Taking Freedom for Granted?
The initial inspiration for this project stemmed from the authors’ observation that students in our Global and Historical Studies class (ourselves included) often had trouble finding the right words to support or explain our opinions. We saw this phenomenon not only in our relatively small class, but also in the larger world when we engaged in discussions with other people our age. As we expected, many of the students we interviewed expressed that they did not know where some of their beliefs came from, or that they were never taught how to explain or defend their positions.
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One of the most common themes throughout the interviews was the idea of taking freedom for granted when it isn’t challenged. With a few exceptions, Butler students reported thinking about their own freedom very infrequently.
Interviewees frequently suggested that people don’t spend much time considering their personal freedom until it is restricted in some way. Students also said that their wake-up call was coming to Butler, both because their personal freedoms increased when they moved away from home and because their college education opened their eyes to the injustices that others face.
School Shortcomings
The most common way that students were introduced to the concept of freedom was through school. Many interviewees described being required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance every day in elementary school.
The American ideal of freedom was embedded into their daily routine from a young age, which the authors believe is a contributing factor to the general population’s difficulty explaining why they believe what they do. Being socialized to think about freedom a certain way for so long makes it feel more like “common sense” than a learned behavior.
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Another frequent idea was that of discussing American history in middle and high school. Students mentioned learning about examples of freedom in school, including the Founding Fathers, slavery and its eventual abolishment, and the American Dream.
In general, they thought that the perspective of freedom they learned about during their primary education was limited or incomplete, particularly where it glossed over some important but unflattering moments in the history of America’s fight for freedom.
The authors concluded that the restriction of formal education about freedom could also limit critical thinking about the subject, because it hinders our ability to recognize weaknesses in our arguments. Challenging our own biases and adapting our opinions helps us articulate stronger and clearer ways to defend our positions, and this ability would be enhanced by a curriculum that challenges the notions about freedom that were ingrained in us from a young age. This is not to say that what we’ve learned about freedom is wrong or bad, but rather that understanding valid counterarguments allows us to better understand and explain our unique perspectives.
Incorporating Diversity
Despite the gaps that Butler students saw in their education about freedom, many of them also said that college has changed or expanded their ideas about freedom. They discussed greater interactions with people from diverse backgrounds as a factor in the evolution of their definition of freedom, particularly those students whose home community was very homogeneous
These conversations support the idea that diversity of experience and opinion is vital to a well-rounded understanding of freedom and its implications in our society.
One lesson from college that was particularly important to the students we interviewed was the awareness of their own privilege. They described their journey of realizing that not everyone has the same freedoms that they do, as well as experiencing a growing sense of personal responsibility to notice and speak out against injustice.
Students acknowledged that freedom isn’t always something that’s handed to people, and they discussed the labor of advocating for their own freedom or the freedom of others as the cost we pay to achieve a more just society.
These conversations indicated to the authors that education is an important piece of understanding many different aspects of freedom in order to form a more holistic personal view. Although it certainly isn’t the only way we should engage with this concept, having conversations like the ones this project was designed to inspire gives us opportunities to challenge our preconceived notions and learn from the diverse experiences of others. It is important to note here that respecting and learning from the opinions of others is not always the same as agreeing with them – our disagreements with others can also help us better understand what we believe and how to explain it in future conversations.
Feeling Connected
One important way that students said they engage in these kinds of discussions is through social media. Once they began to challenge their own assumptions and dig deeper into why they believed certain things, they found that media was a useful source of information not only to learn about different perspectives but also to find new and better ways to communicate their own thoughts.
Students found social media particularly useful in finding voices they disagreed with, which helped them articulate counterpoints that allowed them to better explain their own positions. This critical analysis of one’s own assumptions is exactly what this project attempts to foster, because it moves us past weak supporting arguments like, “I just know,” or, “It’s common sense,” and into the space of discussions based on the true merits and limitations of our opinions.
Improving the System
Despite noting several ways that they have learned to think critically about freedom, interviewees seemed particularly frustrated with the way that young people are taught to think about freedom. This common theme prompted the authors to ask if students had any thoughts on how we could improve the ways in which we teach and inspire critical thinking about freedom. Surprisingly, the responses to this question were relatively similar among all interviewees. Because they saw school as many people’s first introduction to the meaning of freedom, they called upon educators in particular to model critical thinking by discussing the merits of all sides of the discussion.
They also emphasized the importance of having these conversations early in school, because critical thinking skills are honed over time, and being exposed to diverse perspectives in school encourages the development of those skills.
The primary objective of this project was to foster conversations about how we learn what freedom means in the hopes that it would encourage students to really think about where their perspectives and biases came from. This goal aligned with the most common improvement that students suggested in terms of having more meaningful discussions about freedom: more conversation.
Students recognized that all of their previous points, from gaining a deeper understanding in the classroom to respecting a diverse range of opinions, are dependent upon our openness to talking about freedom. The authors sincerely hope that this small look into ideas about freedom on Butler campus will encourage our readers to think about how their beliefs were formed, as well as how they can engage in respectful conversations to enhance their understanding not only of the perspectives of others, but also of their own.