I was going to keep quiet, but I cannot possibly stand idly by with the pro-NCOR conference columns that were all over the Eagle. ÿThey're message and mission could be positive, and it very well may be. ÿThat's not what I'm writing about. ÿTo be honest, those who were here this weekend were some of the most offensive and ignorant people I've ever encountered. ÿI was there when the Lysol incident occurred. ÿNo one can look me straight in the face and tell me their smell wasn't offensive. ÿThey made AU look like a homeless shelter for a weekend. ÿWhat the other articles didn't say is that one of the activists assaulted one of the "frat guys." ÿWhere's the love and acceptance? ÿBut that wasn't even the big problem I had with them.
To be called a fascist because you are wearing a shirt and tie or carrying a Starbucks cup is absurd, and this repeatedly happened throughout the weekend. ÿThey interrupted the daily flow of our PRIVATE university. ÿThey broke into private meetings of fraternities who were dressed in shirts and ties and chanted "fear the queers" while they made out (this was after calling them fascists as they walked through MGC). ÿAlso, they stood outside of Kay Spiritual and chanted "God's a fag." ÿThis is extremely offensive to many people, and it also makes these "activists" hypocrites. ÿThey claim to be so "liberal and open," but in reality they are accepting of only their own views. ÿThey offended a large contingency of the AU community and they shouldn't be invited back. ÿThey call themselves activists, but what are we really talking about here? ÿThe last true activists of the '70s worked towards free love and everyone getting along... oh how the apple has fallen far from the tree.
To say that they were met with "little resistance" is a lie. ÿI didn't talk to one person that was positive about them being here. ÿFree speech is a great thing, but when you use it to berate other people because their views are different, it's wrong (no matter what side of the spectrum you are from). ÿThey are not part of the solution; they are simply an extension of the problem. ÿThe real solution is balance and temperance, and they do not exhibit that at all. ÿThey loved comparing Bush to Hitler (a common theme all weekend), and that is offensive to all those who died defeating Hitler. ÿThis country will never resemble anything close to a dictatorship, and if you do not believe that, then you have a warped sense of reality and I would love to send you to Soviet Russia for a reality check. ÿRegardless of your personal feelings toward Bush, he is NOT Hitler. ÿThe NCOR activists that were here and Bush seem to be one-in-the-same, however. ÿThey pump their own beliefs into others' ears without giving the whole story.
ÿWhat's worse, you couldn't even have a conversation with them because they used their mob mentality to drown out what you had to say. ÿThis invariably brought Public Safety into it, as it did with the Lysol incident. ÿThis is ironic because they needed the "man," or the "establishment" to help them keep us quiet. ÿHowever, we won't be silenced. ÿAU is an "open and accepting" community apparently, but really, it's all a facade. ÿAU supports views that are similar to their own. ÿThey bring in Democratic speakers, liberal conferences, etc. ÿThere would never be a conference held that opposed a group like NCOR. ÿWhere is the other side? ÿOh, the other side is "wrong," right? ÿEveryone stop lying to themselves, we go to a school that is accepting of the other side of the spectrum, that's all, it just appears to be different.
In conclusion, if we want to be a better country and people, we need to accept everyone's views, not just the ones who agree with our own. ÿOtherwise, how do we really know if we are the ones who are right? ÿThey and everyone like them are abusing freedom of speech. ÿIt isn't allowed to be used to desecrate others. ÿThis includes people's religion, beliefs, preference of dress (nudity or suit and tie, etc), and many other things. ÿThey violated all of these things and others this weekend. ÿIf the activists that were here do not begin to understand that, then I say they are activists against others views and against the American way. ÿThey are closer to a group like the KKK than the true activists of the 1970's.
Bill Quinn is a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business.
