Everytime I sit down to write about a political topic, I get this urge to yell at my computer screen. I don’t get this urge because I necessarily think my opinion is right or wrong. No, I get this urge because I know that the other side will not listen; many people on the left will not listen to the right, and many people on the right will not listen to the left. I feel like my work is falling on deaf ears. With all this said, I know who I am really talking to. I am talking to the people who care enough to listen and have an open mind. I am talking to the people who are willing to hear others opinions.
I had a great interaction at my work a couple of days ago. I was at lunch and one of my fellow employees, who I would've never thought was into politics, was watching "Infowars" on Youtube. When I asked why he was watching it, he responded with, “He talks about things that in someway affect me like, kind of like Bill Maher does.” He was referencing two sources that were complete opposites, but he was open to both of their opinions. To put this in perspective, he was looking at a liberal and saying “You have a valid argument let me hear you out,” then looking at a conservative and saying “You have a valid argument let me hear you out.” Is it really that hard? Can we not just listen to each other?
Recommended for you
Many liberals think that there is a gender wage gap. You may not agree with it but, at least hear what they have to say. Many conservatives will argue otherwise, you may not agree but, at least hear what they have to say.
We simply do not do this anymore. You have situations, like the one in Toronto where groups of feminists blocked doors to a Warren Farrell speech on men’s right issues at the University of Toronto, or like how men commit a much higher rate of suicides, and a plethora of other issues. Feminists blocked the doors and would not allow anyone to attend because his opinions, in their eyes, were harmful, and they refused to let him speak his mind. They refused to have an open mind and hear what he had to say.
This brings me to my next point. The best way to overcome hate speech or any other type of harmful speech is with more speech. You do not try to suppress their freedom of speech or try to make it harder for people to hear what they have to say, you speak out yourself!
Ben Shapiro gave a speech at CSUCLA called "When Diversity Becomes a Problem," which focused more on how we do not put enough emphasis on diversity of ideas, and too much emphasis on diversity of value and of race. Without any knowledge of this, many students protested, trying to block the entrance demanding his speech to be halted and for him to be kicked off campus. They thought that his speech was harmful, and instead of listening to it and then responding appropriately, they blatantly tried to prevent him from executing his First Amendment right. They didn’t listen to what he had to say, and they tried to prevent him from saying it. They never gave him a chance to be right, and fled to the conclusion that he was wrong.
So, in conclusion, listen to what others have to say, then respond, but most importantly, listen to what they have to say!
