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This assignment originated with the summer reading textbook Student Voice, a collection of short student-written editorials, published by the New York Times. The students were assigned to read one from each category and annotate, about 12-13 essays. After we discussed several of the essays in the book, each student chose their own topic, wrote a first draft on paper, completed research, participated in peer review and feedback, and then submitted a final, polished third draft. There was a 500 word limit and they had to use two outside sources. Ms. Lowe picked the three strongest essays from each section for a total of 12 finalists. Those finalists were invited to FLEX to revise their essays once again. The revisions were passed along to a panel of judges, Mrs. Kanipe, Madame Tedder, and Ms. Lord, who narrowed down the winners.
Homosexuality is an abomination. Christians hate everyone. African culture is gross.
These statements are all things I’ve heard from the people around me. These words are aimed like arrows dipped in poison at the nearest person anybody can find with a difference of opinion. The arrow inflicts poison into the victim that serves to corrode their innermost thoughts and desires, turning them into a walking, talking skeleton—a skeleton who has been conditioned to stay silent because they fear being judged.
What I’m describing may seem like a foreign concept, but the truth is that this skeleton is all of us. Every person in the world has been wounded by these poisonous arrows and has been changed by it. We are a society fueled by the fear of judgment. We have felt the effects of the poison from these arrows and are now afraid to be hurt. We isolate, learning to fire arrows of our own to hurt others before they can hurt us.
This isolated society is most evident in the way we deal with politics. A 2014 study titled “Political Polarization in the American Public” conducted by Pew Research found that 27% of Democrats believed Republicans to be a threat to the United States, with 36% of Republicans feeling the same way toward Democrats. This chasm between parties is called political polarization, and as time passes, this chasm only widens. The growing nature of this divide can be illustrated by a study that was first conducted in 1960, which showed that only 4% of both Republican and Democrat parents expressed disapproval of the idea of their children marrying a spouse of a different political party, while when this study was recreated in 2019, these percentages grew to 35% for Republican parents and 45% for Democrat parents (Najle and Jones). This chasm creates a hostile and isolated society, in which it can take months and even years for necessary laws to be passed because of the hatred present between political parties. This isolation is debilitating.
But what we don’t realize as we isolate ourselves is that if we all just stopped firing our arrows for a moment and found a way to respect one another’s ideas, we could create an entirely new society. A society in which there is more space for ideas, and therefore for achievement. At home, neighbors can work together to create an environment most comfortable for both households, and in the world, politicians on all sides can work together to fight battles of oppression and poverty. When we stop casting our premature judgment, it benefits everyone. Not only can you learn from your neighbors' ideas, but this baseline of respect between all people creates a larger space in the world for your ideas. A space where more people can learn from your understanding. And who knows? They might even change their minds.
So the next time you find yourself pulling back the string of your bow, stop and rest for a moment on the thought of this greater society.
Works Cited
Najle, Maxine, and Robert P. Jones. “PRRI.” PRRI, 19 February 2019, https://www.prri.org/research/american-democracy-in-crisis-the-fate-of-pluralism-in-a-divided-nation/#_ftn6. Accessed 15 October 2023.
“Political Polarization in the American Public.” Pew Research Center, 12 June 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/. Accessed 6 October 2023.
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