August 31, 2005

Shock Value

So one of the fun things about the University of Iowa is having the Emma Goldman center (look it up if you don't know what it is) across the street from the IMU (student union). This means when we get the protestors, they're right where everybody gets to see them.

Today is the first protestor I've seen since returning to campus, and he had a lovely over-sized banner with a picture of an aborted fetus. As he was holding up his visual aids, he was also preaching to the students as they passed him by (ignoring him, I might add).

I looked closely at the picture, and made eye contact with the man, and went on my way. I have to ask, though: are college-age kids really going to be shocked by that picture today? Aren't they supposed to be desensitized to that sort of thing?

Discuss.

Posted by Jennifer at August 31, 2005 12:52 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Seems funny somehow that a stolid MidWestern University like that would have a place named after a famous feminist anarchist. No big deal, I suppose.

Posted by: Dr_Funk at August 31, 2005 12:56 PM

You couldn't think of anything snarky to say to him? Well, you'll just have to be prepared fornext time then.
There used to be a group of people that would collect change at the major intersection in town. An equal kind of nuisance, but it was for some new church or something. Well, a short while later, the newspaper wrote an article about these people, and they'd been chased out of previous towns and what not becuase they run this same scam all over the place. The next time I was at the intersection, I rolled my window down to offer a handout, and dropped the article into the woman's bucket and said "Have a blessed day!"

Posted by: shank at August 31, 2005 01:07 PM

I suspect "desensitized".

Much to our collective loss, I will add, to both our culture and our souls.

Volumes could be written of that loss.

Unfortunately, I cannot write those volumes today. Sadness and despair originate from many guises, both great and small.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Posted by: Jack at August 31, 2005 01:21 PM

If you have some time to kill you could start a debate with the guy. Just stand about ten feet away so that your voices are clear to the passersby and, mark my words, others will stop and offer their two cents. The guy prolly wont wanna come back tomorrow for more. ;)

Posted by: Tuning Spork at August 31, 2005 08:49 PM


Jew