for the rest of their adult lives?

Schools are in a bit of a tough spot where they have to navigate the troubled waters between effectively preparing their students for the "real world" and still doing right by the students and donors who largely fund them in the first place. So what's to be done when it comes to teaching subject matter like rape/sexual violence? To having members of opposing political parties speak on the relevant issues of the day? To providing a nourishing and effective education to such a diverse population of students with diverse needs and demands?

Lemme tell ya, I do NOT have the answers here.

It seems to me that the polarization we're experiencing in this country is highlighted in universities (largely deemed to be liberally-minded populations), but could this maybe be a good thing? Not only does it throw up a bright flare that some shift is happening and someone needs to be paying attention, but it gives us the opportunity to ask these bright young people to think about how to solve such a complicated issue. To be clear, we should not force them to shoulder the burden of fixing everything that has been screwed up! Instead, we should be working with them to come up with new ideas on how to unite both sides before we tear each other apart.

In an incredibly informative and alarming series of conversations, The Atlantic has published an article and a follow-up interview separated by three years, asking questions just like these which got me thinking a lot about what it means to safeguard and educate the next generation of brilliant minds.

Are we, through inaction or ineffective solutions, allowing or even expediting the coddling of the young American mind? Should we be protecting them from hardship or adversity, or do we need to take a more heavy-handed approach? Do these brilliant young people know better than we do about tolerance vs. complicity?

What can students expect about the world after they finish school if they have been permitted to decide what they will or will not tolerate when it comes to studying the most divisive topics? What can we expect from them as they enter the real world to challenge our beliefs of what is or is not acceptable?

I think this moment in time deserves careful contemplation of the values we hold closest and an honest acknowledgement that voting on party lines isn't always going to bring around the kind of change we want most to see in the world. The next time we're triggered by something we read online about a current event, I think we all could use some introspection and to take a deep breath before we mutter about the other side being unbelievably wrong. Let's take a moment to ask ourselves what a sane person on the other side of the aisle would have to say about the issue and try to work with each other instead of against each other.

Most of all, I wonder: what is the next generation of young voters going to think of us after the dust settles on this era?

All that said, regardless of what you believe, in this country you have the right and the responsibility to vote and for your voice to be heard. In these increasingly divisive times, make sure you're doing your part to put your vote where your heart is so that real change can be had.

Do your part to put out the dumpster fire that is the current political climate and be kind to your fellow humans. Now more than ever we need to connect meaningfully with each other and to be compassionate towards people who may not agree with us.

And if all else fails, snuggle your pets.