After reading and thinking about the Eight Values of Free Expression, the one value that really stands out to me, the one that I think is so important, is the sixth one – Promote Tolerance. I think that just about everyone in today’s society could learn to be more tolerant of opinions that they do not necessarily agree with. I believe that most people find it is much easier to lash out at those who express opinions that they do not agree with on social media than it is in person.
When I scroll through social media these days, it seems like if someone posts something praising or thanking a police officer, then so many people comment on how racist police are and call for “defunding the police.” Ever since Derrick Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd last summer, many people have been calling anyone involved in law enforcement “racist pigs.” But 99% of these people who are judging an entire profession by the actions of one “bad apple” would never dream of saying something like that to another person’s face. There’s a lot of intolerance in social media because people feel safe hiding behind their keyboards.
Critical Race Theory is another divisive issue that has been all over social media lately. Critical Race Theory developed from The 1619 Project, which is a collection of essays that was first published in the NY Times Magazine by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. “The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from the from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American Slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” (Hannah-Jones, 2019)
It seems like if you do not agree with the idea that America is a systemically racist country, then you yourself must be a racist. This is not tolerance. While I would agree that there are plenty of improvements that can be made in black history that is taught in American schools, viewing the entire history of the United States through the lens of slavery is not a true or accurate representation of our country. At the same time, Critical Race Theory is protected by the First Amendment, and it does have a place in education, as long as, in my opinion, it is not the only way American History that is being taught.
Instead of arguing about whether or not Critical Race Theory should be taught in our schools, wouldn’t it be better for teachers to explain as many different theories of American History as possible and then allow students to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each concept? Why should a teacher tell students what to think? Isn’t the job of a teacher really to teach students how to think critically and form their own opinions? And to demonstrate how to agree to disagree with someone in an understanding and tolerant way? Teaching, talking, thinking and debating the issue of race in our country with tolerance is the only way to prevent more tragedies like the killing of George Floyd from happening again and again.
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