So, I’m currently sat in Sugarland, my new favourite place on Franklin street. It’s a cupcake shop, quite ‘obviously’ decorated, (pink and pastel blue walls, cakes everywhere, retro coffee makers, frozen martinis, ~ no polka dot chairs but I wouldn’t be surprised…), but the cupcakes here are incredible. And I just got a ‘dry desert lime herbal' [or "errbal" as they say here] tea whilst I wait for the others, which is soooo good.
I wanted to document something that happened yesterday, as I feel that although it did not achieve quite the effect it was supposed to, it certainly gave me a taste of southern American culture…
I knew that SC was part of the bible belt, so almost expected some extreme opinions around campus when I arrived and to be honest was a little intimidated by the thought of it; But I haven’t encountered any imposingly religious students at all. Yes, they hold Bible-reading sessions of 20 big, terrifying looking skin-heads who my suitemate thought were doing drugs in the next door room, but actually were all sat there with Bibles…yes, it’s the norm for people to have bible quotes saved as the back grounds to their phones, and to go to church, but never has one of them lectured me on how to live my life, or generally bashed me with hellish warnings… until yesterday.
I have seen this guy around campus a few times, the first time I sheepishly walked past not quite knowing how to react to him. He's about 70 years old. But yesterday I thought I’d stop and listen to what he had to say.
Drawn by his claim that transvestites were the cause of the current problems in schools, and consequently the recession, it was more like the dark-curiosity of stopping and watching a car crash than really wanting to learn from what he was saying, -- just the unbelievable extremity of his words.
He told people they were destined for hell, he told them they were “wicked”, and he told them that they were into witchcraft if they didn’t believe in God.
He said that he beat his wife (but its ok, because she asked for it) and that women should be respectful and not speak up to their husbands.
On being asked about the current events in Egypt he said he didn’t care much, as most of them were those Muslims. They didn’t have God.
He pointed at various people in specific when they spoke, and claimed they were going to hell, including one girl who had told him previously that she had strong religious beliefs.
He also accused one girl of being "one of those biker girls" when she came over and sat down.
When one persistent –black- audience member asked him questions he brought up rap time and time again. – When someone dared to question this clear relationship in his mind between black people and rappers, and remind him that actually, all rappers weren’t black, he then went had his say about Eminem.
As if casual racism wasn’t enough, he got physically angry at the thought of gay people, and said that cross-dressers and gays shouldn’t be allowed on campus...
What universe do some people live in?
I know that people with extreme beliefs and prejudices exist; they’re on the news, we read about them in school, in the papers. But to come to a campus in the 21st century and expect educated people to accept what your saying was just beyond me. It’s something I could never see happening in England and probably many northern universities here. And I feel like it’s such a shame, because it really is the few like him who could turn students away from God all together.
The thing that most struck me was that most of these pupils were clearly people of faith, yet he shot down their questions and still told them they would go to hell, told them they were sinners and elevated himself above us all. He used to sin, he said, even admitted to smoking marijuana, but then he found God and has been freed from his sins, so he doesn’t do wrong anymore. This is because he follows his spiritual self and not his self in the flesh – which begged the obvious question, ‘so aren’t you real, sir?’
Everyone is entitled to their freedom of thought, and speech. He had his piece to say, and he got his crowd to listen.
I’m pleased to say he was very much fighting a losing the battle on the UNC campus.
~
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