Words we use to describe each other do matter

I woke up a few mornings ago to news about the namechange decisions facing High School 1327, formerly known as Sir Francis Drake High School.

I also read some of the community comments that followed the most-recent piece posted on the Marin IJ’s website. They included accusations of authoritarianism, fascism and totalitarianism.

Four years after graduating from HS 1327 (and I don’t mind using that placeholder), I’m now finishing college and writing my senior thesis — more than 200 pages on the birth and rise of fascism in Italy.

I can promise you, it did not begin with high school name changes.

This is one of the simplest ways I can relate what happened in Italy: People stopped trusting each other and started trusting someone else. Fascism did not come from an overwhelming external power, it came from within. In the absence of faith in, and sincerity between one another, it filled the void. That’s what I see here, even in the most miniature. In affluent and privileged corners of the world, mole hills often become mountains because the earth around them is a smooth and unblemished surface.

Those involved in this name-change process are good people. Their aim is to reduce the amount of hurt in the world. You can disagree with the means while recognizing the ends. That kind of disagreement is valuable, it hones our approach toward a common goal.

We are all dealing with the difficult nature of looking back. No matter what side you are on here, it is a genuinely tricky thing. Because this kind of looking is introspective —it can mean guilt and shame. It can mean losing things.

I love my home and everyone in it — those who value