Not everyone who disagrees with you hates you

The past issues of Tech News have been home to quite a bit of controversy. One such controversy was over a letter to the editor written by Mr. Joshua Resnick regarding his opinions about homosexuality. The responses to his letter point to a potentially disturbing trend at WPI.

Universities all across the country have seen increasing attempts to limit academic freedom through blatant attempts to suppress unpopular ideas. Examples of this are universities in which the newspaper publishes an editorial, which is usually, but not always, conservative. The editorial is then deemed "offensive" by a small group, who then proceed to take and destroy every copy of the newspaper on campus, sometimes with the tactic approval of the university administration. Other examples include guest speakers brought to campus who are shouted down and intimidated by groups of students who are apparently afraid of ideas opposed to their own.

We obviously do not have this problem at WPI, but the potential for the beginning of the trend is there. Take the letters to the editor regarding Mr. Resnick's opinions on homosexuality. (Now, before I begin, let's get one thing straight-I am a strong supporter of gay rights, gay marriage, etc. I personally do not find anything wrong with homosexuality.) Some of the letters to the editor spoke of Mr. Resnick's homophobia and accused him of demonizing homosexuals. These people were wrong.

It is time that people realized that there is a distinct difference between finding homosexuality immoral and hating homosexuals. They are two different opinions and should be kept distinct. Although I disagree with Mr. Resnick's opinions regarding the subject, I was not offended, nor did I consider his remarks hateful. The gay community and their supporters need to realize that there are several millennia of religious and philosophic tradition condemning the act of homosexuality. Simply agreeing with those traditions does put a person in the same category as the hateful rednecks led by "Reverend" Phelps who picket the funerals of gay AIDS victims. For example, I personally, think that computer piracy is immoral. This does not mean, however, that I picket Napster or graffiti WPI dorm rooms with copyright symbols. The Christian tradition that Mr. Resnick speaks from is the same tradition that states that "all have sinned, and all fall short of the glory of God." I happen to count many traditionalist Christians among my friends, most of whom believe that homosexuality is sinful. Yes, they condemn the lifestyle, but they also condemn premarital sex, and quite a few condemn drinking, gluttony, etc. They don't hate homosexuals, but they believe that homosexuality is wrong.

However, when the gay community and their supporters tar everyone who disagrees with them with the brush of homophobia and hatemongering, they are, in essence, suppressing speech. There can be no dialogue or exchange of ideas if both groups simply attempt to demonize the other. Both traditionalists and supporters of the gay community need to put aside the heated rhetoric. Gays and their supporters need to realize that even those who find homosexuality immoral are usually willing to live and let live. And those opposed to homosexuality need to realize that those who practice homosexuality are entitled to the same basic civil liberties as everyone else. But the demonization should stop and it should stop now. It is erosive of academic freedom and open discussion.

One of the great things about WPI is that we don't have the same mobs of PC thugs (whether the PC is conservative or liberal, depending on the school) that are drowning academic freedom at other colleges. Let's avoid it here. I have faith that the students at WPI are mature and responsible enough to carry out meaningful dialogues on sensitive issues without resorting to name calling and emotional rhetoric. Perhaps the best example of how this can be done was in Mr. Joseph Bufonda's response to Mr. Resnick. Mr. Bufonda simply gave his perspective on the facts and his own personal experience with GLSEN. He didn't resort to any name calling hysterics-he just gave a thoughtful disagreement. Let that be an example to us.