As my tenure as Opinion Editor comes to an end, I have taken some time to reflect on my experience writing opinion articles for The Spectator and the value I have gained from this work. Like many of you, I came to Hamilton with a lot of ideas about politics and culture while also possessing little knowledge about the facts and history involving these topics. Of course, taking classes in both of these subjects increased my knowledge and ability to write on these topics, but these essays usually had little to do with my actual thoughts on a topic and much more to do with what I anticipated the teacher would want to hear. Although many of my peers disagree with this strategy, I do not see any ethical reason to sacrifice your GPA to try and change the mind of your professor — who has spent years studying the subject at the highest level. Usually, one who writes about his or her own views in class is at an inherent disadvantage because of the course material. Simply put, if you want to write about the advantages of a free-market economy in a class where the professor expects you to incorporate sources that blame capitalism for global poverty and conflict, you likely will not do very well in the class. Therefore, it can be difficult for a curious student to conceptualize his or her own views on a subject in a classroom setting.
The best way to deal with views that you feel are false or repulsive is to read contrasting sources on the topics you learn about in class independently. But it can be very difficult to motivate yourself to do this work when you already have reading and assignments for a full slate of classes and extracurricular activities to complete. I found myself having this problem even when I participated in fully virtual classes in the spring of 2021.
I do not believe I am the only one who has trouble motivating himself to do work when there is no obvious deadline or incentive. Who wants to read about trade policy during their free time when you could play Rocket League on your Xbox or hang out and watch YouTube with your friends? While, of course, I still continued to do both of these things, I looked for ways to incentivize myself to continue being intellectually curious outside of the classroom.
Writing opinion articles became that incentive. Having my writing published — even if it was read by few people other than my parents — was an exciting experience that made me feel proud of my work and confident in my ability to think about problems critically and create solutions. I continued to chase this feeling by writing for The Spectator (so much so that I eventually became an Opinion Editor) and through other smaller publications like the Organization For World Peace. Even though I did not receive any compensation for articles for over a year of writing, the experience I gained from researching topics and writing articles based on my views of this research has helped me gain pretty much every internship I did throughout college, whether it was for a think tank or a publication.
My purpose in writing this article is not to impress anyone or to claim that my experience is universal among those who write for the opinion section. Instead, I hope that by sharing the value I gained from writing opinion articles, I can motivate others to write their own articles. I understand that putting yourself out there by sharing your views publicly can be a daunting experience, but I believe that the process of researching and writing on a topic will make one more sure of their views and better able to defend them in any circumstance. While regurgitating the views of others can work in the classroom, I firmly believe that any successful person in any field has the ability and willingness to formulate and express their own opinions and stand by them no matter the pushback. Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s famous novel The Fountainhead, put it best: “The primary act — the process of reason — must be performed by each man alone.” This wisdom is applicable to everyday life as well. Friends, family and partners are more interesting and fun to spend time with when they openly express their preferences towards certain things and against others, at least in my opinion.
In sum, writing opinion articles is an enjoyable exercise that can help one improve their critical thinking and writing skills. I highly recommend those hesitant to put their views out there to go for it; no matter your beliefs, I am sure there are others who feel the same way.
