Westboro Church protest meets students’ mockingOver 100 students waived signs, bearing such slogans as “God <3’s internet porn” and “God hates the new Facebook."This article made me laugh. I mean, I generally think that the Westboro Baptist Church and the Phelps clan is the real-life equivalent of Internet trolls. I mean, what else do you call it when people show up where they aren't wanted (and in places where it is generally considered inappropriate to protest, such as soldiers' funerals and high school graduations) with signs that seem obsessed with (hating) gay people.
Now, really, if they are trolls, the best thing to do would be to ignore them until the moderator gets out the ban-hammer. Sadly, real life is deficient in 'block' buttons and killfiles and the moderator is apparently out playing skee-ball.
So, the University of Chicago students do the next best thing -- they have a troll-baiting party. The fraternities break out the gay anthems and the dancing, the students make signs that show that they are just as good at quote-mining the Bible (or good old-fashioned silly signs), the campus has a diversity celebration, and students from the Chicago Theological Seminary came out to cheer on their fellow students.
It makes me feel good to read it. Because it sounds like such a vibrant celebration of student life -- both the silly and the serious.
Also, Shirley Phelps-Roper comes off as 'ewslash' type of troll when the only thing she mentions specifically about the counter-protest is the frat boys dancing. Seriously.
