# The National Day of Silence **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 9, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593 "2003-04-09T17:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/21 "2003-04-10T00:09:06Z")
“Well, I used to think homosexuality was an abomination before God and that gays shouldn’t be allowed near children or in positions or responsibility. Then I heard a bunch of them not saying anything for a full day, so I ran out and joined PFLAG.” Put me in the same camp as **gobear** , in that I don’t see this sort of “protest” doing anything other than making the participents feel better about themselves. Although, being a generally non-communicative sort, I actually participated before I even knew it was going on. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/22 "2003-04-10T00:11:50Z")
Our college newspaper ran a blank editorial column with the headline “National Day of Silence.” [Link](http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=15976). They had a story about the day on the front page, and also a Dissenting editorial (stating why silence wasn’t an effective protest), but if it weren’t for those things, I wouldn’t have known what it was about. I probably would’ve assumed it was about the war or something… ---
**Author:** ![Daikona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daikona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daikona)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/23 "2003-04-10T00:21:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*First of all, at least as far as what I’ve observed, it’s not necessarily about “waiting for people to figure out what you’re doing” - if someone wants to talk to you, you don’t speak, but instead hand them a card explaining why you’re silent. Second, it’s not about “random people,” it’s about people you actually _do_ interact with - your students, your coworkers, whatever. > > I’ve never seen this as an approach to reach massive amounts of people all at once, but a real way to touch someone one-on-one. > > IMHO. > > Esprix \*\* Well, yes, there are the cards. But from _my_ personal experience, 99% of people those cards get handed to just do not give a shit. Most people toss them before they even get 20 feet away to the door. I think it might depend some on the setting. I’m currently a college student, and on the campus, the attempt was next to useless. The only people who even _noticed_ what was going on were the ones who were in direct communication with the LBGTA anyway. You know, the ones who already heard the stuff and didn’t need any sort of symbolic gestures to be aware of it. People might have noticed that some of their classmates weren’t saying anything, but most of them aren’t going to much care unless it’s someone they’re in direct contact with anyway, which is going to largely be covered uncer my previous point. I think part of it’s interpretation too. I don’t think not speaking for a day is nearly as effective a way to touch people as any number of things where you actually say something to them. If you do, as a lot of people must or the event wouldn’t exist, more power to you! I’m definitely not saying it’s a _bad_ thing to do, it’s just not, in my opinion, the most effective way of doing it. It certainly can’t hurt to have people going at it from different angles though. Maybe there is someone who will be reached by this that wasn’t some other way, and the goal is sure as hell noble. I’ll be the first to admit, my views of it are probably tainted by being _attacked_ for not being involved in it. And that’s not fair to the idea as a whole, I know. But _some_ people (specifically the couple of asshats I had to deal with over this here, not you guys ;)) really need to realize that they’re just pushing people away with their behavior. Kind of like how as much as I support the cause, I haven’t been directly a part of the LBGTA here since someone wanted to know why the fuck I was there, since I wasn’t “queer enough” and accused me of being homophobic for not being outraged by any mention of homosexuals _ever_ that didn’t come from them. . ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/24 "2003-04-10T01:36:51Z")
If someone else wants to be silent for a day, well, fine, that’s their choice. But if there is even the slightest pressure on _me_ to be silent, my First Amendment freedom of expression will be in the form of singing “Red Sails in the Sunset,” loud as a bastard! (And I just _know_ that someone here gets the reference!) Seriously, the first jackass who holds a finger to his lips and hands me a card saying, “This is a day of silence” is going to get a goddamn earful! Trinopus ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/25 "2003-04-10T01:55:33Z")
Well, duh - demanding you be silent is contrary to the entire point of the day. It’s supposed to be a personal thing. And at least someone’s doing something that generates conversation. What, we’re supposed to wait until The Perfect Event shows up on our doorstep, and then do it? Pfffft. Do what you can, when you can, and as often as you can. I’m thinking of a Gandhi quote… Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/26 "2003-04-10T02:22:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Second, it’s not about “random people,” it’s about people you actually do interact with - your students, your coworkers, whatever. The people I actually DO interact with don’t try to silence me. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/27 "2003-04-10T02:28:44Z")
I support the cause, but like **gobear** , I question the method. The traditional elements here don’t want to actively eliminate groups they don’t like, they just want everyone to shut up, stop trying to change things, and let everything continue as it did before. A National Day of Silence sounds like the kind of protest they wish the ‘troublemakers’ would do all the time. I’d also never heard of this until just now. When I read the thread title, my first thought was that it a suggestion from the Department of Homeland Security as part of their ‘criticism helps the terrorists’ campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Daikona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daikona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daikona)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/28 "2003-04-10T02:41:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Civil Defense \* > \*\*The people I actually DO interact with don’t try to silence me. \*\* In defense of what’s going on here, they aren’t walking around forcing other people to be silent. The point is that _they_ themselves are silent, as a symbolic gesture and all. Anyone not involved is allowed to talk all they want. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/29 "2003-04-10T04:45:12Z")
