All too often, what we believe is shaped by what we think we know. And what we think we know is shaped by the world immediately around us: our family, our hometown, our side of the Internet, our media, our University.
Despite all the comments and likes you may see on trending or controversial posts, the vast majority of social media users are lurkers, or people who consume media but don't actively engage or post. I must admit I am among that silent majority, at least until now. Of course, it is completely understandable to walk on eggshells given the pervasiveness of the threat of cancel culture by the left and now even the right. After all, there’s so much at stake: an education, a career and most unfortunately, even some friendships. There has never been an easier time for each of us to express our opinions, but it is tragically tempered by such intense attacks on our exercise of that right by our peers, institutions, and governments.
The media cycle is now dominated by a vocal minority that exists to tell you how to think, how to act, when to act and what cause you should be acting for. There is a certain perfidy that underlies each argument and testy exchange. Seemingly neutral questions and conversations open agape like the claws of a beartrap, ready to snap close at first sign of a slip-up or crossing of the arbitrary line of what is and is not politically correct.
Growing up, I never really cared much for politics. My family was apolitical, but they were not uninformed. It was through watching the news every night at dinnertime that I picked up the habit of swapping between CNN and Fox News during the ad breaks to catch what the other side was saying. I was taught to always be inquisitive and skeptic, from the news to what’s taught in school to the government. As I grew older and became an ever more fond student of history, I realized how important discourse and polemics, not just in politics but in all realms of life, were for the progression of humanity’s collective understanding of the world. Thus, I also came to the conclusion about the extreme importance of the individual as the only one who can exercise, and thereby protect, their own individual liberties.
All throughout high school, I produced theater productions. Behind the proscenium stage, what the audience saw was whatever I wanted it to be and narratives often had to be simplified for the sake of time. The audience, I knew, would suspend their disbelief and accept the world shown to them. In short, it was the antithesis of how the real world works. Or at least it’s supposed to be. The echo chambers we exist in compel us to simply adopt the mantras of the only world we know. So wide has the schism become between different worlds of people that while they acknowledge each other’s existence, the immediate knee-jerk reaction has become attempting to silence the other rather than engaging in civil disagreement. If we internalize this violence and force ourselves to self-censor, then not only have we done ourselves a disservice of suppressing our thoughts, but have also advanced the terrible agenda of those who would prefer everyone be a minion over everyone being independent.
Even the most seemingly absurd opinions or ideas that are espoused every day, the ones that we’d like to dismiss as crazy, are not just created randomly or without some grain of truth and logic. We should all give each other the benefit of the doubt and some courtesy when disagreeing with each other, instead of trying to undermine and debate in bad faith. This gets to the root of why I write.
I write because I am interested in exploring counternarratives, the bits of truth behind mistruth and ideas not informed solely by ideology but rather an eclectic understanding of the world. Most commonly in this column, you will see my skepticism of mainstream narratives, fierce belief in the ingenuity of individuals and high regard for personal liberties as the basis for my beliefs. Occasionally, glimpses of my love of history, philosophy and the theatrical arts might also emerge as supplementary materials to my understanding of the world.
At risk of sounding vain, I hope that this column, penned by a novice who has never published anything substantial publicly before, is inspirational to those who typically refrain from expressing their opinions outside a close circle of friends. What’s most important is that you have some, nay, any reaction. The primary goal of this column is for me to express my own thoughts while also leaving the door open to disagreement. How you choose to engage with the things you read, whether it be this column, one of my fellow columnists’ or another source is completely up to you. All I ask is that your thoughts are grounded in something — personal experience, religion, politics, statistics, really anything goes — and don’t leave anyone thinking that they were made without any rhyme or reason.
The Sun is interested in publishing a broad and diverse set of content from the Cornell and greater Ithaca community. We want to hear what you have to say about this topic or any of our pieces. Here are some guidelines on how to submit. And here’s our email: opinion-editor@cornellsun.com.
Rayen Zhou ’29 is an Opinion Columnist and a student in the School of Industrial & Labor Relations. His fortnightly column Rhyme or Reason seeks to provide an eclectic view on politics and campus life informed by history, philosophy, culture and a healthy dose of inquisitive skepticism. He can be reached at rzhou@cornellsun.com.
