Parker has a distinct ideology. It is an unabashedly liberal institution, committed to whatever cause happens to be popular at that moment. In this moment, however, there is a notably, and disturbingly, unpopular cause that needs to be embraced once again: free speech.
Parker has no obligation to protect the free speech and discourse within the community as a private school, however, we still have an obligation to serious and rigorous discourse about the issues most relevant today. Too often, however, we are told there is an explicitly right and wrong answer to complex questions, and the school seems intolerant of ideas which threaten the ideology to which a majority of students subscribe.
This tendency isn’t unique to Parker. Liberal institutions around the country have embraced releasing statements about current events as an institution to show off their accolades, but every time Parker or any other well meaning liberal institution does this, it serves to disrupt its objectivity and ability to educate with nuance. In implying or definitively saying that one side of a debate is right, Parker becomes a reactionary force and often alienates individuals with the opposing view. Most importantly, it undermines its commitment to rigorous education derived from discussion and allowing students to understand and decide for themselves where they stand. In short, Parker is telling students what to think, not teaching them to think, when it commits to an institutional statement.
Over the past few years, I have not found myself disagreeing with the statements put out, however, I have become increasingly skeptical of institutions and have come to understand that many of the issues Parker has commented on are more complex than a statement can convey.
But the prescriptiveness comes not only from the institution as a whole but often from classes and classmates who often hold a nearly monolithic view. I have never been one to hold my tongue and have often found myself on the side of an argument where I am all but alone. I have no issue often being in that position. I rather enjoy being a lone dissenter oftentimes, but for many that’s a perilous place to be. Parker, thankfully, does not have a strong cancel culture, however, it does have a strong undercurrent of self censorship when one is presenting a differing opinion and that is unhealthy for an educational institution. To lack opinions in a conversation, especially regarding salient issues in our world today that complicate the dominant view, fails to teach students how to wrestle with contradictions.
This comes back to bite students later in life. Over the past few weeks we have seen acts of idiocy and stupidity permeate some of the supposedly smartest college campuses with student organizations excusing or siding with antisemitic mass murderers. While I hope no Parker student would be so ignorant or simply stupid enough to sign such a statement, these situations are indicative of a group of students who have never had to hold two contradictory thoughts in their minds simultaneously. I fear that Parker is promoting monolithic statements and cultivating a culture that lacks the necessary discourse that students need to become adults who are able to grapple with and understand contradiction and nuance.
