By Swara Tewari and Helen Chao
Free speech has a different meaning to each of us and has played a different role in each of our lives. Listen to the podcasts below to explore our interpretations, stories and beliefs surrounding free speech.
BY SWARA TEWARI
BY ELENA KHAN
BY SHUVI JHA
BY HELEN CHAO
BY TINA LOW
sitting in his sophomore World Core literature class, discussing Islamic culture with those around him. He offhandedly comments that Islamic culture and Sharia law harbor traditionally sexist and bigoted values — in nature, oppressive to women. Immediately, a student (who will not be referred to by name to protect her anonymity) joins the conversation. In an emotional tone, she accuses him of being racist. Prasad looks around at his classmates’ faces. Some of them are looking at him with mistrust and uncertainty.
The damage is done. Maybe he is racist, they’re thinking. Maybe he’s the bad guy.
Prasad explains that he is used to being criticized. He holds marginalized, conservative-leaning viewpoints that clash with the status-quo, liberal viewpoint majority of MVHS. Initially, Prasad used to struggle with expressing his opinions, afraid that those around him would ostracize or criticize his view, and as an extension, Prasad himself. However, over time, he has improved his ability to gather enough courage to vocalize his opinions.
“I do think that my viewpoint would be viewed as a marginalized viewpoint [at] MVHS and I think that does play a factor in perhaps intimidating some people and they don’t really have the courage to speak up,” Prasad said. “I really don’t see too much reason for being afraid. I’m not saying that people should say whatever [they want], but my viewpoint is rational enough.”
Sophomore Polina Zinin agrees that those with marginalized viewpoints at MVHS are often singled out and criticized. Like Prasad, she has noticed that students are very quick to draw generalizations and label those with unpopular opinions as “racist” or “sexist.” She knows this, because she herself has been the victim of these accusations.
Zinin believes that women and men are not inherently equal, instead holding the belief that women are mentally and emotionally stronger than they are physically, making them suitable for the role of a caring, maternal figure, whereas men are the opposite — physically stronger than mentally or emotionally. She particularly finds faults with the Israeli government’s decision to call both males and females to serve in the military, citing that it contradicts the biological basis of what it means to be a man and woman.
“I don’t agree with [Israel's call for arms], because first of all, there’s still the natural instincts, like of being a mother, being more gentle and bringing comfort into the home,” Zinin said. “And men are more tough, they’re like leaders. Although women can be leaders, it’s just that there’s things that are more natural, or that we should be more gentle with women, in terms of gender equality.”
For these views, Zinin has been attacked by those around her, labeled as an “anti-feminist” and “sexist” individual. Still, these remarks don’t affect Zinin significantly; to this day, she remains open about her opinions.
Sophomore Nelson Mu also holds controversial political views. For instance, he supports the construction of Trump’s wall and also sees many pros to Trump’s presidency.
“During the 2016 elections, I was pretty against Trump,” Mu said. “I didn’t know much about him and he’d never been in politics, so I didn’t know any of his policies other than what he says, which is sometimes not exactly smart. Over time, I started realizing that our country hasn’t gone into civil war or turmoil as many people believe. Our economy is doing fine, we’re doing decently well in terms of international relations, with some struggles. But overall, our country is more or less the way it [was] like two years ago. Maybe even a little better.”
Like Mu, Zinin has noted that people tend to judge her personality and moral character based only on the marginalized viewpoints she expresses. For example, when she denounces the feminist movement, people often hastily assume that she is an all-around “bad person.”
“People might think that I’m bad because I’m saying ‘I’m neutral in this,’ and [they] would think that I’m going to be a bystander,” Zinin said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m neutral in everything. It doesn’t mean I’m just here for myself. I think of people as people. I’m just saying I’m neutral on a specific cause.”
Similarly, Mu believes that students at MVHS are quick to attack those with differing views, to both portray themselves as standing on higher moral ground and to maintain the liberal environment.
“I think one issue we have is that we have an echo chamber where everyone just voices opinions, and then the only [ones] who are willing to stand up and say something [are] people who share that opinion,” Mu said. “No one’s willing to disagree with another. We want to keep our environment so [politically correct], so squeaky clean that nobody dares to say anything against the mainstream idea or else they face criticism for absurd charges: sexism, misogynism, racism. It goes on.”
While Prasad does believe that those with marginalized viewpoints should express themselves, he believes that if they are doing so in school, they must find the appropriate time to do so to ensure that they aren’t disrupting the learning environment. Prasad also tries to vocalize his opinions when he’s certain that he’ll have the chance to fully explain them.
“If you're in a room with a bunch of people who are just intent on disagreeing with you, it might not be the best time or place to express yourself,” Prasad said. “[Also], the thing with school is that you have to find the appropriate time — if you're in your math class, and you say ‘I support Trump, I support Clinton,’ you're there to learn and maybe expressing yourself can be rude to the people there and perhaps not prudent.”
Prasad believes it is imperative to choose the right time to express his opinions because he doesn’t want a repeat of the scenario that occured last year in his literature class, when one emotional accusation turned several people against him. He explains that some people may not be open to having a two-sided conversation about a sensitive topic, and in these cases, Prasad doesn’t even try to vocalize his views.
