Don't tell me you don't have an opinion

We examined editorial cartoons in class today. Most of my students had never spent any time with them, so we covered some of the necessary basics to understanding their message. I fielded some interesting questions:

Q: Why do they always draw Obama with such big ears?

A: Have you ever taken a good look at those things? They're ginormous!

Q: Why does the donkey always represent the Democrats and the elephant the Republicans? Do they represent attributes of the party?

A: Most likely, yes.

Q: This cartoon could offend some people.

A: Yes, most do.

I assigned each group one cartoon, and they were to write down:

1. The issue addressed in the cartoon.

2. What each character represented.

3. The artist's opinion on the issue.

4. Their opinion on the issue.

About halfway through class, while they were working diligently, I received the most disturbing question I've ever heard in the classroom:

"What if we don't have an opinion?"

Now, this is a state of mind with which I simply can not relate. I was raised in a family where an opinion on anything and everything was an absolute imperative, a matter of survival. Those without an opinion were mocked and shunned. By the age of 3 I had learned that if I didn't have an opinion, I had better quickly come up with one. By age 4 I had learned to defend that opinion with diligence and fervor. Of course, one was always allowed to change opinions, and in fact we often did, but only if the new opinion was held with even more passion than the original.

What if we don't have an opinion? I answered the only way I knew how.

"You have 10 minutes to come up with one."

Now, I'm not promoting arbitrary opinions. I want them to research an issue, consider both sides, weigh the facts, project the consequences. They do need to increase their critical thinking skills (who of us doesn't), but what they need even more is a cure to their apathy.

They are not apathetic by nature. They impress me everyday with their deeply held concern for their friends and family. The reason they are in school now is to improve life not only for themselves but also for those they love.

All they need is for someone to help them see the connection between politics and local, national, and world events, and their own inner circles. How does America's response to the energy crisis affect their children? How does the government's involvement in corporate spending affect their own wages? Who can help them draw these lines?

That is my job. I'm not just and English teacher, I'm a line drawer.