Two summers ago I attended a program at Georgetown, and for one of the first times in my life I was surrounded by both conservatives and liberals. I’ve been at Parker since fourth grade.

One night I shared my political views with a boy who was extremely conservative. He heatedly argued for trickle-down economics. When I was done expressing my opinion, he looked me in the eye and said, “You’re a communist.” I looked back at him and said, “Well, then you’re a fascist.”

I didn’t handle this in the most mature way, but I didn’t really know how else to handle it. Parker never taught me how to discuss political issues with those who don’t have essentially the same beliefs as I do. Part of the problem is that the student body, as well as the faculty, is lopsidedly liberal. But still, considering Parker preaches democracy, we should find a way.

Democracy can be defined as each person having political and social equality. To me, this means that everyone’s view is as legitimate as everyone else’s. More importantly, this means that there should be a certain respect for all political views.

During the first Morning Ex of the year, every year, a passage from Corinthians is read, which includes this line: “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” Just as the eye cannot say unto the hand, Parker cannot say unto conservatives, “I have no need of thee,” especially considering we were recently named a Democracy School, and the word is emblazoned above the stage of the auditorium. While we might love the idea of a democracy, we do not currently love the reality.

Parker doesn’t tolerate those with political views other than those of the liberal majority.

In recognition of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, Principal Dan Frank sent an email out to the Parker staff celebrating the decision. I too was extremely happy with the way the Supreme Court ruled. However, I don’t think it was appropriate to send a mass email that assumed everyone felt that same sense of celebration. Although there aren’t many, faculty and staff with conservative viewpoints do exist, and considering gay marriage is one of the most contested issues in the country, it seems odd, in a way, to force this belief onto people.

This is not the only time intolerance has manifested in a public way at Parker. In 2013, Sam Bahour, a Palestinian American businessman and activist, came to speak at a Morning Ex. His presentation, which recognized the existence of the Palestinian State and detailed the injustices Israel has committed against Palestinian citizens, was met with backlash from parents and students. They called for a pro-Israel Morning Ex in response–and they got one.

While it is understandable that people want balanced perspectives, it is highly unlikely that parents and students here would have called for a pro-Palestinian MX in response to a pro-Israel MX.

Parker must find a way to truly teach tolerance for diverse political views, and this starts with the adults in the school. I’ve been in classes where my teachers have an obvious bias, and despite claiming at the beginning of the year that they will avoid imparting their bias onto us, they do.

Now, this is a tricky issue to deal with, as many conservative viewpoints–anti-gay marriage, anti-illegal immigrants, pro-guns–understandably offend people, including oppressed minority groups and those who care about them. I’m not saying we should bring in a Donald Trump look-alike who rants about Mexican immigrants, but I would like to encourage more (and better) political discourse to take place at Parker. Rather than settle for the same old liberal opinion (“tax the rich, enact gun control laws, let the woman choose”), let’s hear what the conservatives have to say, whether this takes the form of a Morning Ex, speakers in the classroom, or the formation of a Young Republicans Club.

It is so important to share different opinions with one another. Democracy is all about allowing all people to articulate their political beliefs, no matter what end of the spectrum they fall on. And when that doesn’t happen, naïve, ill-informed people go out into the world. Many of these ill-informed people are serving as our legislators, which explains why the two houses of Congress are always at an impasse.

Rather than hope students will learn how to consider different opinions, as I did through reading more and listening to others, Parker must teach its students this skill.

If Parker cannot teach us to listen to all aspects of the political spectrum and to truly understand the viewpoints of conservatives, liberals, and anyone in between, there is no way it can produce truly informed citizens.  

I know that I’ll always be a liberal, although probably never a communist, but as I get older, and perhaps more involved in politics, I will listen and learn from the communists. And maybe the occasional fascist.