“As far as it goes to [anonymous] judging me, I don't want to sound rude but I can't care less because I could tell right from the situation what kind of a person she was and how she was kind of quick to accuse,” Prasad said. “More than [anonymous] taking offense to it, which I could see really had no reason behind it, it was the opinion of the students surrounding who were a third party. Factors like those can easily eclipse the argument that she put in the first place, about my use of the word.”
Zinin agrees with Prasad that as someone with unpopular opinions, it is important to select the right time to speak out. When she encounters a particularly close-minded person who would automatically reject her ideas, she refrains from vocalizing her views.
“I just don’t speak out because I feel like people are ignorant in certain areas, like when they continue saying specific stereotypes or they just have one opinion, they just see one side, [and] it doesn’t do any good by trying to put them on the spot because they’re not going to know the full story and they’re just going to continue saying what they think,” Zinin said. “The person who has nothing in his head keeps on chattering but the person who is knowledgeable, he decides to be quiet.”
Prasad explains that in middle school, it was very easy for him to get sucked into popular opinion, and he had to actively fight against the pull of the liberal viewpoint to discover his own authentic views.
“My parents were always just constantly criticizing Trump. It just got ingrained into my mind and parents do make the behavior of their children,” Prasad said. “I found myself just dragged into the left side and I realized that if I paused to think for myself, I could develop opinions of my own, which would ultimately be the best for me, whether my opinions are shared by the majority or not.”
Prasad explains that the situation in his literature class was particularly unfair because his accuser’s emotional tone clouded the other students’ judgement, making him appear like the villain. He felt very misunderstood and that the scenario taught him that as someone with marginalized views, he would always have to fight to be heard and understood.
“With [anonymous], she essentially got away with accusing me of using racist language and that's just not okay,” Prasad said. “I think several factors were on her side that prevented me from seeking justice. I’m not seeking justice but I let it slide. I’m generally a resilient person. I think everyone with a marginalized viewpoint should have some sort of resilience since they’re encountering something different than what they believe everyday.”
Mu agrees that making MVHS a more tolerant environment for those with marginalized views is important. His vision is a community where everyone feels safe expressing their views, and mature conversations on political and social issues are able to take place.
“I really don’t take these insults at face value,” Mu said. “If anything, I take them as a reflection of the fact that we still have a lot of work to be done, that the day that we can have educated conversations about topics that don’t end up devolving into mud slinging, is the day that we’ve done our job as informed citizens.”
Sophomore Nelson Mu has an Instagram account dedicated to political conversation. Explore the gallery of his Instagram stories to understand his political views.
Saudi Arabian columnist and champion of free speech Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by operatives in the Saudi consulate. It was the year of censorship, when 251 journalists around the world were imprisoned for reporting the truth. It was the year of intolerance, when guest speakers at college campuses across the country were uninvited or discredited because of opposing political views.
From China to India to South Korea, it was the year that free speech was tested around the world, as seen in the following students’ stories.
Part 1: Wenyu Chen:
Beijing, China
Junior Wenyu Chen was a mere fifth grader when she packed her bags, took her belongings and moved to the U.S. with her family. There, she encountered a plethora of different social groups, ideas and experiences — a stark contrast to her life back in China.
In Beijing, where Chen lived from 2002 to December 2012, life followed a repetitive, constant pattern. She went to school, spent time with her friends, studied — a routine similar to the typical American kid’s way of life.
However, there was a slight difference.
Back then, Chen was a member of the Young Pioneers of China movement, an organization for youth between the ages of six and 14 that fell under the Communist Party. As part of this group, the then-elementary-schooled-age Chen donned a red scarf to school, a piece of red cloth worn around the neck to symbolize the blood sacrificed by the martyrs of the Cultural Revolution. In the classroom, Chen recalls how students seldom voiced their opinions, having grown up in an environment that emphasized order and respect for authority above all else.
So when she moved to California, what surprised Chen the most was not the change in weather, language or culture, but the change in the classroom environment. She was amazed by the ease at which students expressed themselves and their opinions, regardless of how controversial they may be. She notes that this was certainly not the case in China, where people usually went along with what the government said.
“I was really surprised that students were discussing a lot of politics and policies, and how people had opposing opinions about it,” Chen said. “But in China, we don't really talk about it. I feel like people are more aware of their freedom of speech here, and then in China, people are more cautious about what they say about the decisions that the government makes.”
For Chen, this access to freedom of speech, in combination with the U.S.’s emphasis on the individual’s power to evoke change through protests and marches, was a refreshing change. In fact, Chen believes that this inability to express one’s beliefs is one of the main reasons why those living in China often don’t have many opinions.
This was certainly true for Chen, who realized only after coming to the U.S. that she didn’t have much to say about politics and global events. However, after four years of living in California, Chen is no longer hesitant about sharing her views, whether that be during a casual conversation with her friends or during a Socratic Seminar in her Literature class.
