We start off every school year the same way: getting our syllabus on violet colored printer paper, and wondering why “tests and quizzes” make up such a large percentage of our grade. Worrying that the teacher already hates us. Setting classroom norms.

By the time October rolls around, worries fade and expectations become clear.

Homework counts for a lot more than they tell you. The teacher doesn’t hate you.

Class norms are flushed down the toilet.

When setting standards for how a classroom should function, we always mention the word “respect.” Like a New Year’s resolution, respect is something that we so desperately want to accomplish but we never quite make the mark.

“I want to respect others opinions, even though I may not agree with them.”

Although laced with good intentions, this norm is overrun with naivety.  

I do believe that respect is realistic under specific conditions. Primarily, the environment needs to be conducive to the sharing of opinions. The space must maintain a certain degree of love for each other as human beings. Parker may carry these characteristics proudly in its glossy mission statement, but respect isn’t something you can adhere to. It’s something you have to genuinely believe.

We don’t fit these criterias.

We can’t possibly believe anyone with a different opinion, so is it even worth listening?

At Parker, we befriend those similar to us. We write on applications that we look forward to working with people who are like–minded. I fear this is our greatest downfall.

Segregation is part of our culture. In many ways, we are full-blown narcissists. We like to be surrounded by people who remind us of ourselves. We sit next to people in the cafeteria who look like us. We feel most connected to those who tell a similar story. We feel a sense of gratification when people agree with us.

We fear conflict. We hate uncomfortable situations. We hate having to defend ourselves.

We take the easy way out.

Instead of embracing the multitude of beliefs we have access to, we shove diversity of ideas into a dark corner and tell it to come out only when we want to be entertained. We label ourselves on the first day of high school, intentionally concealing what we don’t like. Even freshmen know the drill. As my history teacher says, “you never have a second chance at a first impression.”

When introducing ourselves to new guests, we might as well wear a nametag that reads “liberal” in neat letters. Once you grab a name tag, you are stuck with it for the next four years.

Everyone gets a name tag—except for the conservatives. They won’t use it anyway.

If you don’t have blue circulating in your veins, you are automatically put on mute any time the conversation turns to politics, as it so often does.

The idea of a safe space is almost laughable. We claim that the sophomore bench, the volleyball court, and the art classes are safe spaces. But, we often forget that safety is subjective.

In high school, you feel most safe when you’re blending in. At Parker, blending in doesn’t stop at Lululemon leggings and Patagonias. This must extend to all aspects of life—specifically, politics.

In order avoid social ostracism, here’s what you must know:

When your friend mentions Obama, you must smile and nod. If your teacher references how Hillary should have been our first female president, curl the sides of your mouth downward and frown as though you are disappointed. When a classmate makes a negative comment about Trump, roll your eyes and put on the facade of disgust.

This is high school. Fake it until you make it.

If you choose to engage in one of these debates, be sure to incorporate a few superfluous words here and there, and make your argument sound somewhat genuine. Bonus points if you can regurgitate the exact words from your mom’s political rant at last night’s family dinner.

The same girls who took to the streets triumphantly in the Women’s March point to Brett Kavanaugh’s face on a computer screen and ask, “Who is that?” Many of those in attendance at the March for Our Lives couldn’t tell you the name of the school in Parkland at which 17 students were killed. Few students can identify Ruth Bader Ginsburg, much less tell you whether she is a Democrat or a Republican.

Being liberal has little to do with climate change and gun control,and a lot to do with social hierarchy. If you learn to look liberal, act liberal, and breathe liberal—you just might make it at Parker.