The power of offence: What are we teaching our children?

Recently, while teaching an undergraduate course on contemporary issues in Catholic education, I became aware of how constrained freedom of speech has begun to feel for many young adults. These are final-year Catholic student teachers who are intelligent, thoughtful and on the cusp of professional life. The class encouraged them to engaging with complex and sensitive questions about identity and belief.

She knew many of her peers felt the same way, but that they too remained silent. The cost of speaking, she believed, was simply too high”

During one class discussion, a student I regard as among the brightest and most level-headed in the group, spoke with noticeable hesitation. She explained that she would never express her views on matters of identity in a public forum. Her reason sobering. She feared being attacked, misrepresented or shut down because someone might claim to be ‘offended’. She went on to say that she knew many of her peers felt the same way, but that they too remained silent. The cost of speaking, she believed, was simply too high.

What struck me most was not in relation to any particular view she held, but the climate she described. This was not a student seeking to provoke or dismiss others. She spoke respectfully, carefully and with evident concern for the dignity of all. Yet, even so, she felt that certain perspectives—even when expressed thoughtfully and in good faith—were no longer welcome in public discourse. The nods of agreement from most of her peers in the room were telling.

As an educator, I find this deeply troubling. Education should be a place where children and young people learn how to engage with disagreement, not avoid it. It should be a place where they are encouraged to articulate their views, listen to others and refine their thinking through respectful dialogue. When fear of causing offence becomes a silencing force, education is diminished.

Students learn not how to think, but what not to say.

This is not an argument for hostility or insensitivity. Questions touching on identity, sexuality and human dignity must always be approached with care and respect. But respect must cut both ways. A culture that closes down conversation rather than sustaining it does not protect our young people. Rather, it leaves them ill-prepared for the complexity of real life.

Impact

This is the practical impact of what is often described as the “power of offence.” When claims of harm are used not to open conversation but to shut it down, education suffers. Why? Because young people are denied the chance to hear alternative perspectives and develop the critical thinking skills they need. Shielding them from ideas they might not immediately agree with does not protect them but rather it leaves them ill-equipped to navigate a pluralist society and make informed choices about their own lives.

Education should form young people who can listen, question, debate and discern. Respect, tolerance, compassion and hospitality to difference are essential values especially when discussing sensitive matters, yet these values must apply consistently. Christian perspectives should not be treated as inherently suspect or harmful.

Just this week, the Bishop of Meath spoke of the enduring value of the Catholic education sector. I have seen, from the inside, the beauty of Catholic education when it is done well. It trusts young people, encourages them to think about difficult issues instead of shielding them, and helps them reflect on what it means to be human. At its best, Catholic education does not demand conformity but it invites questioning, reflection, discernment and mature moral judgement.

But there is growing concern that this is under strain. When Catholic educators feel unable to articulate Catholic perspectives (shared by many of other faiths and none) on contested issues without fear of censure, something vital is being lost.

In recent weeks, Pope Leo has warned that “the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking”. That seminar experience highlighted how fragile that freedom is, and why it must be safeguarded in education and beyond.

If education becomes a place where only one view may be voiced, then it is not education at all”

A democratic society depends on the free exchange of ideas. Education is where young people learn to engage thoughtfully and respectfully with difference and therefore if ‘offence’ becomes the ultimate measure of what may be said, education fails in its most basic purpose.

Most Catholic voices are not seeking to exclude or diminish anyone. We are asking to participate, to raise questions, to express concern and to contribute to the common good in good faith.

If education becomes a place where only one view may be voiced, then it is not education at all. Our children and young people deserve far better than that.

(i) Roisín Coll is a professor of Catholic Education.