Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

On May 10th 2024, an article was published which highlighted the repercussions faced by students who hosted protests in support of Palestine amidst the Palestine-Israel conflict. 

Sarah Ackland left with bruises on her knees and wrists from being pushed to the ground and restricted with plastic handcuffs. Steve Larry on the ground, several broken ribs and a broken hand. 

Peaceful protesting, we announced as the declaration of human rights choked on the twisted string of performative democracy - against the melodious dance of teargas and rubber bullets, we marched to a beat unsynchronised of so-called “freedom of speech”. Once ducks who relied on the bread crumbs fed by local visitors, we are sick of dancing in tune with the hypocritical music of the rich. Ducks - we may be, but fight - we will. 

“But they were violent.” whispered a cop in a voice - loud and brave. “Intent to destroy public property, you see.” 

These protesters, they run wild. Nihilistic anarchists. “Defense, that’s all it was.” The rubber bullets, the teargas is nothing but a shove and a push, protection of the public. We are saviors of this vibrant nation. And with this rise of war-hungry, clout thirsty herd of naive people of the future, may god save us all. 

“Justice is blind” they say, with a loosely tied, translucent withering piece of cloth on a woman with breast and lip implants. So we make our own distorted reality, one that is closer to the utopian one we so eagerly yearn for. We stand silent and still in this fictitious courtroom, for the closest thing we have to honest justice is one that is non-existent. We argue, day and night - this internal dilemma. 

“Your honor, a genocide is being committed as we speak. As a citizen of a country, that so passionately markets democracy. Why am I being persecuted for practicing a fundamental right? I believed, I protested. It was peaceful, the only blood shed as a result of this institution's so-called “defense”.’

“You believed in something incorrect. Antipatriotic, Ms. Ackland. Do we wait for the cannibal to lick his lips dry or do we step in at the sight of red? Tell us, what were you planning? An anarchist movement to teardown the government, perhaps?” 

“Oh, you’d like that for sure. Wouldn’t you? Another behind bars, another stack of blood-covered commission for you. Your honor, it is my very right to practice peaceful protesting. I did so, and here I am being prosecuted for a crime undone. A reflection of this institution and this nation. I am innocent, you must see. ”

“Oh, how cliche and pathetic. Blame the system, blame the soldiers. This is the price you pay for these beliefs you impose. And it’s not just you. This generation is to be blamed; the gays, the black supremists and the blue-haired democrats, yet we cannot punish them all. Your honor, in a society so polarized, with perceptions and information so widely available, it is the responsibility of oneself to inform oneself, and thus, bear the fruit of the opinion they hold. Punish these ones your honor, and set an example for the rest.”

“You said it all, dear officer. A society so polarized - on this we agree. Polarized, we are. Yet this fruit is no longer natural, this artificial, human-induced selection, this hierarchy is not one orated by nature, but is one enforced by man. Who is to decide which side of the spectrum deserves societal superiority, and which belongs on the margins of the same? In a nation so vibrant, so diverse. Why am I disallowed to disagree against a biased government, which fails to represent people like me? We endorse democracy yet fail to recognise an opposing perspective, why is this?”

“Ms. Ackland, holding opinions is fair and just. But when you partake in protest with 400 other lunatics carrying sticks and rocks in front of the White House, it is nothing less than a war-whistle. Through these public demonstrations, what do you hope to achieve? A national revolt against the government? These intentions, your honor, are demonic to say the least. Political and social chaos, how are we to let this slide? Ms. Ackland, your beliefs may be against the country for all I care. But your actions are what you are being persecuted for.”

“And what actions may those be? Your honor, I must emphasize with every inch of my flesh - our people enticed no violence. We intended for a peaceful protest, a civil disagreement arguing the actions taken by the United States. We intended for no harm, and the only harm done was by the authorities. We are students, some of us belonging to immigrant parents - we come to this country with hopes and dreams of providing for our families, yet are condemned by hate crimes and yearn for a moment of rebellion. We intend for no harm, our protest was nothing but a cry for justice, a prayer and hope for every Palestinian mother.”

This courtroom chatter continues with no end. To what extent is one responsible for their beliefs? And to what extent should one be held responsible for their beliefs? 

With an increasingly polarized world, with this distance between political opinions only growing with time, and with the increase in widespread propaganda where financial status dictates influence, we are at a loss of autonomy and philosophical freedom. 

With a decreased understanding of opposing ideologies, we remain distant surrounded by people of our own. This distance is a result of social media algorithms, which legally manipulate user data and utilize it to provide users with posts that they are bound to agree with. We use this form of communication -  one meant to connect us all, to segregate ourselves into groups differing on the basis of political perception, gender, race and social values. We no longer look over these borders to understand the people around us. 

Learned helplessness is a concept that emerged as a result of an experiment conducted by physiologists in 1967. A concept in which the restrictions imposed results in the change in behavioral tendency to remain under constricted conditions even after being presented with opportunities to escape - due to the internalized helplessness. 

Within these segregated environments, we have grown to learn and understand perceptions only similar to ours. Similar to learned helplessness, we conform to these societal values and suppress our human, natural urge to question which is why, when one does begin to question - atypical we consider. We persecute and trial, suppressing any further sense of rebellion. 

Considering this society in which we live, one in which freedom of thought can be bought by leading politicians and consumerism-thriving establishments, are we really responsible for our beliefs? Are we truly in charge of our perceptions if our perceptions are simply propaganda supported, reflections of the society we live in? And if this is true, does this justify the persecution of individuals for their perceptions and ideologies? Hypocritical, if you ask me. Like flies encased, we instill this helplessness and forget our true potential of the heights to which we can fly. We forget to think and are taught to follow, no longer recognising this distorted reflection of who we used to be.