I attend a small to medium sized state university in a fairly conservative area. Somehow, a group of assholes on par with the WBC have decided that our campus is the frontline in the battle for souls. The head asshole spent two days on campus last year, camped out in a “free speech zone” near a particularly heavily populated part of campus, shouting to all that passed that they were going to hell. Those that made the mistake of stopping to stare at the crazy were pointed out and had their “sins” listed for the world to hear: “You masturbate twice a day, YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!!!” etc. They are particularly concerned about homosexuals, who are all apparently on par with Hitler in terms of evilness.
Well, guess who has returned, and been in the same spot for three days in a row? He’s brought backup as well, being a couple of people holding “The End Is Near” type signs with roughly a paragraph stating essentially that everyone but them is going to HELL. Aside from the anger I have at these people in general, I am also irritated at the students that stop and stare at these people like it is some kind of floor show. If there was ever a case of DNFTT, this is it, and yet they stop. I mean, some people try to argue with the crazies, others (from the very decent Campus Ministries group) try to pray them away…
The university apparently can’t kick them off as they are in free speech zones, and have registered to be there.
Purgatory, maybe. :dubious: Really, do you think we can’t spot you instantly, you hairy-palmed maniac, you?
I think religious people who obsess on sex are in some way sexually deviant (as if I’m going to define that here) and are repressing it. Weird, weird, weird. And sad, too.
While I fully sympathize with the irritation that is crazy shouting religious people, I found these last two sentences a bit off-putting. Why would there be any question of them being prevented from yelling their opinions? That’s what free speech is. It only matters in cases where people want others to shut up and go away.
I think I would be inclined to stop and stare if someone were able to tell the exact number of times I masturbate per day just by looking at me. I might ask them for the powerball numbers for tonight, too.
Honestly, these crazy preachers are pretty much just a part of the college experience these days. I remember when I was at the University of Florida a couple of years ago and most of my classes were in the building right next to the area zoned for these demonstrations and I had fun watching the crazies and the students who actually decided to bang their heads against the wall to debate them. It was actually a fun way to spend a fifteen minute break.
I completely agree that they have a right to say what they want. My problem with what they are doing is that some of the content is on that fuzzy grey line of hate speech. If they removed the “God says…” part from most of their statements, I’m fairly certain there would be no question of it being hate speech.
The go away part of my statement is pure selfishness on my part, based mostly on the fact that I have to fight my way thru the stupid people stopping and staring to get to class, and also that it irritates me (my natural reaction to that much stupid). I then get further irritated at myself for devoting that much thought to what they are doing.
There you have my conflict: my belief in free speech and their right to do so, and my selfish thoughts.
Leave a darwin fish in their spot, maybe some anal beads and lube.
Get some red contact lenses, and realistic vampire teeth. Walk by wearing them smiling and laugh about how they’re playing right into your dark lord’s plans.
Maybe have one of your friends warn them there’s a satanic spirit with plans to turn them gay if they touch the enchanted anal beads you left. Then go on your normal life like you never did that.
Just push their buttons.
Maybe give them a copy of Dawkins and tell them it changed your life. Don’t be too obvious. Just play on their superstitions.
I think there’s someone like that at every campus. We had a guy at Penn State like that, dubbed “The Willard Preacher.” It was my misfortune that I bore a passing resemblance to him, and I was mistaken for him more than once.
We had one of those blighters parked outside of Kerckhoff at UCLA a few years ago. Mostly people gathered to either bait him or point and laugh. My favorite was the atheist that knew verse better than the crazy preacher did. At least those guys are entertainment; the ones that really bothered me were the guys asking for money for dubious charities.
Oh, god…I remember him. He drew a crowd right at the side entrance of the damn building, filling up the steps and “porch” area. You had to fight your way out after your class was over.
