Now and again we all forget the preschool dictum that told us to "play nice."

We cut people off in our cars; we close the elevator doors when we hear footsteps; we tip less than 15 percent.

All are minor infractions with less-than-serious consequences. But when it comes to controversial subjects such as political and religious differences, tossing out the Golden Rule can do a lot of damage.

Case in point: Young Americans for Freedom hosted an event Tuesday night that invited Jihad Watch director Robert Spencer to criticize Penn State's Muslim Student Association to a crowd of about 30. While Spencer's controversial views are worth dissecting, his message and desire for "understanding" were lost on the small audience and one-sided format.

In their attempt to confront Spencer during his speech, members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) also didn't set the best example. Their concerns about the nature of Spencer's message are legitimate, but angry interruptions are not a constructive way to get a point across and not an invitation to be taken seriously.

With Tuesday night's event, both sides had an opportunity to take the high road -- and failed.

The discussion about jihadist movements is both timely and relevant, and deserves far more than a stump speech on a week night. Perhaps student interest would climb if members of the MSA and Jihad Watch set up a roundtable discussion or structured debate.

In his speech Tuesday night, Spencer said, "One of the best ways to understand this conflict is to go to the people who are waging it and ask them what they are doing and why." If this is true, then why preach at like-minded individuals instead of presenting your argument to the students you accuse of radical activities?

Though considerably more low-key, a discussion of religious symbols at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the same night served as a much better example of bringing different views together. Though the discussion didn't address anything as controversial as jihad, it showed how enlightening an event can be when it's based on openness and civility.

In a diverse institution of higher education, groups with opposing viewpoints should have the good sense to hash out their conflicts in a mature and educational way. Preaching, yelling and overall rudeness do nothing to inform anyone, and end up making both sides look foolish.

In the future, hopefully even nuanced issues such as faith and the war on terror can be discussed in a manner that positively reflects on the Penn State community. With a better understanding of one another, we all might be even more apt to play nice.