The recent events pertaining to Ferguson rocked the nation, and, in particular, the Blake community. This large political and social event has lead to strong emotions, opinions and sensitivities arising in our school. Often times, two strong viewpoints emerge: one justifying the event, and one horrified by it. As freshmen, we are still learning how the high school reacts to significant events within the world, and so we’ve held an outsider’s perspective on the situation. Through this perspective, we’ve noticed that it’s culturally expected to hold one of these two polarized views, and as we’ve grappled to establish our own, we’ve realized that this can be extremely challenging.

“I don’t know all the facts, so I don’t think it’s my position to have an opinion,” summarizes Emma Swenson, ‘18. Many assertions and claims regarding the events that have transpired in Ferguson contradict each other, and are constantly challenged by the media and our peers, which makes it difficult for students to choose a side.

The events in Ferguson are just one of many situations that have stirred up strong opinions throughout the nation and our school. The situation is often times incoherent, and the two polar opinions that  emerge may take an “all good” or “all bad” approach towards the event.

As students, we are expected to be familiar with current events, and as peers, we are expected to form an opinion on those happenings. Although two strong opinions are often the first to emerge, it is important to understand that there are many more opinions that may incorporate ideas from what seems like a two-sided debate. Quite like the gender binary, opinion binary is as ill-advised.