14 opinions
the spectrum newspaper • january 29, 2015
“I think that we kind of have to respect the decision of the grand jury whether we agree with it or not.” -Niki Anderson ‘17
“I think some of the signs were a bad response, but I think that a lot of the efforts the school has made have been good.” -Hayley Konowalchuk ‘17
“Some of [the posters] were fine and very informative, but some of them went too far, but I think that anyone who tore them down was completely wrong; there’s no reason that you should be able to just tear down those posters, even if this is school property and they didn’t get approval from the administration.” -Charlie Alldredge ‘16
“I can have opinions, but since I’m not black, I can be a supporter and I have opinions [on what should be done to solve racism], but I don’t think my opinions really matter because I’m not really being affected by this system. I’m being put in a position of power because of the system.” -Maggie Warner ‘16 “My emotions are like hurt and frustrated and angry in many senses of the word but at the same time it’s nothing new, in my opinion, that people have been facing.” -Cameron Downey ‘17
graphic credit: CC Lucas ‘17
Following the grand jury announcement, posters went up, posters were torn down, and across the school, controversy ensued.
Let me have my opinion
“After that speech I just think that really, the true thing that’s unique about Blake is that we have to be an accepting community, and [the ‘Nobody Cares’ poster] shouldn’t be the kind of message that we’re sending out, so I really think that’s really disrespectful for someone to put that up.” -Neo Bhavsar ‘17
Unapproved posters spark controversy
Ninth grade students fear generalizations
Abrsasive messages upset many students
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Sneha Sinha, Josie Lagerstrom, Penelope Winton and Anika Mirza • Contributing Writers
he recent events pertaining to Ferguson rocked the nation and the Blake community. This large political and social event has led to strong emotions, opinions and sensitivities arising in our school. Often times, two strong viewpoints emerge: one
establish our own, we’ve realized that this can be extremely challenging. “I don’t know all the facts, so I don’t think it’s my position to have an opinion,” summarizes Emma Swenson, ‘18. Many assertions and claims regarding the events that have trans-
that emerge may take an “all good” or “all bad” approach towards the event. As students, we are expected to be familiar with current events, and as peers, we are expected to form an opinion on those happenings. Although two strong opinions are often the first to emerge, it is im-
justifying the event, and one horrified by it. As freshmen, we are still learning how the high school reacts to significant events within the world, and so we’ve held an outsider’s perspective on the situation. Through this perspective, we’ve noticed that it’s culturally expected to hold one of these two polarized views, and as we’ve grappled to
pired in Ferguson contradict each other, and are constantly challenged by the media and our peers, which makes it difficult for students to choose a side. The events in Ferguson are just one of many situations that have stirred up strong opinions throughout the nation and our school. The situation is often times incoherent, and the two polar opinions
portant to understand that there are many more opinions that may incorporate ideas from what seems like a two-sided debate. Quite like the gender binary, opinion binary is as ill-advised.
“It’s culturally to hold one two
expected of these polarized views”
Campbell Morrison and Charlie Ankeny • Contributing Writers
s students and faculty shuffled into the building on Tuesday, November 25, it seemed to be a typical day at school. However, signs posted regarding the grand jury decision transformed this environment from a regular day at school to a community plagued with controversy and argumentation. Blake is known for its safe learning environment, but strongly opinionated signs can have negative influences on much of the student body, disrupting days and distracting from learning. Some of the signs made generalizations about certain groups of people, resulting in discomfort and defensiveness in some students. Sylvie Wallin ‘16 claims, “I felt threatened by the signs that were hung up around the school. I think that students should have the right to express themselves and their views, but the way in which this was
gone about was completely offensive and hurtful.” In a country based on the fundamental rights of citizens, students here at Blake should reap these essential liberties. However, the administration has the responsibility and power to create a welcoming, respectful community that balances the freedom of speech and a safe learning environment. Dr. Anne Stavney, the Head of School, wrote, “The day started with the hanging of two pre-approved and appropriate posters. By midday, however, at least eight additional posters had been created. They were hung without pre-approval; some included content that was disrespectful of others and contrary to Blake’s value of inclusivity.” Blake’s rule about posting signs states that in order for signs to be hung, they must be previously approved by a grade dean or the Upper School Direc-
tor. Stavney mentions how unapproved signs were hung, meaning that these rules were not enforced, for the rule continued to be broken throughout the day with unapproved and often disrespectful signs plastering the walls. Clearly the administration’s policies were not followed. The situation was not properly managed. Blake was not prepared for the Ferguson incident because of the fact that most students were uninformed about the requirement for signs to be approved, and the faculty did not prevent unapproved signs from being posted. The signs started with the intention to provoke discussion. Improperly managed rules by the administration coupled with students’ highly polarized opinions led to a bombardment of derogatory signs, causing the situation to spiral out of control.