Photo Credits: Abby Truong
“College is a scam!”
“Screw these educated elites!”
“Man, don’t go into debt just to get brainwashed in college!”
I’ve seen a bucketload of disdain towards higher education, mainly directed at the cost of attending a four-year college. And while I strongly disagree with the sentiment, the hate, unfortunately, is not unfounded. The price tag of attending a private college like USC— a whopping 90k per year— is ridiculous. There’s a balance that Americans have yet to strike: preserving the value of knowledge versus the real-world cost of that education. How can we fight anti-intellectualism when a college degree is out of reach for so many?
Go to the public library! I firmly believe that the best way teens can fight the forces of ignorance is simply by patronizing their local library. Contrary to popular belief, libraries are far from obsolete in our digital age. Libraries offer more than books— they offer free resources to address modern issues. Libraries in Alameda County offer financial literacy classes to seniors, resources to acquire American citizenship, and even fee waivers for Driver’s Ed Courses.
The point is, libraries are political. And naturally, they’re firmly against anti-intellectualism. Libraries encourage their patrons to explore higher education while removing the barriers to this pathway. They offer expensive AP prep books for free. Centerville Library, the library I personally volunteer at, is even hosting a free college essay workshop, available to the public. Not only does supporting your public library show the government that you value knowledge, it also shows that you believe in equitable access to that knowledge.
Today, your support has become especially important; simply put, libraries are under attack. According to PEN America, a leading organization in the fight against book banning in American school libraries, book banning has risen by two hundred percent, just from 2023 to 2024. Apart from Young Adult classics such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, hallmarks of African American literature— such as Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings— were among the most banned books of 2024.
Book banning is a censorship that goes beyond canceling late night talk show hosts. If you love learning, this is your call to arms— you must go beyond simply checking out books. You need to get involved with your library’s volunteer programming.
Luckily, I know just where to start! In Fremont, Centerville Library is about to host their yearly Banned Book Tea, an event in which teens write letters to representatives in school districts with book bans. You can also write to local authors whose books have been banned to show your support, all for the reward of service hours that go towards graduation.
It’s easy to feel helpless as the political progress in our country trends steadily backwards. But you can still make a difference— through the big ways, like writing a letter against book banning, or the small, like simply checking out your favorite novel. Don’t sit helpless— support your local library.
Sources: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/anti-intellectualism
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 https://www.britannica.com/event/McCarthyism
Abby Truong is a senior at Washington High School and has lived in Fremont since birth. She hopes to spend her first year at The Hatchet covering local news and sharing her opinions. Apart from volunteering at the public library, Abby enjoys planning imaginary vacations and developing concepts for TV dramas. She hopes to attend a college in Boston and major in English on the pre-law track.