I did this today. Not a word from 9-5; I didn’t even do email. Had a notepad that I wrote stuff on, although I also employed creative gestures. I think that its effectiveness depends on the audience. Clearly I’m not changing any die hard homophobe’s minds, but I got a bunch of my straight friends and classmates to stop and reflect on gay rights. I’m loud and talkative, though, and my silence was very obvious. Other friends of mine who are quieter decided to have a “day of loudness.” It worked just as well. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/30 "2003-04-10T04:51:38Z")
‘Day of Loudness’- Now **that** is a good idea! Go around screaming regular conversation. Yes, it would be annoying, but it would certainly get the point across. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/31 "2003-04-10T07:03:38Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **Civil Defense** _ > > The people I actually DO interact with don’t try to silence me. Nor should they try to - that’s not the point. If you approach, say, your co-worker and ask them a question, and they don’t reply back, or write something on a piece of paper, you’re going to say, “Hey, what’s going on?” Then they hand you a piece of paper that says, “I’m silent today because I’m support GLBT rights.” IMHO, that will get a point across to you - that personal interaction just made you stop, even for a moment, and say, “Wow - this must be a serious issue.” In theory, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Effective or not, but there it is. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/32 "2003-04-10T07:32:18Z")
I would gladly join in a National Day of Singing. Anytime anyone spoke to me, I’d be obligated to burst into song. I’d be my own little operetta for a day. If the song happens to be appropriate for the occasion, great. If not, oh well. I see a lot of “Oh Susanna” happening. If you get a whole bunch of people joining in, you could have whole impromptu Broadway musicals! ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/33 "2003-04-10T11:05:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*In theory, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Effective or not, but there it is. > \*\* Let’s be honest: Anything that associates your group with mimes _must_ be seen as a setback, right? Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/34 "2003-04-10T14:12:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trinopus \* > \*\*If someone else wants to be silent for a day, well, fine, that’s their choice. > > But if there is even the slightest pressure on _me_ to be silent, my First Amendment freedom of expression will be in the form of singing “Red Sails in the Sunset,” loud as a bastard! > > (And I just _know_ that someone here gets the reference!) > > Seriously, the first jackass who holds a finger to his lips and hands me a card saying, “This is a day of silence” is going to get a goddamn earful! > > Trinopus \*\* Well, first, unless it’s a government official putting “the slightest pressure” on you to be silent, your First Amendment rights are not implicated. Second, as I understand it, the participants do not shush people who are speaking. They wear the t-shirt or whatever and **if addressed** will hand you the card explaining why they are not speaking in response. So dial back your indignation until you get a better grasp on the concept, m’kay? ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/35 "2003-04-10T14:29:47Z")
How about a National Day Of Fabulousness? Oh that’s right - **every day** is fabulous! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/36 "2003-04-10T14:34:50Z")
Here’s another [article](http://365gay.com/NewsContent/041003silenceDay.htm). Looks like a number of participating groups did some noisemaking to break the silence, so combined both ideas. > [@](#): > > Students at Western Michigan University ended their silence with a Speak-Out rally and candlelight march around the campus. > > At Tufts University in Massachusetts, student gathered on the roof of Tisch Library to break their silence. They formed a circle, squeezed hands, and were able to speak once again. “It really made me think about what I wanted to say before saying anything,” one student said. “I talk all the time.” > > 500 students from across Chicago broke the silence at an evening rally called the “Night of Noise,” at the Thompson Center. “Programs like ‘Night of Noise’ help chip away at the walls that keep students with alternative lifestyles quiet,” said Brett Smiley, Co-Chair for GLSEN Chicago. And again, anything that pisses off right-wing fundamentalist nitwits gets a big thumbs up from me. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/37 "2003-04-10T15:02:46Z")
Another problem for me is that I’m just congenitally incapable of keeping my mouth shut for than eight or nine seconds at a time. I even talk in my sleep. I wouldn’t be able to stay silent if I wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/38 "2003-04-10T15:59:34Z")
Then consider, **Diogenes** , what a powerful statement your silence would be to those who know you. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/39 "2003-04-10T16:52:28Z")
…that was yesterday? Wow, I’m an idiot…I thought it was today. Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593/40 "2003-04-10T16:57:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*Then consider, **Diogenes** , what a powerful statement your silence would be to those who know you. > \*\* Hell, just think what a powerful statement it would be if he would just shut up around here. [sub]Well, maybe not powerful, but certainly peaceful.[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-national-day-of-silence/167593.md?page=3)