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Show Editorial MONDAY, MARCH 7,2011 THE SIGNPOST The Signpost Viewpoint Tolerating religious tolerance "This is America. right? It's a matter of personal We welcome everyone and opinion, and hey, religious think everyone deserves to people bring it on themselves! be treated with equal respect If they all just believed in and dignity, regardless of same-sex marriage, abortion race, nationality, sexual and premarital sex, didn't orientation or... fine... believe that any of us are going religion. But secretly forget to hell (because there is no that last one, because everyone hell, dun), and never preached with a brain knows religion their religion to other people is idiotic and responsible (or each other, because their for every evil that ever preachings brainwash people happened. Down with religion, and plant dangerous ideas in am I right?! But yeah, just their youths' minds), we'd be kidding, we love and tolerate fine with them! everyone (unlike those Why is this new religion of brainwashed, bigoted religious antitheism - and make no freaks)." • mistake, it is a religion; its followers are as passionate This abhorrently and ruthless in spreading hypocritical pseudotheir gospel as those of any liberal school of thought is organized denomination - running increasingly not only so socially acceptable rampantin American and online society. But no big deal, .now, but considered downright heroic by so many? Their central argument goes like this: 1. Religion causes all the hate and conflict in the world. 2. If people would learn to think for themselves and get an education, everybody would be an atheist. What they mean, of course, is "antitheist," because the prefix "a-" means "the absence of," not "the hatred of." A rapidly decreasing amount of people seems to see the hypocrisy of this alarming intolerance toward followers of any organized religion. Saying that religion is responsible for everything wrong with the world is tantamount to saying that minority races are to blame for all the crime in the U.S. If someone said the world would be a better place if everyone was the same race, they would quickly be corrected that the world would be a better place not if we all looked the same, but if we all just respected and genuinely accepted people of different appearances or national origins. When someone says the world would be perfect if there were no religion, they get 300 thumbs up for their YouTube comment. It is curious, then, that the politically correct school of thought is not considered to be that the world doesn't need everyone to have the same beliefs or lack thereof; it just needs everyone to respect everyoneelse's beliefs. This argument garners so little open support because religion is considered somehow less deserving of tolerance or compassion than someone of a minority race or sexual orientation, because people are not technically born with their religion. However, if people's core beliefs, many of which they could not change if they tried, are not considered an integral part of who they are, then, quite frankly, nothing should be. Perezhilton.com might not seem like a very threatening place for intolerance to breed, but when at least one user per Proposition 8 post writes that they would kill a Mormon where they stand and consider it a favor to humanity, things might possibly be headed down a dangerous road. Let's just try being as enlightened and open-minded as we ask religious people to be. Comment on this column at wsusignpost.com. Political Shorts SCHILLER • CRAVENS Racial scholarships are equally ridiculous was told by an African-American for a struggling college student studies professor "there's no need" Of course, Bohannan is now for this kind of scholarship because being labeled a racist, because Signpost "being white in itself is a form of that is the easiest thing to label a columnist scholarship." person when he or she disagrees Bohannan responded by saying with anything involving race. The Attending college can be very that after the interview he was important fact that the FMAFE expensive. Some students come going to go to his bank and say, refuses to accept donations from well-off families, so the tuition "Hey, I forgot I was a Caucasian from white supremacy groups is bill is simply a matter of writing American, can you just go ahead inconsequential to the lame critics a check. Some students are able and throw some money in my who preach equality for minorities. These critics want scholarships to pay for school through military account, please?" for minorities, but according to benefits, and many are left with I tried that once. It didn't work. the only option available to them: The media is acting like this is the most recent U.S. Census, twowork. And there is absolutely the first time white students have thirds of the population growth nothing wrong with a little hard been spotlighted for something like in Texas for the last decade is Hispanics. Non-Hispanic whites work and saving up the dough to this. foot the tuition bill. In 2006, the College Republicans are no longer the clear majority. Do I smell a hint ofhypocrisy? One source of relief for students at Boston University caused "outrage" over a similar scholarship Personally, I couldn't care less if is the various scholarships available to them through academic program. Their program was an organization wants to give out achievement, civic involvement for only $250, but required a 3.2 scholarships to black students, cumulative grade-point average white students, Hispanic students, and leadership positions. Oh yeah... and the color of your and two essays, in addition to being or blue students with stripes and a at least 25 percent Caucasian. tail. It's their right, whether you like skin. Their application was headed, it or not -'• The Former Majority Association for Equality, a new "We believe that racial preferences Butregardless ofwhatprofessors; Texas nonprofit organization, in all their forms are perhaps the and media pundits of both slides; has jumped on the bandwagon worst form of bigotry confronting say, "whites-only" scholarships; of scholarship opportunities for America today." are a step in the direction of true' students who look a certain way. No one applied for that equality. All scholarships primarily, As of last Wednesday, the group scholarship. based on race and not merit; had raised enough money to offer Hie Boston club admitted the are equally ridiculous and turn; five $500 scholarships to male scholarship was a stunt to get students into mere ethnic quotas. *? Texas students with a minimum 3.0 attention to the issue. TheFMAFE, grade-point average and who are at however, says they are serious, Want my opinion? E-mail me aft least 25 percent Caucasian. despite accusations that it is merely politicalshorts@gmaiLcom. £ The media has since hammered a similar stunt Bohannan says Colby Bohannan, the president of $500 is a good chunk of change Comment on this column sill the organization, over the issue. when you consider that it could T.i During a television interview, he cover a semester's worth of books Michael R. Addams ©2011 Jay Schiller & Greg Cravens WMATISIT ABOUT HUMANS TWATPUZ2LES YOU THE MOST? HOW THEY U?VE TO WATCH CHARLIE SHEEN TUMBLE INTO MADNESS' wsusignposLcorK* Say HELLO to us on facebook. Just Search "The Signpost" facebook fin Chief Managing Edijp/ News EditorSii Gina Barker yLynne Clark |raig Halbaich* an Butterfield Features: Editor 626-7121 Sara'Baldwin 626-7624 m .5: **ww^ Adviser Ads Manager Office M i l ^626-8071 ^6-7621 •l: 626-7974- 'ds !^tpe Signp^Fireserves theMm to eSfpr reasons o f * | S ^ and Jibe] and alsojiprves.tl • r e ^ a t o i i ^ ^ J g £ ^ ^ i f i e r s shoulc) n | | ex^gedfSo Words.-til^^hauld^subnnj read Letter to^ffe Editor:{n the subjec k •'. \ .j |