Forming opinions in a judgmental world

 Growing up in Santa Monica, arguably one of the most liberal cities in America, has taught me that it takes a lot more than listening to your parents rant and rave about their own political opinions to be politically informed. I’ve come to believe that Santa Monica High School houses many parasitic relationships between parent and child. The more parents smother their children with their own opinions, the less space the children have to grow intellectually by doing their own research. Now, that's not to say that we should not take other people’s opinions into consideration — that’s how we come to a well-rounded conclusion. However, I do believe there is a fine line between inheriting an opinion for fear of not being accepted, and being brave enough to face the facts and form an opinion using your own mind. And, with the rise of social media, where algorithms are programmed to have highly opinionated click-bait articles popping up onto your feed every second, it’s getting harder and harder to find information without bias.To address this tricky question, it’s important to start at the root of it all: acceptance. Adolescence is all about acceptance—wanting to be accepted by your friends and family, wanting to fit in with what’s the trendiest “this” or “that” and of course, not wanting to be judged or hated on for what you believe. It takes a great deal of self-acceptance to be able to stand your ground in the face of a judgemental opposing opinion. The question of whether or not having your own public opinion is worth the ridicule you may receive is one that makes people scared. For some, it is a clear answer: it’s not. But for others, standing your ground is a priority, even if it means losing some of the people you love. For example, Vannah Rothstein grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Fairfax High School in 2015. As a child, she was raised by her bubbe, or grandmother, in an Orthodox Jewish household. However, over time she realized that her liberal opinions would not be accepted in such a traditionalist family and she began distancing herself.“As much as I appreciate my Jewish roots for what they are, I was indoctrinated in dogma. Every humanitarian effort and social movement I was introduced to was filtered through tikkun olam, meaning my family sees LGBTQ+ issues as irrelevant because they deny the existence of gays,” Rothstein said. “They don't partake in political activism because the only issues of importance to them really are those that are Palestine-related.” After coming to the realization that she could no longer live her life as an open member of the LGBTQ+ community and still be influenced by her family’s rigid religious confines, Rothstein separated herself from the Orthodox community, and began forming her own opinions about such matters. “The only time that my opinions are influenced by others is when those opinions are fundamentally based on my privilege. When a friend or peer of mine sees something problematic in my activism and tells me about it, I will be receptive and adaptive to whatever the problem at hand is. Aside from that, I feel like I'm a pretty independent thinker,” Rothstein said. However, Rothstein’s exercise of individual thought puts her in the minority of people her age. Charlie Dworsky-Hickey is a sophomore at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a school that is arguably even more liberal than Samo. He wholeheartedly believes that his liberal political stance has been affected by his geographical location. “I feel that it would make me feel insecure if I felt like me and my parents differed fundamentally,” Dworsky-Hickey said. “I instinctually believe what I believe, but I definitely think that that instinct was created by the environment that I was raised in and the very liberal environment that I currently live in.” For some people, the fear of being ridiculed for their opinions isn’t coming from their family, but their peers instead. Ryan Slinger (’16), grew up in a primarily conservative household in Santa Monica, and finds it difficult to go to a predominantly liberal high school with his right-wing perspectives. “It’s really caused me to stick out in class discussions. I got kind of targeted for [my opinions] in elementary school and it really messed me up a little bit, but over time I just really stopped caring about what people said and just voiced my own opinions but tried to do it respectfully so that I didn’t offend anyone,” Slinger said. Over time, Slinger’s opinions have evolved by taking in what his peers have to say and also listening to his parents debate their own sides of the political landscape.“My parents definitely had an influence on what I believe. I do disagree with them on some things, but as I’ve grown up and listened to them talk about their opinions, I’ve been able to chose my own opinions on specific topics,” Slinger said. Furthermore, my generation is one that has difficulty with maintaining calm discussions with people that have opposing views. We view opposing opinions as personal attacks. This may or may not have to do with the slow, but constant, deterioration of overlay between the two American political parties –- but regardless of this fact, many of us seem very unwilling to engage in a civilized conversation with a differently opinionated party. I know this to be true from personal experience. It could simply be my own personal aggressive nature, or it could stem from some deep rooted insecurities with being accepted. Whatever the case may be, I know that I have an extremely difficult time listening to opposing political opinions with an open mind. It’s a trait of mine that I’m not proud of. I want to be open-minded. I want to be well-rounded. But when someone starts spewing opinions I don’t agree with or find extreme, it feels like a fire is lit inside me and I can’t stay calm.  So where do we go from here? It seems as though every societal force is pushing us to follow suit with what the people around us believe. But there are ways to gather your information and form your opinion without inheriting it from people we view as superior. For one, we must constantly ask questions. Question other people’s opinions, question your own response to certain issues and question the source from which you are receiving your information. Questioning allows you to see all different sides of an issue, and let’s you reflect on the way you view the world. Also, you must find a way to let go of that fear of not being accepted. Of course, this is easier said than done. But I truly believe that once you make the decision to not care about whether or not your views fit the status quo, you will begin to live your life as you. Because in the end, isn’t that what an opinion is? It’s a part of what makes you an individual. And, it’s important to let your opinion be authentic, because only then will we have a full society of active thinkers.