December 13, 2024
Dear Families,
In 2019, political scientist Arthur Brooks published Love Your Enemies, a book that chronicled the changes in political dialogue, particularly in the United States. In it, he describes the evolution of what he describes as "a culture of contempt", an atmosphere where Americans have ben manipulated through social media and other means not to disagree based on the extent to which your particular opinion or philosophy differs in substance from that of the other, but which now assumes that the opinion of the other is not merely rooted in a difference of opinion, but rather in a deep-seeded moral failing of the other -- a dramatic shift that has resulted in what our students know as "cancel culture".
He cites a 2014 study conducted jointly by Northwestern University, Boston College and the University of Melbourne, Australia, which investigated human conflict due to "motive attribution asymmetry -- the phenomenon of assuming that your ideology is based in love, while your opponent's ideology is based in hate." (21) The rise of motive attribution asymmetry results in responses grounded in contempt for the other, which "attempt to mock, shame and permanently exclude from relationships by belittling, humiliating, and ignoring." (22) This approach is different than an argument where an advocate of a certain position is so passionate about a cause that they are moved even to anger. While "anger says, 'I care about this', contempt says, 'You disgust me. You are beneath caring about.'" (22).
The change in discourse has been steadily finding it's way into the way students talk about hard things. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that they don't talk about hard things. If they react, it's instant, intense, and often en masse, with friends egging on the perceived victim to get the justice they believe they deserve, often resulting in exile. And I suppose one could argue that there is some merit in that approach if the offender's intent was to intentionally cause harm. Even the legal standards around certain laws now minimize intention in favor of impact, that the harm is done regardless of the intention, and to a degree I understand that logic.
The problem is that at this age level, while some instances of conflict are intentionally hurtful, many others are more attention seeking, the result of an underdeveloped sense of social skills. In middle school I had a friend who had a crush on a girl in our class. His go-to move was to bump into her. I have no idea what his intention was other than to get her to notice him, and all I remember is the utter and understandable confusion on her face when it would happen. While we thought it was pitiful, we also had no real advice for him on what a better "move" might be.
When students push the line of affront by making outrageous statements often described as "joking", it's often an attempt -- as flawed as it is -- at being included. Being noticed. The rise of motive attribution asymmetry and a culture of contempt aimed at exclusion, judgment, and permanent moral failings has made it incredibly difficult to moderate conflicts because it requires a level of vulnerability on both parties to understand the true intent of the other. While we are working on creating cultural conditions in which true dialogue can happen, student psychological safety around engaging in such discussions makes this increasingly difficult.
These conflicts happen daily, often times unreported. But one recently occurred in which the offender and the offended started out in a position of contempt. Through some private mediation the students decided that -- as uncomfortable as they were, and as skeptical as they were about my seeing this as an opportunity for growth -- they would meet and talk. I credit more the offended student here, as the decision to engage was really hers. But they did talk. They shared their apologies but moved into their backgrounds, the stressors they had in their own lives, their questions around justice and their fears of themselves being canceled. And while I thought I would have to heavily structure the conversation, I'm not sure I said two words.
Whether the two are or will be friends I have no idea. But they saw in that moment the humanity of each other. That at their cores they both want to be and do good. That they share many more similarities than they do differences. And they had compassion for each other. The conversation lasted almost 80 minutes.
As we prepare for the upcoming holiday break, I share this story as a regift from me to you. Because with all of the polarization that encompasses us in the present moment, it brought to me a sense of peace and most importantly it brought to me a reassurance that at the core of our differences there is a magic of the season that is still actively at work . . . Hope.
Have a wonderful holiday break.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Scott
Principal
Pulsera
Cohasset High School Raises Awareness and Funds for Artists in Central America
From 12/09/2024 to 12/19/2024, Cohasset High School's Spanish Club will be selling hand-woven bracelets, or ‘pulseras’ in Spanish, to empower the artists who make them in Nicaragua & Guatemala. The sale is organized through the Pulsera Project, a Fair Trade nonprofit organization that empowers and educates people in the U.S. and Central America through pulsera sales.
Student and teacher volunteers raise funds that benefit fair trade jobs, worker rights, sustainability, and education, while learning about the culture, lives, and struggles of Central Americans. The Pulsera Project’s goal is to create a more just and colorful world by encouraging conscious consumerism and social enterprise.
This short minute-long video is a brief overview of the Pulsera Project:
PSO
The Cohasset PSO has pledged $50,000 to refurbish the book collection in the Cohasset Middle High School Library.
Because of this financial support, the school has already purchased 215 new books and that number keeps going up.
As 2024 comes to a close, we hope you'll consider donating to the PSO to help us fund this endeavor.
From the Desk of Nurse Collins
We have a very high number of students with mono this fall. As numerous illnesses are spread through the respiratory tract, please remind your student:
- Stay home if you are sick
- Do NOT share food or drinks!!!!
- Cough/sneeze into your elbow.
- Keep their hands away from their face.
- Wash your hands frequently.
Cohasset High School
Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal