Our school has allowed posters that display blatant racism and discrimination. I approve. Before you protest, let me explain.

Earlier today, some METCO and other students plastered various walls of Wayland High School with posters like, “Your playlist is so white,” and “It’s ok to be bi. You’ll decide one day.” These posters sparked outrage.

When my friend shared examples including, “You don’t sound black,” and “You’re Asian. You should get A’s,” I was angry. I wondered why slander would be allowed in a place that is dedicated to fostering acceptance.

Other students also questioned the posters’ purpose. I wanted to make it stop, so I went to view the crisis myself. The shocking messages were moved to a central location to the right of the media center. The offensive words were scrawled inside quotation marks and attributed to classmates, family members and other anonymous sources.

I was relieved to see that the posters are not simply bigotry disguised as a school project or a cruel joke. The posters are a subtle way of fighting the very words they spread. They are intended to raise awareness about the danger of stigma.

Several students have pointed out that the rest of the student body should have been warned about this beforehand. A warning would have prevented anyone from taking initial offense, but it would have dulled the message.

Yes, this edgy form of protest could be dangerous when misinterpreted. However, the majority of people do process the quotation marks and understand that the discrimination written is not intended to take effect. Scattered around the building, the posters were confusing. Now placed together, they catch students’ attention and have a clear purpose.

“I think it’s really important for light to be brought to these issues. Not a lot of people talk about them and it’s important for people to stop and think, ‘I’ve heard that in the hallway. Wow, that’s a bad thing,’” sophomore Anna Marobella said.

When students see stereotypes written so plain and bold, they question both the meaning and placement of these words. The posters force people to consider their own speech when taken out of context.

It is easy to assume that Wayland is an accepting place for everyone, but racism and other forms of discrimination are a problem everywhere. Stereotypes in Wayland must be addressed and corrected. These posters are positive because they highlight prejudiced comments made by members of our own community.

Maybe some students misinterpreted the posters as offensive. Maybe they are rude and shocking. Maybe someone expected John Quiñones to pop out and exclaim, “I’m John Quiñones and this is a television show called, ‘What Would You Do?’”

Nonetheless, these posters were an effort to eradicate stigma and make people examine their acceptance of others. Let the posters stay, not the stereotypes.

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.