That talk with a visiting speaker last month made me rethink my own filter

I had a conversation with a guy who came to campus to give a talk on housing policy. He said something that stuck with me: he said the real test of free speech is not when you agree with the person, but when they say something that makes you uncomfortable. I thought I was pretty open minded, but he pointed out how I laughed off a comment he made about zoning laws. It hit different because I realized I do that sometimes without thinking. I shut down ideas that don't fit my own bubble before I even hear them out. Since then, I've been trying to listen more before I react, especially on campus where everyone's so quick to jump. Has anyone else had a moment where someone called out your own tendency to filter things out?

2 comments

2 Comments

calebw508d ago

That "real test of free speech" line is a good one, but I'd push back a little on the idea that laughing something off means you're filtering it out. Sometimes a laugh is just a nervous reaction to something that doesn't fit, not a refusal to listen.

iris_rivera448d ago

Nervous laughter is definitely a thing, but I think it still counts as a way of deflecting something that makes you uncomfortable. Either way, you're not really engaging with what got said.