white or left

CJ: You want to lock up everybody with a white sheet?
Toby: Yes, I do! Yes, I do. Who has a problem with that?

I know my faithful reader will hear this story with relatively little shock, taking an "i told you so" posture for the rest of the blog. That's fine, because I get it, i really do, but I was shocked.

So, I'm walking home from a reception at school on Friday evening, feeling pret-ty proud of myself for sticking out a voluntary social event, and not making an ass of myself. Now granted, I abstained from both food and beer solely in an effort to kept myself from spilling, or creating any number of food related disasters that only i could produce. Additionally, I was wearing my favorite gray wool dress and would have been feeling utterly fab had i not, from effort of maintaining a cool, relaxed outward appearance, sweat right through the damn thing. In the end, I had to leave just in order to go out into the frigid cold and dry off.
As I was walking home, delighted with my escapade into the world of people-who-talk-to-each-other-for-fun-and-also-sometimes-leave-the-house-for-same, I decided to check my email. The email that comes to my phone is from my old ACU account because, while i am a sick conspicuous consumer for having a phone with email, i don't actually know how to work any of my fancy belongings.
In an email from Royce Money, esteemed President of my alma matter x 2, i gathered the following:
-Sometime this semester, in a racist demonstration, someone hung a noose in the ACU courtyard.
-ACU has not found or punished this person
-ACU has reacted by sending councilors to speak to classes and chapel.

I am shocked. Speechless (at the time, its been a few days). I know it isn't difficult to believe, because often ACU is a fundamentalist haven for "Christians" who have rejected the apathy of their mothers and fathers, who were content to be secluded from the "world" on that bless'ed hill, and embraced their first amendment right to believe that the snail's pace with which ACU has attempted to diversify is a bridge too far, shouting out like Homer Stokes, friend of the little man, "that's not my culture and he'tage!"
This act insults and offends me.
It insults the good memories I have of ACU -- i met every person i really like there. (I also met my nemeses (plural?) there, and i love having nemeses)
It makes me feel guilty for telling my 8 black students last semester that "things at ACU are getting better" and that "you guys can change the attitudes here". oh, my bad you guys. you should probably get out as fast as you can.
I am concerned that I'll never get a job in the public sector with this burning cross imprinted on my resume.
It offends me that this is just another example of Christians behaving reprehensibly, making me feel bitterer toward religion at large at a time when I think believing in something would be so lovely.

I want Christians to quit with the feckless attempts to reproach hatefulness after the fact, and start teaching the love and peace and justice that are buried under centuries of ambition and aggression. Stop disciplining students for not confining their sex lives to "everything-but", or for being attracted to members of the same sex, or drinking responsibly, and start encouraging them to open their minds, even an inch. "Change the World" in-fucking-deed.

I began with the West Wing quote because I agree with Toby. I know freedom of speech means for everyone, about everything, but i can't help it. Leo tells President Bartlett that his belief in moral imperatives is the most horrifying part of his liberalism. Well, while it may be disturbing to some, and it certainly causes plenty of arguments between myself and Bryce, I think there are moral imperatives. Hateful acts are not okay, and war is not okay, and injustice is not okay. Though i may regret it later, I say, lock 'em up, and to hell with speech. The bastards deserve it.