I’m sure everyone is aware of the current war in Iran, started by the United States and Israel’s attacks. We’ve engaged with the latest news, viewed photographs on social media and might have discussed it with friends and family. Whichever way you’ve interacted with the war, you probably have an opinion. So why is it that when my peace and conflict professor asked my class what our thoughts were on the war, he was met with awkward silence and uncomfortable fidgeting?

I don’t believe Colgate students struggle to keep up with the assigned reading or lack original ideas, but I do believe students may be worried about social isolation or judgment for expressing an unpopular political opinion. The Harvard Youth Poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School in 2024 found that one-third of students are concerned about negative repercussions for sharing their political opinions at their college. Often, students prioritize feeling safe and comfortable over potential discomfort, social friction and fear of judgment. It may feel safer to remain silent than to speak and risk confrontation.   

Social repercussions are a real concern for Colgate students. I have found myself experiencing the sense of being overly perceived on our small 3,000-student campus. It’s hard not to feel like you’re living in a bubble when you run into the same 20 people in Frank Dining Hall every day. The feeling of negatively standing out is only exacerbated by Colgate’s exclusive, hierarchical Greek life and competitive academics. In our current political state, the stakes to say the right things are only getting higher, and on a small campus, things get around. Social media’s cancel culture has greatly contributed to this high-pressure ideology. No one wants to exit their classroom labeled as Colgate’s newest neo-Nazi. 

Sitting in my peace and conflict intro course, I noticed a classroom trend: students begin their discussion statements with “obviously.” I have heard many peers confirm their “correct” political stances with self-protecting phrases like “obviously the Holocaust was horrible” or “obviously I don’t think people should be enslaved.” This word choice reflects students’ desires to fit in with what society views as “obvious.” It seems indisputable that the Holocaust was atrocious, but we feel the need to state this anyway so no one gets the wrong idea. But it is indeed too risky to talk, because when a student in my class didn’t over-politely censor themself and used the terrifying word “vagina,” students made eye contact with their friends across the room and snickered. 

I personally feel the pressure to only share well-formed, polite, morally correct viewpoints, but I’ve been on both ends of this toxic relationship. I have left my classroom with a friend gossiping about a political opinion someone shared. But I was too nervous to share these thoughts with my whole class.

Constraints around expression are caused, in part, by an unwillingness to interact with viewpoints different from our own. Thinking about complex arguments requires effort, so the brain prefers shortcuts that reinforce existing beliefs. Also, contradicting ideas can feel threatening to our intelligence and moral self-image, resulting in emotional discomfort. Online, social media algorithms create echo chambers that reinforce our existing beliefs, and these filter bubbles manifest in our real lives as individuals tend to curate their social circles to reflect their online polarized viewpoints. That’s why I decided to privately converse with my friend after class instead of raising my disagreement in front of everyone. 

But differences are how meaningful discussion can occur. People are often scared to disagree with each other because it can be uncomfortable, but what if we shifted our mindset? We need to destigmatize disagreements. Asking questions of each other and disputing is far more interesting and encourages you to actively rethink your own opinions. The more we ask questions and face unique viewpoints of one another, the more we learn and the more curious we become. 

In my class, three people broke the ice of our silent classroom by asking our professor questions pertaining to the war. These questions then allowed other students to respond with their own thoughts. Complicated political issues deserve complicated responses, but it’s not easy. Saying what you really think, especially if you don’t 100 percent know what you think, is scary. 

We need to bring our authenticity to the classroom, whether that means expressing an unpopular view, disagreeing with peers or just experimenting with an idea. But authenticity takes effort. The environment of classroom discussion won’t change overnight. But it only takes one person stepping out of their comfort zone to enable a profound debate in the classroom, and it’s constructive to all.