Speech: The Importance of Free Discourse in a Democratic Society

Enter Sameer Paila a DHS Junior who strongly believes that our generation faces a Constitutional Crisis.

Welcome to the Elephant in the Room Blog! My name is Matthew Kang a current senior at Dublin High School. With this blog I hope to open your mind to different perspectives, thoughts that you may not have thought of, opinions and views you disagree with, stories that will make you laugh, cry, and think. Yes, that's a lot of goals, especially for a first time blog-writer, but hey I'm going to do my best. Since we are trying something new, please feel free to contact me via email at mknyc05@gmail.com if you have any comments or thoughts on how we can improve this blog; we are open to any suggestions! And yeah, we'll see how this all goes. Alright well that's enough from me. Below you is a speech. A speech made by Sameer Paila, a DHS junior, at one of our EITR gatherings (click on "events" to learn more). I hope you enjoy :).

- Matt Kang

“Therefore, the next time you feel angry, frustrated, or disgusted by what someone else is saying, I urge you to avoid using an attack on their identity or character as an outlet for your dissent.”

Full Transcript of Speech

*Beginning of Transcript*

On September 17, 1787, the world witnessed the signing of what was perhaps one of the greatest documents ever drafted in the history of mankind: the United States Constitution. In 1791, the Bill of Rights, a series of 10 amendments guaranteeing individual protections to the citizens of the United States, was ratified and appended to the Constitution. The amendments contained within the Constitution are what guarantee you, me, and everyone else in our country access to basic individual rights. They are a set of legal and moral principles which ensure that the government cannot rule over its constituents in an oppressive and tyrannical manner. They are the standards that have forged what is arguably one of the most prosperous nations in history.

Unfortunately, our generation is in danger of undermining the first amendment of our Constitution - the amendment that promises all of us with a right to freedom of speech and expression. In efforts to prevent racism, sexism, and bigotry in our society - all extremely well-intentioned goals - we have inadvertently created an environment of dividedness and hyperpolarization.

Examples of this happening can be seen at a multitude of college campuses around the nation. When controversial speaker Milo Yiannopoulos came to UC Berkeley in 2017, protests against his presence turned violent, and even ended up injuring innocent people. Many of Mr. Yiannopoulos’s views are intolerant and objectively wrong. Despite this fact, I still maintain that it would have only been correct to provide Mr. Yiannopoulos with the platform to speak. Inevitably, people will ask me why? Why would I have provided someone with bigoted views the opportunity to speak at an American educational institution? To this, I answer that you cannot respond to hate with hate. This is the number one most effective mechanism for breeding more hate. It is a repetitive pattern that we have seen throughout human history, it is exactly what we saw at UC Berkeley, and it is exactly what we will see again if we fail to learn from our mistakes. To quote the words preached by Dr. King during the African-American Civil Rights Movement, you must always love your enemies, for it is the magical powers of love and human compassion that make compromise possible.

Recently, I watched a TED talk made by an African-American man by the name of Daryl Davis. Davis had grown up in the suburbs of Boston during the 60s and at the age of 10, he had joined the boy scouts. As his troop marched, a mob of white people began selectively attacking Davis, who was the only black boy scout in his troop. Being a 10 year old, Davis did not understand what racism was. He was perplexed by the idea that someone could hate another person solely on the basis of their skin color. So, during his adolescence, Davis took to reading several religious and philosophical texts to gain an understanding of this ideology. Nowhere could he find the answer to his questions.

As a result, Davis went directly to the source of the problem. He contacted Roger Kelly, who was the Imperial Wizard (AKA the national leader) of the Ku Klux Klan and arranged for an interview with him. Over time, Davis befriended Kelly. That’s right, a black man befriended the head of a white supremacist cult in America. How did he do it? He listened. He sat down and listened to the perspective of Kelly and that of the KKK as a whole. So strong is the power of listening in fact, that Davis was eventually able to convince Kelly to leave the KKK altogether.

From these accounts and my own personal experience with debating those who disagree with me on campus, I learned an important lesson that I think is worth sharing. Ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds hate. I will say it again. Ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds hate. That phrase is one that I truly hope will resound with you all for years to come.

From this, we arrive at a consensus: if discourse is to provide for the elimination of ignorance from our society, two basic principles must be followed. First, both sides must listen to each other. Second, both sides must be able to articulately respond to each other. However, the fulfillment of the second is directly dependent on the fulfillment of the first. After all, how can you expect to argue with someone if you don't even know the premise of their argument in the first place?

In the American political scene, or really any environment that involves discourse, it is when we fail to listen to one another that we give way to ignorance. This, in turn, makes us afraid of those who disagree with us. It makes us want to oppose the views of those who disagree with us at all costs. Since a compromise can no longer be reached through meaningful dialogue, people turn to violence and other more coercive methods to enforce their beliefs on others. This is exactly the pattern of behavior that we are seeing right now.

So, we have now arrived at the ultimate inquiry. What can our generation do to prevent threats to free speech before it is too late? More specifically, how should we strive to conduct ourselves in the arena of public discourse to encourage a culture of tolerance and rationality?

The question boils down to a matter involving individual choice. Of course, it can be very frustrating to have to sit and listen to an argument from ignorance being made by a white supremacist or a Neo-Nazi. But, at the end of the day, you are presented with two options.

Option one involves the refusal to listen to your opposition; a situation in which you characterize yourself in the same way that a racist, bigot, or sexist characterizes himself. Option two involves a situation where you can actively listen to your opposition; a situation which lends itself to the unique possibility of you being able to expose the absurdity of their stances to the rest of the world.

Therefore, the next time you feel angry, frustrated, or disgusted by what someone else is saying, I urge you to avoid using an attack on their identity or character as an outlet for your dissent. Instead, I recommend that you take a step back and breathe for a moment. I ask you to recollect yourself and approach your opposition with patience, tolerance, and a capacity for human compassion. Before lashing out in anger, ask yourself, do you truly know the people you so vehemently disagree with in your life? Have you reserved adequate time to sit down, learn, and thoroughly understand why those who disagree with you may feel the way that they feel? Finally, have you been proactive in making an effort to at least provide the people with whom you disagree with a platform to speak and be heard?

For these are the questions we should be asking ourselves to promote the upholding of our constitutional principles and national identity. These are the questions that demand immediate attention, for if left unanswered, we threaten ourselves and our fellow citizens with the absolute obliteration of our great union.

*End of Transcript*

I want to re-emphasize that we are not in anyway sponsoring individual posts here: We are sponsoring free discourse and open-mindedness. You may not agree with everything posted here. It's expected. I only can hope that you will all at least give each individual an opportunity to share their thoughts, whether you align you support it or not. Thank you, and I look forward to many more postings in the future!

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Want your voice to be heard? Want to learn more about Elephant in the Room? Want to become more involved? Feel free to contact mknyc05@gmail.com via email or our Instagram @dhselephantintheroom via direct message.

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