The summer has been just flying by and before we know it school will be cranking up for all our little darlings. I have spent some time looking at our universities and curriculums the last couple of weeks and it is surprising to learn how diverse the thought process has become since I was a lad in school.
For instance, did you know that the Montana State University actually has an office and staff operating what is called a Diversity Awareness Office? Their website says student learning is “enhanced when topics are examined from diverse perspectives” That sounds wonderful. It is always good to learn about others and examination of our differences can lead to a better understanding of each other.
To kick off their liberal stance on diversity this new school year and to also celebrate “Coming Out Week” the MSU Procrastinator Theater will be presenting Hedwig and the Angry Inch which features a transsexual punk rock girl from East Berlin that is touring the US and telling her life story. Take a look at her trailer and if you decide this is for you can get into the theater for free by simply dressing in drag to attend.
It would appear that I missed out on many “learning opportunities” back in the days of old when I went to school. It is good to know that our young are being feed this (what is the word I am looking for?) diversity so they will come home and know for sure that I am not normal. If we would just increase the K-12 school budget a bit this legislative session I bet we could start some of these diversity offices right here in our local high-school.
My first thought was Lord save us but I guess my tax dollars (and tuition) are being put to good use. I mean where else would you see a show such as this in Montana and be able to do it comfortably dressed in drag to boot?
My first thought was Lord save us but I guess my tax dollars (and tuition) are being put to good use. I mean where else would you see a show such as this in Montana and be able to do it comfortably dressed in drag to boot?
That trailer is just plain sick. It is no wonder kids today have such a twisted perspective of what is normal.
ReplyDeleteThese kinds of stories are why private schools are thriving
ReplyDeleteComplaining about what films the procrastinator shows is like complaining about what music they play on college radio. It's student driven, as most of the "coming out week" activities have been championed by the QSA (Queer-Straight Alliance) a group made up completely of volunteers. Though you may have a valid reason to complain about the opening of a diversity office, the rest of it just sounds like you'd prefer to censor student activities because you don't care for them, which I trust isn't your aim.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the HDC would like to invite the Westboro Baptist Church to protest this action, and forcibly impose their conservative christian religious determinations on other people. I am guessing Wendy Warburton has their phone number.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it could be called 're-education'
Someday society will evolve from making decisions based on the scrawlings of goat herders on parchment during the bronze age.
If students want to dress in drag more power to them however I do have a problem with my tax dollars being used for any of this type of rubbish. I would have the same problem with that nutty church being featured also Deconstructor
ReplyDeleteI will be complaining to my legislators about this for all the good it will do.
When I went to MSU there was a Diversity Office in the Student Union Building, it could be the same one. At the time there were a number of students from all over the world there. In fact most people probably are not aware of the sizable middle eastern population at MSU who study in the Engineering school. There was also a sizable Asian population as well. Students volunteered there and they offered cultural awareness lectures and language assistance. It he Procrastinator Theatre always was and probably still is a student run theatre that was Owned and operated by the student body through ASMSU, Associated Students of Montana State University. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about on here. While I don't personally agree with it, it doesn't bother me what the Student Body does at it's theatre or if the University pays for an office where students work together on awareness issues. Keep in mind that the lions share of university funding is now student tuition and fees, not tax dollars, so it's really there business and not mine.
ReplyDeleteHi there HDC,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tim Adams, and I was the president of the QSA student group in question for the past year when event happened. I came across your post last week visiting family in Seeley Lake as it was reprinted in the Great Falls Tribune.
First, just so we're "straight" here, to my knowledge none of your tax money was used for this event. The Diversity Awareness Office and the SUB are paid for by student fees, not tax dollars. Second, QSA is one of over 200 student groups on campus that is maintained and run by students involved on campus. Our group has been on campus continually since 1978 if you can believe it. This week is part of a week-long Coming Out celebration and the movies/drag show/events/speakers are also chosen by the members of the student group, not the college. The Procrastinator itself is an arm of the ASMSU Student Council, which also is funded by student fees, and the person who is hired to pick movies and OK them is a student.
I would highly advise you consider doing some more research before asserting that the young are being "feed" this information, since not only is your assertion that tax dollars are being used for the showing and activities wrong, but it is also a completely voluntary activity in which nobody is forced to attend. Any student on campus can form their own group and bring any sort of film/event/speaker etc that they wish in a similar manner.
Just so you're aware, in the past few years QSA's activities like drag shows have raised thousands of dollars for local charities like the local Food Bank, Bridgercare (our local sexual health clinic), Hopa Mountain (local Native American training program to improve lives of Native students and citizens), AIDS Outreach (serving HIV/AIDS persons in Montana), and Eagle Mount (helping disabled children and adults do outdoor activities in the area). While you may not enjoy people dressing in clothing of their opposite gender and lip syncing songs, we regularly have 500-700 people every semester who do, and none of the charities have had any problems cashing those checks to help both gay and straight people alike.
Cheers!