A101 Team You’re “triggered”? Welcome to adulthood.
The freedoms and rights granted to us as citizens are not guaranteed in perpetuity. Generation after generation has to be vigilant to maintain the character and strength of our democracy. That’s why certain trends on college campuses are so worrisome. The current climate of political correctness and over-the-top social sensitivity has become an impediment to intellectual growth, by shielding students from new opinions and challenging ideas, and it threatens a core principle on which our nation was founded – the freedom of speech, even when ideas are unpopular, uncomfortable, or controversial.
For decades, college campuses have been bastions of creativity and the free exchange of ideas, and the ideal destination for young adults looking to expand their worldviews and challenge their assumptions. But college and university campuses have in many cases become places where our young people are scared of ideas. They are terrified of being uncomfortable or having to face opinions with which they disagree. Students shout down controversial speakers, engage in violence to prevent the spread of ideas, and demand that their professors alert them if they are about to engage in discussions that might “trigger” them. Students are no longer embracing the freedom of speech, but rather demanding freedom from speech.
What’s more, college is meant to prepare students for real life – to function in a world with great diversity among people with different backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. It’s supposed to help individuals think more critically about issues and the world around them. But this suppression of contrary thoughts and ideas does the opposite. It perpetuates an endless adolescence in which adults must shield younger adults from the world, to protect them from the realities they will encounter in the professional world and in daily life.
This is an unhealthy practice for a democracy. Our next generation of thinkers and the guardians of our constitutional system are learning that they can shun ideas and that being comfortable is of higher value than expanding their consciousness. During their formative intellectual years, college students are being taught that ideas are scary and it’s ok to hide from them. By coddling them, we don’t do them any favors and we risk damaging a core principle on which this nation was built – the free and open exchange of ideas.
During a time when our society is experiencing greater polarization than at almost any time in our history, it’s more critical than ever that we challenge our younger generations and force them to confront new ideas. It’s not just for their own good – it’s for the good of our nation.
