The "other" essay

[doctorendgame]

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I recently learned Germany tried to suppress Nazism but it ended up helping Nazism rise to power; suppressing free speech almost always backfires on the suppressor, even if it is hate speech. Because they were stripped of free speech, they used that to win propaganda victories that ultimately helped them secure power. Conversely, the third incarnation of the KKK have been around for 80 years and they haven't done anything drastic partially because they are allowed to exercise free speech.

That's why I went from thinking hate speech needs to be stamped out to thinking everyone should have the right to free speech, even if it's hate speech. Needless to say, I've gotten a lot of criticism and even been accused of supporting phobic movements.

Is this too drastic of a topic for being the "other"? Or as long as I make it clear I support it to minimize the long-term harm suppressing it can cause, I'm good to go?

 

[Goro]

What does this have to do with medical school and/or applications???????

And 70-80 years ago, the KKK was still lynching black people.

FYI: In June 1964, the Jewish antiracist activists Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, along with the African-American antiracist activist James Chaney, were lynched in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Source: Wiki

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What is the prompt?

 

[saltykiosk]

What is the prompt?

I'm pretty sure it's the new rebranded diversity essay that asks "explain your experience being other".
@doctorendgame I think that topic is a really really bad idea. They're just trying to see if you would do well in a diverse clinical setting, they're not asking for your political views. Unless your application narrative is medical politic/policy making , don't make things complicated.

 

[Goro]

I recently learned Germany tried to suppress Nazism but it ended up helping Nazism rise to power; suppressing free speech almost always backfires on the suppressor, even if it is hate speech. Because they were stripped of free speech, they used that to win propaganda victories that ultimately helped them secure power. Conversely, the third incarnation of the KKK have been around for 80 years and they haven't done anything drastic partially because they are allowed to exercise free speech.

That's why I went from thinking hate speech needs to be stamped out to thinking everyone should have the right to free speech, even if it's hate speech. Needless to say, I've gotten a lot of criticism and even been accused of supporting phobic movements.

Is this too drastic of a topic for being the "other"? Or as long as I make it clear I support it to minimize the long-term harm suppressing it can cause, I'm good to go?

If Salty is correct, you will be perceived as not having answered the prompt.

 

[TibiaOrNotTibia]

I think any nuanced discussion of Nazism, the KKK, or hate speech could easily come across as very polarizing to anyone. I don’t know much about the data you’re referencing (so I can’t speak to that), but in either case, wouldn’t openly allowing hate speech automatically subject the victims of that hate speech to the said hate speech? This seems more appropriate for a philosophical project/class/speech rather than a medical school secondary. Just my 2 cents.

 

[doctorendgame]

I'm pretty sure it's the new rebranded diversity essay that asks "explain your experience being other".
@doctorendgame I think that topic is a really really bad idea. They're just trying to see if you would do well in a diverse clinical setting, they're not asking for your political views. Unless your application narrative is medical politic/policy making , don't make things complicated.

it's actually a time when you were in the minority.

 

[doctorendgame]

What is the prompt?

Describr a time you were the "other".

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

Describr a time you were the "other".

I think your original post misses the question. Try to give a time where you felt like you were an outsider, and how it helped you empathize with those who might feel the same way. In medicine, there are groups that feel like the “other”, they want to see if you can put yourself in their shoes. Your original answer not only misses a golden opportunity to showcase yourself, but it is far too polarizing for a medical school application.

 

[polymerization]

The full prompt is likely: Geisel School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Reflect on a situation where you were the “other."

I think you are hitting on an important perspective, but the question is asking for a firsthand account (if this is the school you're referring to).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The initial suggestion by the OP sounds like a lecture, not a personal reflection of a situation. In short, this pitch is "just a bit outside..."

 

[MCCM123]

These essays are your opportunity to share your personal experiences and the insights you gained from them. This direction for an essay feels like an essay assignment for a poli-sci course in which you are being asked to play devil's advocate.

I think in the attempt to stand out with a unique topic to speak on, you went too far from the script, which is school's getting to know you and what you have been through.