During one of my classes the day after Election Day, my teacher asked the students how we felt about the result of the 2024 Presidential election. I replied with a smile and said I was happy. With that simple expression, I was met with an onslaught of insults and dirty looks from my peers. Reactions ranged from incredulity at best to repulsion at worst.

High schools are institutions meant to foster learning and critical thinking. Whether studying physics principles or debating historical texts, we always search for truth and knowledge. However, when we only hear from one side and cut out the other, we hinder our education. There is no debate if there is just one side. There is no pursuit of truth and knowledge if we shun ideas and opinions that differ from our own.

The problem is exacerbated by labeling, name-calling and ad hominem attacks, which can be hurtful and lead to social ostracization. As a result, students self-censor out of fear of saying something unpopular and being disliked, instead saying only what the community deems correct and not sharing their opinions if they go against the mainstream ideology of the community. This censorship of challenges to the status quo creates an echo chamber of ideas where only one side is featured. According to a GCF Global Article, “echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics.” The subsequent echo chamber effect causes students to hear only one side and form an “us versus them” understanding of the world where they are unable to engage in civil dialogue and connect with peers whose ideologies differ.

One of the high schools’ mantras is: “We create the culture we want.” We can create a culture based on respect for those with different views and a desire to understand them. As a school community, we should encourage diversity of thought. A diversity of ideas will not only help students gain a deeper understanding of their own beliefs, but also of the world outside of Brookline.

The school has a lot of work to do. It is on the administration to platform many different speakers and encourage free thinking and discussion. Teachers shouldn’t tell us what to think, as they often do at the high school. Rather it is on them to teach us how to think. And it is on students to make an effort to hear out their peers and not shut down opposing ideas and values. It is also on students to push through adversity and share their opinions. Even if your opinion is not the popular one, we will be better off if we hear it. I urge all of us to encourage and engage in open and civil discourse. We must promote the free exchange of ideas so the high school can become an institution where intellectual freedom, civil discourse and the pursuit of knowledge and truth can flourish.