Recently, a friend of mine was faced with a tough decision in which no matter what he chose to do, someone would be upset with him. When I gave him advice, he told me that it would be easier for me to do the right thing because I have a more confrontational personality and enjoy picking fights.
I’ve been writing for school newspapers, first in high school and now in college, for a combined five years. In those five years, critics have not only come after my arguments but after me personally. I have lost friends and opportunities due to being outspoken about my opinions.
Socially, when I see friends being treated unfairly, I make it known that it is unfair, even when it comes at a personal cost. This means skipping out on events where one person is noticeably uninvited, leaving group chats or in some cases, having a literal face-to-face confrontation with the perpetrator.
I wholeheartedly agree that my editorials are often controversial and deserve scrutiny; that is part of the job I signed up for. I also understand that sticking up for friends almost always comes with negative consequences. But contrary to my friend’s opinion about me, I do not do these things because I enjoy the thrill of controversy or have some sort of passion for “fighting the power.”
In fact, some of the hardest, most stomach-churning and, honestly, most depressing moments in my life have been running in student council elections, making my case in meetings with school officials, sitting alone in solidarity with a friend while everyone else is having a good time or reading the comments to my opinion pieces on social media. Not only do I not like standing up for myself, others and what I believe in, I actively despise it. Every bone in my body tells me to sit down, shut up, and take the easy, keep-everyone-happy way out.
However, I cannot and will not do that, because doing what is right is more important than doing what is comfortable. In modern culture, niceness is held as the highest virtue above all else. As long as you do not hurt anyone else’s feelings, you are a good person in society’s eyes.
I could not disagree more. “Niceness” and neutrality in the face of evil, in many cases, is an excuse for timidity, passivity and cowardice. Oftentimes, the right thing to do is not necessarily the nice thing to do. Sticking up for someone in the right might include rebuking someone in the wrong. Continued silence in the face of injustice muddies the waters between what is actually right and what is actually wrong.
Do not read this and think that every fight is your fight. You have to pick your battles. However, standing up for yourself, others and your values is not a personality trait. It is a responsibility that everyone, not just me, must take, especially when it is uncomfortable or comes at a cost. Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.
Cass Rutledge is a junior majoring in public policy leadership from Madison, Miss.
