Why I’m glad Brother Dean got arrested and banned from campus

He had it coming

It’s inevitable.  A conversationalist stands on a hill and preaches to a passerby about how if women wear yoga pants, they’ll go to hell.  What happens next?  The passerby gets upset and inevitably responds with an angry comment.

Now picture this same scenario but instead of the passerby responding with her opinion, she gets her air knocked out by being kicked in the chest.

It has been 24 hours since U of A students saw the famous “anti black lives matter, anti homo, anti pornography” activist Brother Dean Saxton be put in handcuffs for doing just that; “round kicking” freshman Mackenzie Brandt.

But is this all that happened? Is this the only information you need to know about the situation?  That everyone on campus disagrees with Saxton’s awfully offensive beliefs and that seeing him be put into a cop car was the highlight of some people’s Tuesday?  As you may guess, this has been a round-the-clock conversation topic around campus.

What I found quite interesting today as I questioned the opinions of students was that not all of them agreed with the repercussion of the incident.  In fact, a junior speaking on the condition of anonymity said, “The situation was wrong.  I witnessed her run up to him and his aggression was out of self defense.  I, like most people here, don’t like Brother Dean and am glad he is off campus but I think the situation is more twisted than people have made it out to be.”

The first amendment exercises freedom of religion, speech, expression, assembly and the right to petition.  This allows a woman to stand in front of a hospital and speak on her belief that abortion is a sin and should be condemned.  Unfortunately, this amendment also permits a man to express his opinion on why people who masturbate and watch pornography are distasteful and will “burn in hell” for it, just like Brother Dean used to do day in and day out.

So now I ask, regardless to his beliefs and if you personally disagree with them, is it “OK” to parade around him, feeding into his commentary and then oppose it with profanity?  Does this make you part of the issue? 

Opinions can be tough. I for one know how difficult it is to remain silent when I do not agree with someone else’s thinking or position on something.  And although I know it’s hard, I also know it is not impossible. 

I recognize that a man who makes malicious, nasty comments on controversial issues will be disliked by many but I also realize that he was not the first and will definitely not be the last. 

With that being said, if in a couple months another speaker comes onto campus to shout their opinion on another controversial issue and a student allegedly runs up to this person to say that what they’re doing is wrong and this person responds immediately in aggression, will they be charged with self defense or with aggravated assault because the majority of people refuse to sympathize with a vile human who exercises the freedom of speech?

As for now, I can acknowledge that yesterday’s incident has created controversy but I can also agree with freshman Angel Chavez who says, “campus will be a lot less disruptive and a lot less quiet without Brother Dean.  I think it’s a good thing he won’t be around for a year.”

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