America is losing the ability to disagree, at least respectfully.

We are exceptionally good at disagreeing.

Disagreement is one of the most beautiful and healthy things that a society can have. It fosters discussion, exchanges of ideas, and creates cohorts for individuals of like-minded thinking to come together in. Disagreement as a whole creates community.

However, disagreement also has a tendency to drive people apart, particularly in politics. Seats are empty at Thanksgiving because of disagreement. Friendships are broken because of political disagreements.

A large gap has been created between the left and the right, with anything in between a gray area of people cast out by both sides, because if that individual isn’t on their side, those people must be against them.

And this brings me to the article I wrote on February 10, about Trump’s ruling on transgenderism and sports. In the article, I stated that I agree with Trump on his actions, because I believe that those individuals have an unfair advantage when they transition and compete in a different division.

It didn’t go over very well. Needless to say, there was ample disagreement created by what I wrote, and that is clear with one look at The Dec’s Facebook comment section.

“Considering there was an article shared at the end of last month of Trump’s erasure of trans individuals, this article is sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum,” one comment read. “The newspaper should be one voice, not voices at war within its own pages. The advisor for the newspaper should be enforcing this.”

So what does Dr. Scott Lambert, Advisor to the Dec, think?

“The biggest problem we have right now in this country is that people are afraid to write what they believe,” he said. “People are afraid to write things that other people will disagree with. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the left or the right, if what you’re writing can be based in fact then it should be able to be printed.”

According to this comment, the Dec should be one unified voice. I should forcibly sit off on the sidelines and not voice my opinions, simply because it does not match the opinions of many of my peers or the majority of the university I attend.

“Most legitimate newspapers have people from both sides of the aisle,” Lambert said. “You have to, and for a college newspaper, it’s even more important.”

And let me make one thing clear. I have the utmost respect for my peers who disagree with me. I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Decaturian, and I am in charge of publishing the articles online for our readers to see. Because I am in the minority as a conservative on a liberal campus, I often publish many articles that I do not agree with in the slightest.

So what? Should the writers of our staff not be allowed to be published simply because their Editor does not agree with them? Should I not be allowed to publish simply because I find myself on an island with my views?

“Millikin has conservative constituents,” Lambert said. “There are a number of conservatives who attend school at Millikin and they need to have a voice just as much as liberals do. We have to respect that even if we disagree with every word that someone writes.”

Disagreement is the beauty of a college newspaper, particularly the Dec. Our writers are able to have meetings every single week and enjoy each other’s company even though we are on complete opposite ends of the political aisle. We are respectful and kind to each other, even though we disagree.

This is unfortunately what our society lacks today. We have lost the ability to disagree respectfully.

So, who gets to voice their opinion?

My answer is clear. Every single individual, with a few exceptions, should have the ability to have their voices heard, and this includes hate speech.

I do not agree with hate speech. I wish we could eradicate hatred from this world. However, hate speech is protected under the First Amendment with the exception of very specific instances of calls to lawless action or incitements of violence.

But, there are reasons for these protections.

For example, there are likely several readers who read my article on Trump’s actions and likely considered it hate speech. If that wasn’t the case, I doubt there would have been as many comments under the post.

If the comment suggesting that the Dec’s advisor should censor its conservative writers had its way, we wouldn’t have all of this disagreement in the first place, and I wouldn’t have been able to write that article, thus restricting my freedom of speech. And that is why hate speech is protected under the First Amendment. It isn’t accepted or encouraged, but if one individual or side all of a sudden has the ability to choose what should be censored, we wouldn’t have any freedoms at all.

That would be so much easier, wouldn’t it? Not a good thing by any means, but much easier. Freedom of speech is hard, but it is vital.

Disagreement is hard. It is difficult to put beliefs that we hold so close to our hearts aside even for just a second to try to imagine what it’s like to fill the shoes of a stranger.

“Seems like you’re just mad that trans people exist,” another comment on the Dec’s Facebook page read. “Bad take & very weird that this institution specifically would allow an opinion piece like this to be put out with their name on it.” 

I am not upset that trans people exist. I absolutely do not hate trans people. I disagree with many of their beliefs, but I am entitled to that opinion, and they are entitled to think whatever they’d like to about me. We live in a society that says we can live our lives the way that we want to live, with a few exceptions of course, and that freedom is something worth fighting for. The few exceptions would be a lifestyle that involves killing or inciting violence towards others.

“We are a liberal arts school,” Lambert said. “We are a very accepting school. We have a large LGBTQ community. We have a growing black community. We have a much more diverse community at this university than they had 10 years ago. People expect that diversity to carry over into what is being said by its writers. But the thing is, that diversity also includes people who have different points of view and they have a right to write about that, as long as what is written is not going to harm another person.”

Take a quick look at the top of the Dec’s online homepage.

“The Decaturian is Millikin’s student-run newspaper since 1903,” the slogan reads. “The opinions reflected may not be those of Millikin as an institution.”

Maybe Millikin as a whole disagrees with my opinions. My advisor disagrees with my opinions most of the time, yet he continues to encourage and push me to publish my beliefs. Because Millikin as an institution values freedom of speech, anyone will continue to be able to publish their opinions with those few exceptions. The beauty of disagreement will hopefully continue as long as our great country exists.

If you disagree with me and are a student, come join the Dec and write about it. Disagree. Publish your beliefs, because we are blessed enough to have the opportunity to.