Editors’ Letter: ‘Debate is not optional’

I became Comment Editor to promote opinion, and specifically, student opinion. Over the past year, it has been my pleasure and privilege to see the growth of this section, with some stunning articles being written about very controversial issues. The mantra that we tell our writers is: be provocative, not offensive. I firmly believe that we have succeeded in this endeavour, and so I do not want people to stop writing. Recently there has been a lot of controversy over stories we’ve reported on here at the Boar. Issues such as the Best Snapchat Warwick page and the National Action coverage.

The piazza has always been a buzz of activity but, by the time you are reading this, it will have been filled with students standing up against racism and discrimination. This is a fantastic example of student activism that should be promoted, but that does not mean that the debate is over. The point is that the debate is never over, and that all opinions should be heard. I am categorically against racism – and I am an ethnic minority student myself – but I think we would be foolish to completely dismiss these bigoted opinions without at least trying to understand them.

Debate is not optional

I imagine that this will not sit well with all of you. Some things are just ‘wrong’ – but we all need to learn to be a bit more educated about the opinions that don’t match our own and learn to deal with discrimination in a cleverer way than just shouting. These columns provide us with a way to have a conversation, because shouting never solves anything. Let’s start having conversations; in my opinion, debate is not optional. We can’t pick and choose when we discuss these issues, because that implies that they can be solved or eradicated quickly and easily – and they are much more complicated than that.

So this is my request to you as you read through these pages. Don’t just listen to the conversation; start one. Open yourself up to understanding perspectives ; try not to close the door on the discussion and try to understand how people think, even if it does not sit well with you. If I let my own opinions influence what I publish in this newspaper then a lot of these pages would be empty! Have a voice. Write it down. Send it to me and I’ll publish it. Be provocative, not offensive.

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