To the editor:
I was greatly heartened by Jim An’s “Talking past each other.” I agree we tend to talk past each other rather than respectfully engaging each other’s “actually held concerns” with humility. However, An did not go far enough in the critique – he did not recognize that the communication mode he advocates could itself be wrong. I’m sure I was not the only one cringing at the contrast between the respectful humility he advocates and the condescending tone taken toward the offending student. There are divisions in our country over abortion, climate change, and race. However we are also divided over how to discuss these topics – just look at the many articles (including in the Record) on both sides of the issue on political correctness, safe spaces, trigger warnings, and free speech on campus. If we believe deeply in the benefit of conversing with good faith and humility, I believe we can even apply this method to the conversation about how to converse … but I might be wrong.
Best,
Amy
Amy Gilson is a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University.