(no subject)
I don't know if I ranted about this last year or not, but right now I really feel like speaking my mind. So our campus receives a fair amount of people blasting their opinions, from the religious to the humanitarian. One such example is a giant anti-abortion display set up on Ring Road. Normally, I wouldn't be very bothered by it. Sure, it's disgusting with the photos of aborted fetuses and not at all a pleasant site to behold whilst walking to class, but people have the right to free speech. They have the right to give their opinion and try to persuade people to follow that opinion. One part of it, however, pisses me the fuck off.
There are signs a few feet before the display warning of a "genocide awareness project." I recall the first time I saw those signs I thought there would be pictures of actual genocide: of what's going on countries around the world. But, no. It's about abortions. And it pisses me off. They compare the deaths of innocent children in Rwanda to abortions in the U.S. They compare what happened on 9/11 to terminating a pregnancy. They even compare abortions to the Holocaust.
I support free speech; people should be able to speak their minds. As long as you're not spouting flat-out hate speech, I'm okay with anything. But calling that an outright genocide? It makes me want to punch whomever put up those signs. Seriously. I had forgotten those warnings when I heard about the display on Facebook. So when I took my regular walk around campus yesterday and passed by the display, I felt like screaming at them for using the term in such a way. If not for their use of that one word I'd be okay with what they're doing. Sure, it's an eye-sore, but people have the right to free speech. Using "genocide," however, is just wrong. Connotation is a powerful tool for defending or sharing one's side of an argument-and they're using the word "genocide" as a persuasion tactic. But they're going about it the wrong way. Comparing the deaths of over 6 million people to a woman's choice to end a pregnancy is, to me, a great insult.
It also pisses me off they display such grotesque images in the first place. We're having campus tours right now; it doesn't give a good impression of our campus to have those photos. And there are little kids walking around. Can't they have a little more tact? This pretty much expresses what I think about the photos themselves:
There are pro-life groups on campus who don't go about shoving such pictures in everyone's faces. They're out on campus selling cookies and stuff instead. You know: being nice, friendly, and tasteful.
I won't rant on the whole abortion issue itself; that's not what I really want to talk about. I'll be sending an email to the Dean to complain about this. It's school property they're on after all. And if one person complains that's, like, dozens of others who don't have the guts to speak up. Go ahead, hand out your fliers. Go ahead, have a booth. But please, please, don't shove giant pictures of aborted fetuses in my face on my way to class.
Aside from that:
+ waiting in anticipation for the next episodes of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Tiger&Bunny, Ao no Exorcist, 30-sai no Hoken Taiiku, and for next chapter of Koisuru Boukun.
+ our masquerade group is doing a Star Driver skit for AX and I've been cast as Kanako Watanabe.
+ did an oral presentation in French today on the university system in France and don't think it went too well. Too short and disjointed, methinks. Also need to get my shit together and do homework for all my classes in a timely manner.
Now how ya'll doin'?
There are signs a few feet before the display warning of a "genocide awareness project." I recall the first time I saw those signs I thought there would be pictures of actual genocide: of what's going on countries around the world. But, no. It's about abortions. And it pisses me off. They compare the deaths of innocent children in Rwanda to abortions in the U.S. They compare what happened on 9/11 to terminating a pregnancy. They even compare abortions to the Holocaust.
I support free speech; people should be able to speak their minds. As long as you're not spouting flat-out hate speech, I'm okay with anything. But calling that an outright genocide? It makes me want to punch whomever put up those signs. Seriously. I had forgotten those warnings when I heard about the display on Facebook. So when I took my regular walk around campus yesterday and passed by the display, I felt like screaming at them for using the term in such a way. If not for their use of that one word I'd be okay with what they're doing. Sure, it's an eye-sore, but people have the right to free speech. Using "genocide," however, is just wrong. Connotation is a powerful tool for defending or sharing one's side of an argument-and they're using the word "genocide" as a persuasion tactic. But they're going about it the wrong way. Comparing the deaths of over 6 million people to a woman's choice to end a pregnancy is, to me, a great insult.
It also pisses me off they display such grotesque images in the first place. We're having campus tours right now; it doesn't give a good impression of our campus to have those photos. And there are little kids walking around. Can't they have a little more tact? This pretty much expresses what I think about the photos themselves:
There are pro-life groups on campus who don't go about shoving such pictures in everyone's faces. They're out on campus selling cookies and stuff instead. You know: being nice, friendly, and tasteful.
I won't rant on the whole abortion issue itself; that's not what I really want to talk about. I'll be sending an email to the Dean to complain about this. It's school property they're on after all. And if one person complains that's, like, dozens of others who don't have the guts to speak up. Go ahead, hand out your fliers. Go ahead, have a booth. But please, please, don't shove giant pictures of aborted fetuses in my face on my way to class.
Aside from that:
+ waiting in anticipation for the next episodes of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Tiger&Bunny, Ao no Exorcist, 30-sai no Hoken Taiiku, and for next chapter of Koisuru Boukun.
+ our masquerade group is doing a Star Driver skit for AX and I've been cast as Kanako Watanabe.
+ did an oral presentation in French today on the university system in France and don't think it went too well. Too short and disjointed, methinks. Also need to get my shit together and do homework for all my classes in a timely manner.
Now how ya'll doin'?