Recently, I’ve been seeing some interesting tendencies happening on campus that I’d like to bring to people’s attention. We’re largely proclaimed as an open and accepting school, and for the most part I believe that’s true. But there’s a flaw in our acceptance policy (and honestly, in society’s acceptance policy) that’s recently really been bothering me. And once I read last week’s “Letter to the Editor,” I thought it was time to speak on it.
I think pretty much everyone can agree that total acceptance is society’s goal. We want everyone to feel included, loved, and accepted by all. The problem is, however, that more often than we realize, literally everything we do is closing out someone. Whether it’s holding an ice-cream night that someone who’s dairy-free can’t attend or holding a sexual orientation/gender-specific event, someone is going to be left out. But that’s not a bad thing. Life is full of exclusions and although that’s not something we can (or even should) fix, we need to make ourselves aware of it. This is especially true when it comes to how we should think of acceptance on campus.
I saw something really interesting online the other day that I think speaks to this perfectly. I was reading an article about how women should love and accept their bodies no matter what size they are when not two scrolls later, I saw an article about a woman who wasn’t happy with her body and went on a diet/training routine to fix it. Both articles had a slew of negative comments. On the body positivity post, they were talking about how women who were overweight or malnourished shouldn’t be happy with their bodies and should try to get healthier. On the transformation post, people were talking about how she was promoting a negative body-image and how you can only be happy if you have the perfect body. So, which one is it — should we accept our body the way it is or want to improve it? There’s not a clear answer, and I think that’s what bothers a lot of people when it comes to acceptance.
On campus, we’re getting exposed to all sorts of messages. There are conflicting religions, societies, clubs, and even ways of life that we’re just not used to. We’re supposed to be “accepting” of everyone, but sometimes that isn’t so black-and-white. Life is more complicated than that, and to be honest, I don’t think acceptance is always the answer. I think the answer should be “respect.”
Even though we don’t agree on everything, as long as we respect each other’s opinions and identify them as being as valid as our own, that’s how we can truly be accepting. Whether you’re liberal, conservative, pro-life, pro-choice, or whatever topic is up for debate, it’s not important. All of it is contributing to an enriching college atmosphere that allows us to express ourselves for who we truly are and what we believe in. If you see a sign about an activity you don’t like or something you don’t agree with, just don’t go to the event. If you see something you do like, then attend and show your support. It’s that simple. Campus acceptance doesn’t come from shunning people who believe something other than you — it comes from a place of true, unqualified respect. And that’s something I think all of us can work towards.
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