Fans of the hit TV show Glee are well aware of the climate change saga where Emma argues with Principal Figgins. The clash between a veteran administrator and a young idealist was not only entertaining but also raised awareness about an important issue in real life.
Today we are going to deconstruct what happened. By diving deep into what happened and looking at the perspective of both sides we can not only determine who was in the right and who was wrong but also look at the lessons we can learn from the whole incident.
The Context
Before we move to the actual incident, we must give you some background as to why Emma Argues with Principal Figgins and what the whole incident was about. Let us start with the two people who spearheaded both sides of this argument.
Principal Figgins
Principal Figgins often comes off as a stern administrator and maybe even a bit frugal. But one can see he cares for both his students well being and the school itself. His over two decades of experience have made him good at his job, that is when he is not being blackmailed.
Emma Pillsbury
Emma is a kind and caring school counselor who shows great empathy for her students. She is a bit quirky at times and may seem emotional but she has strong ideals for which she is willing to stand up as shown when Emma Argues.
The Incident
The incident involved Emma organizing a walkout with students in protest of the school curriculum, particularly regarding climate change. She felt her students were not being properly taught about the disasters of climate change.
Her protest soon gathered momentum as a lot of students agreed with her and joined in the protest. But there were people on the other side as well, people like Principal Figgins who believed the protest was not the right way to handle this issue and when they both came head to head, we saw how Emma Argues with Principal Figgins.
The reaction
This incident struck a nerve with everyone. Both students and the staff were divided over who was right and who was wrong and everyone had a strong feeling over the whole thing. Just as Emma Argues with Principal Figgins, we see people having arguments of their own.
The eventual solution
It was clear that more was needed than a simple argument between two people to resolve this issue. Both sides were to be heard and someone was needed to mediate between the both parties and this is exactly what was done.
Emma was allowed to raise her concerns against school policies and the rights of her students and Principal Figgins expressed his side of the argument that while he cared about the issues, he had to take into account other needs and priorities of the school.
Both sides were able to come to a peaceful settlement and agreed that change was needed and something would be done but in a better way than when Emma Argues with Principal Figgins. She was able to understand his argument as well all the while making progress with her demands.
Who is in the right?
To say that one party was right and the other was wrong would be iniquitous. What we can deduce is that while Emma’s demands were righteous, her way of making those demands was not. Principal Figgins on the other hand showed that there are always two sides to a story.
When Emma argues with Principal Figgins, we can see that he is indeed considerate and empathetic to her cause, but being responsible for so many people and such a big school he has some limitations. But he does concede to her demands in some ways and agrees to do all he can to fix the issue.
Lessons for us all
There is an important lesson for us all here, and that is that we should all stand for our rights just as Emma did. We learned that change only comes when we speak and make ourselves heard, but we should not do it in a way that causes problems for others and forces their hands, just as Principal Figgins showed.
Conclusion
When Emma Argues with Principal Figgins, it is not a mere argument. It is a story of a woman with strong ideas standing up for what she believes in, it is a story of a man who at the surface may look like he does not care, but when you scratch into the surface you see there is more to him than what meets the eye.
But most importantly it is an instrument of awareness, awareness about issues like climate change and preserving our environment. Awareness about standing up for what is right, but by means that bring a positive and everlasting change.
