I only knew her for a year
By TARA ROMERO — tcrome@ucdavis.edu
Writing about myself directly for an article feels so gross. Usually, I can hide behind a communal “we” or a pointed “you.” Even when I use the “I” pronoun in my columns I get to feel a bit distanced, since few people would recognize my name. Yet, here I am, opening up about my life and feeling a little bit vulnerable.
The thing is, I really shouldn’t feel so exposed. Writing for the opinion desk, I’ve already made so much of my own life and political views visible.
At times, the opinion desk is one of the scarier places to be at The Aggie. Certainly not the scariest — I think that title probably belongs to the layout director or the editor-in-chief. However, writing opinion columns can be very vulnerable, and that’s the scary part. There’s a reason the paper puts the disclaimer, “The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.” We get tasked with taking a stance — a stance that belongs to us and us alone as writers.
I’ve only been writing for The Aggie for one year. I joined the opinion desk because my hubris told me that I had something to say. It took me a while to find my footing. At the beginning, I wrote a lot more fluffy, light-hearted articles (and trust me, I still love writing a good fluff article). I was too nervous to write about anything more controversial in fear that I wouldn’t be able to do the topics I cared about justice — so, I avoided them.
A month or two in, something in me flipped. I realized that I wanted to say something more; I wanted to take a real stance with my writing. If I’m writing for the opinion desk, I might as well actually have an opinion.
So, I started writing more about political topics that I felt passionate about. I felt myself learning my own political voice over the course of this year, and I’m very proud of my work — something I rarely say. Whenever I turn in an essay, I’m convinced I’m the worst writer in the world and that my professor should blow me up with a stick of dynamite over how bad of a job I did.
Writing opinion columns is so vulnerable, but that’s what makes opinion writing so necessary. As Artificial Intelligence is beginning to replace our humanity in every field of writing, and as we continue through the age of social media blasting misinformation across everyone’s timelines, we need vulnerability in our persuasion.
Persuasion itself is becoming somewhat of a lost art. Ideally, persuasion should be a one-sided conversation that is rooted in human connection, with the goal of convincing other people to view the world the same way you do. In reality, persuasion has turned into propaganda — into a “who has the most clickbait headline” contest where only the readers are losing.
Through vulnerability, there is authenticity. Through authenticity, there is real persuasion. Real persuasion is the only way to resist this era of propaganda and misinformation — alongside, of course, local and reliable news sources such as our very own The California Aggie.
So, take this as a love letter to the opinion column. Writing persuasion pieces has taught me so much about myself, and I hope all of my fellow writers’ and outstanding editor’s stories this year taught you all something about yourselves or the world.
I will end this column on a vulnerable note. As I leave behind my brief time as an unpaid writer (that’s how you know I was in it for the love of the game) and as an unpaid student, I am entering into this unknown chapter of my life. I’m graduating without the slightest clue about my future, but I trust my love of writing and my newfound voice will guide me wherever I go.
Written by: Tara Romero— tcrome@ucdavis.edu
