Many students here at CRLS have heard about the phenomenon known as: “the Cambridge Bubble.” For those of you who are not familiar with its meaning, it refers to the almost uniform political views displayed within the city of Cambridge. At face value this may seem to be impossible: how could a city that’s so diverse have such a strong consensus? The answer boils down to the established environment and the priorities of the residents’ opinions; a self perpetuating cycle of fitting in and furthering the values you’ve inherited from those around you. Now, is this dynamic a bad thing? Probably, just as Iron sharpens Iron, our ideas and sense of what is right will only be strengthened through confronting and conceding to opposing perspectives.
As it happens, the most representative sample of Cambridge opinions may be found at the high school. The students come from all over the city, with a wide variety of ethnic and social backgrounds interacting and exchanging ideas; however, as things stand, there is a real lack of contrasting opinions to be found. The average discussion on American politics between students is brief and dull, often there being little more exchanged than news. I find there to be pitifully little analysis or intellectual critique of ideas. It would seem this banal condition is not naturally occurring though. Those with who waiver from the common consensus, are often subjugated to ostracization regardless of the nature of their opinion. An authority on the CRLS social scene, Adrian Popa ’25 confided in an interview: “I can’t imagine a place that is more uniformly aligned politically; it is therefore not easy to express opposing opinions.” The social environment in Cambridge leaves little room for the formation of truly independent thought. This does not mean that there is no diversity of opinion whatsoever, rather there is an unspoken limitation on what’s considered acceptable for discussion. For example: people feel comfortable with debating the best way to resolve climate change; however, taking a non liberal perspective on immigration, or the Supreme Court will have you running through a social gauntlet.
For many in Cambridge this is an acceptable status quo; rarely are these Cambridge views challenged in any part of the curriculum. Even clubs, extracurriculars and other social events reflect the same ideological consensus. Whenever I travel outside of Cambridge there is always an element of culture shock; the rest of the world isn’t quite living in la la land quite like we are. Sooner or later the bubble bursts and the reality of humanity’s diversity and its chaos spills into our lives. Cambridge has elements of an echo chamber that produce a detrimental effect on its youth. Diversity is a strength, and shouldn’t be restricted from speech or thought. So if you are afraid to hold an opinion, do your research, speak your truth. The only thing separating an echo chamber from a concert hall, is the symphony of voices.
This article also appears in our October 2024 edition.
