Marketplace of Ideas

Last week, my Issues in Modern America class presented a "Marketplace of Ideas". The Marketplace was a place where my peers and I had the opportunity to present our opinions about hot topics to the entire school. During the lunch periods, presentations and posters were set up in a common area outside of the cafeteria. Participating in the Marketplace of Ideas was a very rewarding experience for me because it forced me to see opinions that I would normally not meet. I had an opportunity to talk with my classmates about ideas that I had never thought of before such as organic farming, military budget cuts, and the legalization of elicit drugs. Besides presenting in the Marketplace, I thought that it was highly interesting to engage in discussion with the other students who work presenting their topics. On the first day of the Marketplace, last Thursday, I walked past a presentation which argued that Invisible Children, a non-profit organization that I am a strong supporter of, is a fraudulent and terrible organization. Strongly believing in the organization, I quickly began to share my opinions with the student about why I disagreed with his poster. Eventually a few other students crowded around us as well, listening to my opinions on his topic. Overall, the Marketplace of Ideas is a great concept because it allows us students to explore hot topics that we would not address otherwise, and it gives us the opportunity to respectively share our differing opinions.