“So I feel like I can't express myself enough in one language — I have to use both languages to express myself and also I'm more open when I'm talking in English because it's like I'm more used to the freedom speech here, like I can talk about politics,” Chen said.
However, she notes that while it is true that China is more wary when it comes to free speech, this does not mean that speech is completely prohibited there. She cautions people to look beyond the global perception of China — being a seemingly Communist dictatorship where people die when they speak out — and to learn about the country’s history and culture before making an unfair judgment.
“We learn about China here in the United States as outsiders, and mostly about the government, so people cannot get a real picture of lives in China,” Chen said. “But to me, as someone who grew up in both China and the United States, learning about the country in a different perspective allowed me to look up the political side of China, and free speech is certainly different there.”
Part 2: Unnati Chandani:
Pune, India
“N---er.”
Sophomore Unnati Chandani whipped her head in the boy’s direction. Despite the orderly and organized manner of the classroom, she suddenly felt out of place. It is the first time she had heard anyone say the word out loud, straight to her face.
“Guys, that’s not okay,” Chandani replied, aware that the boy and his friends hadn’t intended to offend
her.
Chandani moved to Pune, India on Aug. 3, 2018. Prior to her family’s move, she lived in California her
whole life and attended MVHS her freshman year. Now, she attends an international school in Pune called Boston World School.
Moving across the world forced Chandani to adjust several different facets of her life. The almost completely opposite time zones between India and the U.S. presents a major challenge for her communication with friends at MVHS. She admits that she’s drifted apart from many of her previous friends, lucky to maintain strong friendships with only a few.
However, what Chandani finds hardest to adapt to isn’t this new hurdle in communication. The stark contrast in their freedom of speech was what struck her the most.
“[In India,] anyone can say what they want to say and no one's going to get offended — they'll just laugh it off as a joke,” Chandani said. “But I feel like in America, if someone wants to say what they say in India, no one would be okay with it.”
According to her, in India, many more teenagers are accustomed to racist and stereotypical phrases compared to in America. She also acknowledges that those around her never intentionally mean harm. Instead, they have grown up in an environment where it has been socially acceptable to joke with such language, differing from what she grew up with in America. According to Chandani, this free manner of speech in India presents one main benefit.
“No one takes offense at all,” Chandani said. “The environment is really chill — no drama — and people definitely use it to their advantage.”
However, it is difficult for Chandani to leave her previous California mindset behind. She notices that students tend to unconsciously decrease their usage of racist or homophobic phrases such as the n-word, which they previously used to throw around without hesitation. Her friends have now grown more aware of what they say and express.
Chandani feels as if introducing this American culture to her classmates has changed her community for the better.
“Obviously, I would prefer the U.S.’ freedom of speech because it's more restricted to appropriate language,” Chandani said. “Back [in India], you can say anything you want. But back [in America], it was more civil.”
Part 3: Annabelle Choi
Seoul, South Korea
Twelve years ago, sophomore Annabelle Choi moved from Seoul, South Korea to the U.S. Unlike Chen, she grew up in an environment similar to America’s society, where people are also accustomed to freely speaking their mind when it comes to politics.
However, if it wasn't for the Korean Civil War, Choi believes that her experience in Seoul would have been vastly different. For her, the most important aspect of a country’s right to expression are the free speech standards that were set after the war.
“[Back then] people were oppressed under the president,” Choi said. “And by just looking at the incident where we took down our last president because she wasn’t a good president, you can tell that the country doesn't really differ [from the U.S.].”
Choi refers to South Korea's former President Park Geun-hye, who was imprisoned after being found guilty of abuse of power and coercion. Choi believes it is this conviction in 2017 that largely influenced South Korea’s increasingly open attitude towards free speech, one of the most recent and major political movements.
Though, legally, the two countries share many similarities, Choi noticed one major difference when she moved to America — the contrasting environment that mainly welcomed those who strayed from the accepted norm, such as immigrants or members of the LGBTQ communnity. An environment where citizens freely expressed their own beliefs on such issues and didn’t hesitate to speak up against someone opposing their beliefs.
Before Choi had moved to America, she had never seen someone of an Indian background. She had never seen someone come out as anything other than straight. She wasn’t used to seeing those with religious beliefs other than Buddhism or Christianity.
“With LGBTQ, people in Korea wouldn’t really understand [if you came out],” Choi said. “No one would shut you down and say, ‘oh, gay people are bad,’ but it's definitely misunderstood more there.”
Choi attributes the stereotypes that some Korean citizens may have due to the lack of racial diversity. According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), by the end of 2015, foreigners consisted a mere 3 percent of South Korea’s population, while in the United States, one in five American citizens were immigrants as of the year 2017. She notes that many of those living in South Korea find themselves in her similar position before she moved to America, who also accept these assumptions about a group of people since they have no prior experience to show them differently.
With such common stereotypes and misunderstandings, Choi notes that it is hard for those with new or different ideas to vocalize their own opinions.
“These stereotypes in Korea do, to some extent, restrain people from expressing their ideas about controversial concepts; however, people are definitely starting to speak up more, as they are more likely to be exposed to unfamiliar topics such as sexuality in today’s society,” Choi said.
