To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Theme

The other day I heard some girl in the hallway say (paraphrasing), "Ugh. We have to read To Kill A Mockingbird for English class. It's so stupid. There's, like, no point. They all talk weird and it's not even, like, good." I was appalled. The English nerd in me wanted to run up and give this girl a long lecture about how wrong that statement was. Even if I were bold enough to actually confront this girl, I thought-

What's the point? When I was a freshman I would argue with YouTube trolls for weeks about why the Holocaust most definitely happened. It was very clear that they were not going to change any more than I was. I have the tendency to argue ferociously on subjects I am passionate about, and will not stop until the argument has beaten into the ground and I am declared the winner. I doubt I have ever once actually changed someone's mind this way, only made them angry, uncomfortable, and exasperated.

I guess I just have trouble accepting the fact that, though I may indeed be right, other people are entitled to their opinions if it is not doing anyone physical harm. In a way, it makes me frustrated because I argue because I think I'm making a difference, making the world better by enlightening someone, when in reality it is just polarizing us more. If I were to have gone up to that girl and corrected her, she would probably have said, "Whatever. All of the people who like that book are opinionated losers who get all defensive," rather than, "Gee, thanks! I never thought of it that way! To Kill A Mockingbird is great!". It takes hands-on experience to truly change someone's mind. You can't beat stubbornness with stubbornness.

On a side note, I think I'm going to go to law school.