We are neither heartless nor emotionless; in fact, quite the opposite. But during the course of the past three years here, we’ve noticed a rather disturbing trend: people no longer ‘think’ their opinions. Instead, they ‘feel’ them. The phrase “I feel like” seems to have taken over this
school. Some may argue that this is simply a question of semantics. We, however, are not convinced. We are saddened by… no, wait… we feel sad because of this egregious usage of our beautiful English language.
The phrase is upsetting for two reasons. Firstly, it’s logically nonsensical. One can feel emotions. One can feel happy or sad; one can feel like going to a party. One can
not, however, “feel like Marx was wrong” or logically say “I feel like I disagree” (which we have overheard on multiple
occasions). What a pointless thing to say, “I feel like I disagree.” Of course you feel like you disagree, because you do, most likely, disagree.
This school was recently called the most politically active in the nation. That means we all must believe in some things strongly. We must have strong opinions if we’re willing to vocalize them off campus. Stop protecting people’s feelings by hiding your opinions.
The second reason this phrase is upsetting is that we are at an academic institution—one of the best in the country —and an academic institution is driven by intellectual debates, which rely on what one thinks of various opinions, facts, and theories. All such related discussions require people to think. If we phrase our thoughts in the form of feelings, it leaves no room for debate. It is possible to argue against thoughts and opinions, but not feelings.
So, for the sake of preserving this intellectual community, start thinking instead of feeling your ideas, Wesleyan.
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