– It’s really crazy that it has turned out like this. It is important to speak your mind and be able to express yourself, especially in work and school contexts. That’s what Lidia Polanska (19) says, who goes to Byåsen secondary school in Trondheim. More than 40 percent of young people between the ages of 19 and 39 are afraid to say what they think for fear of reactions from others, shows a survey carried out by news. Both Polanska and classmate Sofia Ulfseth Piene (19) are surprised that the number is so high. But they can also understand it in a way. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news – There could be several reasons for that, but I think it’s mostly about the fact that society has developed such strong social norms as a result of the woke culture, says Piene. – The larger society cracks down very hard on radical opinions and opinions that are different from what is accepted, she says. But is it really new that people are afraid to say what they think when it breaks slightly with the general perception of society? Why are people afraid to speak their mind? A total of 36% of the population say that they hold back their opinions. The number is highest among the young, 40% among those between 18-29, and 46% among those between 30-39. There are various reasons for this, among the 36 percent, news’s survey shows. 26% hold back because of aggression and dissatisfaction 13% hold back because of discussions 11% hold back for fear of being stigmatized 9% hold back because of insecurity 8% hold back for fear of social exclusion In the survey, the question “in the past year, have you experienced any of the following on the basis of an opinion you have expressed in social contexts (school, work, among friends and in social media)” to the entire population. 34% have been criticized or contradicted 6% have lost contact with acquaintances/colleagues 2% have lost friends Classroom as a war arena To find the answer to that, we have found a classroom at Foss secondary school where at the beginning of the 90s the ceiling was very high. Both literally and figuratively speaking. But something may have changed in recent years. IN PLACE: Abid Raja has settled down at the same desk he sat at 30 years ago. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news – The board has been replaced with a whiteboard, but otherwise it looks pretty much the same out! Abid Raja has entered his old classroom together with his two former classmates, Kristin Førde and Annika Wetlesen. Here they used to spend both school hours and free time discussing politics, identity and culture. – I remember we very much disagreed about feminism and social policy, laughs Førde, who is today a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Gender Research at the University of Oslo. – I remember I was very angry with you, Abid, because you thought that the poor were just lazy and had to toughen up and get a job. The former Minister for Equality also burst out laughing. STATEMENT: Former Minister for Equality Abid Raja (V) thinks it is “absolutely wild” to think about the mindset he entered youth life with. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news – Oh, I had completely forgotten that, but it could well happen, admits Raja. – I remember it very well, says Førde and points to two empty desks behind him. – I sat here and you sat there and I remember I wanted to just “punch” you in the face! Zero self-censorship But there were no violent outbursts. No self-censorship either. In the B class at Foss, you were allowed to say exactly what you meant, say the three former classmates. Abid Raja, who came with a Pakistani background and a conservative set of values, says that it was different to be challenged by the feminists in the class. MEMORY: The classroom at Foss holds many memories. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news – I was brought up to think that parents should decide all road choices. When we discussed marriage, I told the girls in the class that I was going to marry my cousin, he says. The questions he got back made an impression. – They quickly realized that I hadn’t even met her and I remember so well that they asked me ‘but what do you want, Abid?’ GOOD FRIENDS: Abid Raja and Annika Wetlesen are happy to see each other again. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news He still hadn’t thought about what he wanted. – For me, this was something the family decides, it had been like that for hundreds of years, and I was just a small piece in a long tradition. But the questions from the girls in the class led to a conversation on the inside, he says. – And I am very happy about that, otherwise I would probably never have been married to the woman I am married to today, says Raja. PIKEFINGER: Kristin Førde (th) was not afraid to talk to Abid Raja about her views on feminism, social policy and the EU 30 years ago. Nor is she today. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news This is precisely why openness in the classroom is so important, the three believe. They find it disturbing that so many young people today are afraid to speak their mind. – If I had kept my mouth shut and not said what I meant about the place of girls in society, I could never have been free in my head either, says Raja. Youth, women and multicultural speech news has collected is consistent with other similar surveys. – Those who are most afraid to speak out are young, often women, but also those with an immigrant background, says Halla Bjørk Holmarsdottir. She is professor of international and multicultural education at Oslomet. – They are also the ones who usually receive critical feedback and find it extra burdensome, she says. HARD DEBATE: More people than before are afraid to speak their mind, points out Professor Halla Holmarsdottir at Oslomet. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs Holmarsdottir firmly believes that there are more people than before who are afraid to speak their mind. – The debate has become fiercer in recent years. I think we are seeing a somewhat unfortunate tendency where people no longer have as much of a filter, and that the debate is therefore becoming tougher to participate in. Trump and woke She believes that there was a clear shift in the social norms for the exchange of opinions while Donald Trump was president of the United States . – Trump and also Fox News have in a way paved the way for it to be OK to express ourselves in ways that we might not have accepted before, says Holmarsdottir. Quite parallel came all the debates about liberation and discrimination. Metoo, Black Lives Matter and the trans debate have all been colored by harsh extremes, the professor points out. THE ONE WHO SHOUTS THE LOUDEST: The opinions that fell to the outer edges get the most space in the public debate, points out Oslomet professor Halla Holmarsdottir. She believes Trump played an important role in this shift in the public debate. Photo: AP – All this has done something to the way we communicate with each other. The strongest opinions apply, whether it is on the right or the left politically. Then, she thinks, the average opinion of young people might fall through the cracks a little. And then many stop themselves from expressing themselves. – I think it will be frightening for many. Holmarsdottir still believes that the key lies in the classroom. – We need to work more on debate and rhetoric and how to talk together about the things that are difficult. Back to the classroom The three former classmates in the classroom at Foss agree that the classroom is a unique arena for arguing. But there is research that shows that teachers often avoid controversial topics that arouse strong feelings because it can cause them to lose control in the classroom, Annika Wetlesen points out. IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE TEACHER: Annika Wetlesen, who is currently an associate professor at the Faculty of Teacher Education at Oslomet, believes that teachers are in a unique position to create safe debate. Photo: Ine Julia Rojahn Schwebs / news She is currently an associate professor at the Faculty of Teacher Education at Oslomet. She points out that the teachers they had at Foss played an important role in creating an open class environment. – They offered themselves and were honest about their involvement in several different matters. The social studies teacher had been to the UN Women’s Conference and showed us the film “Hair” about the Vietnam War. The religion teacher was open about being a personal Christian. At the same time, they were always open to other perspectives. They gave us room to be that too, says Wetlesen. – I hope young people dare to let themselves go a little more freely, says Raja and adds: – It is better to say what you think and get someone chewed out verbally. Then you also get the discussion that makes you develop. CHANGE LOG; 31.5.23 at: 1530 the categories in the fact box have been changed.
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Almost half of young people do not speak their mind for fear of reactions – news Culture and entertainment
