Everyone has an opinion. We live in a world filled with people that have different views and those that feel that theirs is the most important and right one. Most of the time, people are not informed on what they are talking about. 

Educating yourself on controversial topics is important. Especially if you are going to start talking about them. If you do not know enough information about the topic, conversations can become mixed in with the wrong information. This leads to people feeling strongly about your beliefs, or biased views and may feel you are a bigot when in reality you are just uninformed. 

When people talk about sensitive topics without knowledge people will start to believe things that are not true and keep bad ideas alive. 

Eman Atshan, a UACHS senior, stresses the importance of understanding before going public. 

“If people do not know what they are talking about, they will spread misinformation on critical and important topics that require the utmost understanding of the topic,” said Atshan.

Social media is the first place where misinformation starts. Instead of using reliable news sources, teens often find themselves relying on what Instagram and TikTok have to say about what is going on in the world. They spread what they see and read online without verifying its authenticity. While what you see across several social media platforms may have strands of the truth, it is important to fact check before you go on and say what you are going to say. 

“Reporting news publicly requires immense detail-oriented research, ” said Atshan. “Information that is public is consumed by all age groups and it is wrong to make people believe and read misinformation as if it’s regular old reliable information.”

While misinformation also plays a large role in a lot of conflict, as peers, we also need to hear each other out. Sometimes, it may be difficult to listen to what another person has to say, especially if it affects you personally.  

Although one’s views may not be politically correct, and you may not agree with their thoughts, it is important to remember that particular topics are not a one way street. After all, that is what makes them so controversial and newsworthy. 

It is often easy to forget when a topic is sensitive; especially when having a normal conversation in the classroom. What could have been intended as a simple discussion could be disastrous if not handled with care. 

In order to make the world a better place and protect free speech and ideals we need to ensure we are taking the time to learn more about topics so that we can have respectful informed conversations.