Pages

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Insularity of Hope College

insularity
in⋅su⋅lar /ˈɪnsələr, ˈɪnsyə-/
–adjective
1.     of or pertaining to an island or islands: insular possessions.
2.     dwelling or situated on an island.
3.     forming an island: insular rocks.
4.     detached; standing alone; isolated.
5.     of, pertaining to, or characteristic of islanders.
6.     narrow-minded or illiberal; provincial: insular attitudes toward foreigners.

How can "Hope" "College" be called an institution of higher learning? If I were a student or faculty member there, this would be embarrassing.
What struck me [Film Director Dustin lance Black] immediately was his [Dean of Students at Hope College Richard Frost] referring to me as “you people.” I asked him to clarify, and he hesitantly said, “gay people.” He claimed it was “my people” who had been attacking him since the news broke, though all of the complaints I’d read in the papers had come from straight people in his own community. But I didn’t argue that. Instead, I asked that he get to know gay and lesbian people individually instead of lumping us together, stereotyping. He agreed, but again used that phrase: “You people.” When I asked him to clarify again, he said, “You Hollywood people.” I assured him that, like gay people, Hollywood folks are also a diverse bunch. But it popped out again: “You people.” This time he wasn’t talking about Hollywood or gay people—this time it was “California people.”

Very Christ-like.

More here. Just ponder the difference in reactions and mentality of both sides of this issue. Who's offering the real hope?

No comments:

Post a Comment