Thursday afternoon, a group of traveling preachers took over the sidewalk outside the HUB-Robeson Center. Waving a sign that read "Thousands of ex-homosexuals have experienced the life changing love of Jesus Christ," the group attracted a lot of attention because of its loud shouts and the counter-protest across the street from students from the LGBTA center, plus a random World War II reenactor.
I think I speak for the majority of Penn State students when I say all I want to do is walk to class without being accosted by various traveling preachers with a bunch of hand-lettered signs. I'd much rather listen to the soothing sounds of Kanye via my iPod headphones than the strident tones of "All homos are going to hell!" Unfortunately, however, my peaceful morning walk to class is occasionally shattered by these "traveling preachers" and the protests and counter-protests their proselytizing inevitably brings.
Luckily, there's a foolproof way to ensure these groups leave Penn State and never come back: Ignore them. Like a fire without oxygen, a preacher without an audience cannot survive. Were every Penn State student, faculty member and random member of the community to ignore these preachers, I guarantee you they would not continue to preach here, instead moving on to a place where they are encouraged by a more receptive audience.
I understand these preachers spread a message of hate and intolerance and many groups on campus are opposed to this message. But they're showing their opposition in the wrong way by protesting and adding to the general level of disturbance on the streets. The traveling preachers have a right to be here no matter how much you disagree with them, and protesting their message isn't going to change the fact that it's protected under the First Amendment.
Furthermore, arguing with someone who is such a fervent believer is absolutely pointless. It's always amazed me how many people sit down and argue with the Willard Preacher every day. What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish? He's not going to change his views based on your arguments; neither is anyone else listening, because by and large they're just trying to get to class. Serious religious arguments should be saved for forums where the audience is actually receptive to the argument, i.e., not on the steps of a classroom building when students are trying to get to the classes they've paid thousands of dollars to attend.
In some weird, perverse way, these preachers actually take encouragement from this type of argument. It means someone's listening to them, even if they disagree. All these people are after is an audience; by counter-protesting, you're demonstrating that you've heard their message, which was the preacher's original intent in the first place. If you really, truly do not agree with these preachers' message, the remedy is simple: keep walking and shut up.
Margaret Miceli is a junior majoring in English, media studies and political science and is The Daily Collegian's Monday columnist. Her e-mail address is mcm5098@psu.edu.
