Social Justice: Why It's Important To Teach Blog #8

So I have mixed feelings about this topic. On one hand, I feel that the "America" today is VERY different from the "America" I lived in as a teen. There is so much surrounding being politically correct, and we (as a society) have to tiptoe around SO MANY issues, phrases, feelings, etc. "back in the day," that wasn't as much of an issue. These days you can't be sure what exactly will offend someone or hurt their feelings. And I actually didn't even really experience it that much until Eastern.

I have been told to "check my privilege," (a phrase that I have really come to dislike - as my "privilege" is Jewish/Russian and Korean), that I'm racist, I need to keep my opinions to myself, and I have no validity behind what I'm saying. The sad part is that these all came from a teacher here on campus. I had to fight for my worth in that class, and I feel that she didn't do that class justice. Just because I felt differently than her, and didn't agree with her on some points, I was automatically these things. I have never been so upset and frankly, embarrassed.

As a teen, I was once told that I was going to hell for being Jewish. I also dated a very nice boy (who I'm actually still friends with) and h broke up with him because I was Jewish. These things never really bothered me growing up, and I learned to take it in stride and be even MORE proud of who I am and where I come from.

The point of all these stories is that I do wish I had a class in high school that set me up for what social injustices of the world. I DO believe it is important to open up the eyes of students in what the world is made up of, and all the different components that go with it (men, women, straight, gay, etc..) without putting my own biases and opinions behind it. However, I DON'T believe that we need to tach tolerance to all situations. There will be times that someone will offend us, and we need to be able to stand up for what we feel is right in a dignified and respectful way. If we can teach our students to be patient and kind to one another, and leave all the name calling and labels aside, we can have a more harmonious life, and really begin to understand what social justice means.

http://www.tolerance.org/blog/why-teaching-about-social-justice-matters