In "Defense" of the Sanford Mall Preachers

This post, while directed at the students of my school, is applicable to everyone. In an age where the Westboro Baptist Church is met with a collective societal sigh, its a good bet that nobody is REALLY taking them seriously. Sure, there is a fringe group of crazies that latch on to their ideologies, but for the most part, we as a society have transcended the Puritan ideals of old and have settled for either a tamer religious doctrine or no religion at all. Being a student at a liberal college like Appalachian, I am surrounded by mostly the latter. Indeed, when the preachers invade Sanford Mall and spout their hate speech and proclaim King James's word as the only word, there is a sense of camaraderie that rises in the heart of every smart ass college kid with a chip on his shoulder. Which is nice, I guess. But it doesn't help things. 

Though it is fun...

The preachers come to Appalachian with one purpose: to be heard. I highly doubt they have any notion of actually "saving" anybody with their rhetoric nor do they expect to be loved upon arrival. They come to talk and, from a psychological standpoint, reaffirm their belief through repetition of the same shit over and over again. As anyone that has gone out to Sanford Mall has seen, these men are brick walls, expelling information but receiving none. To shout back at them does not help. It merely tells them that you are listening and that they should continue shouting. Furthermore, it makes you looks like an asshole. Now, to be clear, civil discourse through genuine questions is perfectly acceptable. That implies you are actually hoping to receive information back. But when I see students shouting in these preachers' faces, I see the same ignorance and stupidity that the self-proclaimed saints are displaying.

You can protest their movement with love and kindness, but to protest it with hateful words and red-faced fury, shows you are no better than they are. You are allowing yourself to become a slave to narrow-minded thinking, disregarding the thoughts of others. We already know that what they are shouting is bullshit. But that's not why people get angry at them. It's not that they are Christians that bothers us. Rather, it is their complete lack of willingness to sit down and talk with us like we are equals. It's the condescension and presumptuous manner in which they present their argument. If you shout back at them and call them terrible names, what makes you any better? You may as well be out there holding a sign of your own, proclaiming your own religion.

In short, be like this girl: 

Civil disobedience. 

You can disagree while still holding on to your civility and human decency. This girl displayed that and, for that, she is our bodacious babe of the day. We here at The Daily Wit salute you, ma'am.