SALMA DREW | DEC. 13, 2017 | FEATURES

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (SCPDA) — Due to the 2016 presidential election and other polarizing occurrences in the United States such as the recent Confederate statue controversies, the rift between liberal and conservative Americans has intensified in past years. This tension has apparently formed a breeding ground for misconceptions and stereotypes regarding the different partisan affiliations. The atmosphere created from these misconceptions is reported to create an environment in which conservatives are unwelcome to share their political beliefs.

The partisan issue is especially prominent at Stanton College Preparatory School where, according to a recent poll of 212 students conducted by the Devil’s Advocate, 27 percent of students at Stanton identify as conservative, 39 percent identify as liberal and 34 percent identify as third party/independent. However, 28 percent of the conservative students surveyed noted that they do not feel comfortable sharing their opinions with their peers, compared to only 8 percent of liberals and 15 percent of independent students.

“A lot of people think [conservatives are] a bunch of old people who hate gays, hate rights and hate democracy,” said junior Max Klavon, who identifies as conservative. “But in reality, it’s just people who think that the government shouldn’t be as big as it is, support opportunities in the economy and support higher social mobility through opportunity.”

Despite the lack of an overwhelming political majority, students perceive Stanton as a predominantly liberal school. This view of Stanton as a liberal stronghold may be due to the reluctance of conservative students to voice their opinions, and could be linked to the political climate in the United States as well as the influence of popular culture.

Many conservative students at Stanton choose to stay quiet about their political beliefs because they fear being mislabeled by their peers and they hope to avoid unnecessary problems that may come from sharing their beliefs.

“The morning after the 2016 election, I avoided the courtyard because I didn’t want to be around when everyone was upset. But when I came to the courtyard towards the end of lunch and people learned I’m conservative, everyone got up and turned away from me, so I sat at lunch alone. I cried for three days.”

— Anonymous conservative student

“When I’m having lunch, some of my friends will get into talks about politics and social issues going on,” said junior Jessica Houltzhouser. “If I try to say what I believe and they don’t agree, they will give me a lot of judgment for it.”

In addition to avoiding conflict, many conservatives feel they need to downplay their opinions for fear of ridicule and bullying from those who disagree with them. They do not want to be isolated from the students at Stanton, so they decide to keep their beliefs to themselves.

“The morning after the 2016 election, I avoided the courtyard because I didn’t want to be around when everyone was upset,” said a conservative junior who wishes to remain anonymous. “But when I came to the courtyard towards the end of lunch and people learned I’m conservative, everyone got up and turned away from me, so I sat at lunch alone. I cried for three days.”

Even conservative students who feel they are able to voice their opinions notice this problem. To most Stanton students, the political environment appears very liberal.

“I have never felt like I can’t voice my opinions,” said senior Reece McLaren. “But I’ve always been fascinated by the lack of diverse political thought at Stanton.”

Conservative students are not the only ones being harmed by this issue. The cycle of students feeling they cannot share their beliefs and Stanton’s perception of a homogeneously liberal population is one that can be detrimental to the entire student body.

“If you don’t expose students with liberal views to the alternative, you rob them,” said Mr. James Harper, sponsor of the Teenage Republicans club at Stanton. “I think you have them wind up thinking they are more open minded than they actually are.”

Most students at Stanton can agree diversity of belief is vital to the learning environment at Stanton because it takes students out of their comfort zone and requires them to think. However, because conservative students may not feel they are able to share their opinions in classroom environments without ridicule, Stanton’s collective beliefs appear more uniform than they are in reality.

“Debate is a really good class to be in to talk about [social] issues,” said self-identifying conservative sophomore Sydni Hall. “But I think that sometimes when the majority of people who are talking have similar beliefs, I hold back and don’t really talk, because I don’t want to get into an argument about it.”

The hesitancy of conservative students to share their views may also be related to the influence of the media. In recent years, conservative culture in the media has been ostracized in favor of more liberal and progressive movements.

“The Left definitely dominates the media. Younger audiences like high schoolers are much more drawn to news sources like BuzzFeed and Vice News which are very ‘hip’ and more enjoyable for casual readers,” said senior Zach Schickler. “However, because they are so casual, they often may provide biased information that pushes a left agenda.”

According to conservative students at Stanton, the acceptance of conservative beliefs and values at the school is the best way to encourage conservative students to speak up for their beliefs.

“People just all around need to be more respectful, because we are respectful about so many other things here,” said senior Payton Harris. “I just don’t see why political views can’t be another thing people can be respectful of.”

Many conservative students support the idea of open debate. This gives everyone the ability to share their beliefs and subject their beliefs to scrutiny.

“[In debate class,] the closest we get to discussing political issues is in the spring, when the students have had almost a year together,” said Debate teacher Mrs. Sheila Heggood. “At that point, the students have learned to listen to one another and they have developed a sense of trust.”

Like most issues, promoting awareness is another primary way to address the problem, according to Stanton’s conservative students. Many believe it will be hard for other students to change their mind, or even be made aware of the issue. Some students do not see the issue at Stanton.

I don’t think [conservative students’ hesitance to voice their opinions] is an issue,” said Debate Club President junior Aastha Sinha. “However, maybe that’s because I come from a place like debate where people come to share their opinions and have political discussions.”

Invitation to debate is a way the club ensures students feel comfortable sharing their opinions. Outside of clubs like Debate, the political atmosphere at Stanton is one that is developing and changing day by day with the influence of current events and popular culture. While the illusion of Stanton’s liberal political climate allows some students to make their voices heard, conservative students receive the opposite effect, thus contributing to this perception. Conservative students reportedly believe an improvement in the acceptance of adverse views will be a gradual process. However, according to the students, encouraging open and civil discussion of political beliefs without prejudice is the best way to begin the process of improvement.

This story appeared in Volume 34, Issue 2 of the Devil's Advocate, published in December 2017. Read the full issue here.

Conservatism at Stanton