It’s quite foolish how much we start to take some basic freedoms for granted and it wasn’t until I was faced against a threatening situation that I began to value the importance of self expression — this is a story about how an act of being told to repress my opinions has encouraged me to only speak louder.

A few weeks ago, I watched a video by Alex Purdy titled “Why I Left My Sorority.” Watching that video was more than a woman complaining about Greek life, it was about a person going out of their way to make their voice heard so that others who may be in the same position would be able to relate and cause a change within a system that seemed to have lost its values. I shared her video on Facebook because her message did not apply solely toward the Greek community or a single organization. Women on this campus should feel empowered, strong and confident — not judged by their appearance, the size of their bodies and certainly not brought down by a group of other women.

After I posted the video, my roommate messaged me telling me to take it down, stating that Purdy’s video was referencing her sorority though the video never mentioned a sorority by name. She went into detail about how the video is a form of slander and how it greatly offended her. The conversation escalated to her swearing at me, threatening to get her lawyer involved, reporting me to housing then pleading for me to be her friend and a decent human.

The rest of the Letter to the Editor may be read here.

Sharmin Rahman
Information Management & Technology Studies and  Global Enterprise Technology at School of Information Studies ’17