It’s Just a Conversation

I follow politics every day. I choose a variety of news sources so that I can stay informed, consider different points of view and better understand what will affect my family and community. Before I engage, I often think to myself, “What in the world is going to happen today?” Increasingly, what is reported is the worst that humanity has to offer – aggression, murder and mayhem. What I hope for each day is news that is merely interesting.

The political climate has changed. We seem to be living in a dichotomy where everyone has become too comfortable projecting their strong opinions on others and, at the same time, people are completely unwilling to hear anyone else’s point of view. This continuous state of intolerance has shut down conversation and I fear that it is damaging our country beyond repair. I rarely comment on politics in my CV Weekly articles or online because I feel like we are sitting at the edge of a powder keg and I don’t wish to be the match. It hasn’t always been this way. 

Back in the day … I remember how I felt after I graduated from high school and went on to attend LA Valley College. I immediately noticed a cultural change on the new campuswhere independence and self-expression were celebrated. It was liberating. My professors lectured on a variety of topics and cared about what the students thought about them. They encouraged us to listen to each other, think about what was said and share our conclusions.  There was a free exchange of ideas and no one criticized anyone else for having a difference of opinion. Rather, participants bantered it out in class and often afterward continued the discussion over coffee. No hard feelings.

Later after I transferred to Cal State University, Northridge these dialogues continued.  I had only one instructor who held very focused, unwavering positions. It was a political science professor who regularly told the students how to vote. He was not interested in our opinions. In his class, I learned to keep my mouth shut, fearing that any opposition would lower my grade. Despite that one experience, I felt good about my higher educational training.  Along with my parents’ foundation to “do good unto others” college helped me understand that all voices matter, even those with which you disagree.

Fast forward to the 2000s. When my kids began to attend high school and college and would tell me about their classes, I noticed a substantial shift in how controversial topics were presented. Most teachers had strong beliefs about environmental, cultural and political issues and students who disagreed were not allowed to challenge them. After repeated exposure to this one-way thinking, my adult children learned that they had better write their papers to support the professor’s point of view or suffer the consequence of a bad grade. As a parent who always encouraged my family to be free thinkers independent of me, I thought this shutdown of discussion was not only incredibly sad but a terrible life lesson for our youth.

Jump to 2025. When my daughter told me that Charlie Kirk was scheduled to visit CSUN in the spring, I felt proud that my alma mater had welcomed him to campus for a free exchange of ideas. But that pride was cut short when I found that students were protesting to get him kicked off the campus, labeling him as a radical. They clearly weren’t taught why it’s important to talk through differences of opinion.

Institutions of higher learning, our political leadership and “we the people” have the responsibility to set the tone for young students in our country. We must not let fear spread into the aggression, murder and mayhem that we see each day.

How do we stop this madness? It starts with a calm conversation.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com