Backlash At UNT Over Governor Abbott At Graduation

[UNT90]

Congrats on "signing an online petition." It's the least you could do. Seriously, it's almost impossible to do less.

Funny.

[UNTexas]

It's always a good idea to piss off the hand that feeds you.

Exactly. These douchebags go to a state school who's governor is coming to speak. Its good for the university. If they don't like it, go to a private school or a state that aligns with their agenda. If not, show a little class and be thankful the governor is coming to UNT. In the past that never would have happened.

And Eagle1855 is hilarious. I love that post.

Edited April 7, 2015 by UNTexas

[All About UNT]

according to their FB page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abbott-Free-UNT/787363051347987?fref=ts

they are trying to organize a walkout as he takes the stage. One idiot (an non-alumn from New Mexico) goes as far as saying that the students should "Wave lots of rainbow flags. Have lots of kiss ins... Men kissing men, women to women."

All I could envision was this

[ColoradoEagle]

Exactly. These douchebags go to a state school who's governor is coming to speak. Its good for the university. If they don't like it, go to a private school or a state that aligns with their agenda.

So if you go to a state school in Texas, you should be conservative?

[JesseMartin]

This is stupid. I wasn't a fan of Rick Perry, but I would have been impressed and felt like we had moved up a bit in the eyes of the rest of the state had he been the speaker at my commencement. And either of these two most recent governors would likely have been a damn sight better than many, if not most, of the speakers I've listened to at oh-so-many UNT graduation ceremonies.

[UNT90]

So if you go to a state school in Texas, you should be conservative?

No, if you attend a state school, you should be TOLERANT of the governor being your commencement speaker, no matter if it's Governor Ted Cruz or Governor Barak Obama.

Get it?

[UNTexas]

So if you go to a state school in Texas, you should be conservative?

I see you left out "If not, show a little class and be thankful the governor is coming to UNT. In the past that never would have happened."

I think these students, whom I never said their political affiliation, should show a little respect for our governor and while they are at it show some class, maturity, and humility. I can't think of a time when a sitting governor has ever taken the time to come to UNT. Respect the office if not the man. Act like you've been there and be a class act. It's not a lot to ask for.

[aprice]

Ah, college angst. Remember it well.

The facts are, young people as a whole, do not agree with the republican party. To me, the reasons are obvious, but its clear most people in this thread are too old to understand why that is. Get off your high horses, if wendy davis came to speak, it would be met with the exact same resistance from you people, the people who are claiming the left are "intolerant" because they disagree with a right wing politician speaking at their commencement.

[UNTexas]

The facts are, young people as a whole, do not agree with the republican party. To me, the reasons are obvious, but its clear most people in this thread are too old to understand why that is. Get off your high horses, if wendy davis came to speak, it would be met with the exact same resistance from you people, the people who are claiming the left are "intolerant" because they disagree with a right wing politician speaking at their commencement.

That's completely false. She's good looking. A bit older than I am but that's cool. I can speak for most men when I say we've personally listened to tons of nonsense out of attractive women. She might sound like Charlie Brown's teacher but I'd listen. This is beyond dispute. This is a fact.

[UNTcrazy727]

Seriously, why can't someone just be big enough to walk away if they don't like the invited speaker, particularly a political one, without making it into a huge spectacle? I just don't get it--what good does it do to hurl insults at a university for having the state's governor come and give a commencement speech, a state that just elected him, rather easily, I might add.

I really don't get that at all, especially at a public university. The same would be the case if Ann Richards had given a commencement speech in Denton back in the 80s. It just makes you sound like the vocal minority that always whine about things when they don't go your way. Just don't go--that is your stance. But accept that a public university is made up of both Dems and Pubs. Its ok to get a liberal speaker, just as it is to get a conservative speaker.

In the end, all this has done is show "intolerance" at a university--which is supposed to be the tower of virtue regarding diversity and tolerance of all things. If a LBGT commencement speaker showed up here, would there people who would go crazy? Yes and they would look remarkably stupid, just like the liberal loudmouths do right now. Its one thing to disagree and to not show up because you don't like the speaker's politics--by the way, that seems incredibly shallow to me--but to go and cry to the media about it is just so weak. I cannot stand Barack Obama, but I'd respectfully listen to a commencement talk he would give at a graduation if for no other reason than he was invited and asked to talk so he deserves to at least be heard, plus he's the freaking President, a position that deserves respect, whether its Bush or Obama or Clinton or Reagan. Same with the governor...

We live in a world where the first thing people are taught to do when they don't agree with something as petty as a guest speaker at a college commencement is to go and stir up the hornet's nest in front of their desired media. Its beyond ridiculous, in my opinion...

Why the hell is this not the "best answer"?!?

[Harry]

I'm resigned to the fact there will be protests. Just pray they will be civil and peaceful....not disruptive.

[UNT90]

The facts are, young people as a whole, do not agree with the republican party. To me, the reasons are obvious, but its clear most people in this thread are too old to understand why that is. Get off your high horses, if wendy davis came to speak, it would be met with the exact same resistance from you people, the people who are claiming the left are "intolerant" because they disagree with a right wing politician speaking at their commencement.

Can you read?

Good God, man.

[UNTexas]

Why the hell is this not the "best answer"?!?

Right? Maybe people should read why some posts are disappointed at people who will probably try and make a scene that will embarrass UNT. Edited April 8, 2015 by UNTexas

[Mean Green 93-98]

The facts are, young people as a whole, do not agree with the republican party. To me, the reasons are obvious, but its clear most people in this thread are too old to understand why that is. Get off your high horses, if wendy davis came to speak, it would be met with the exact same resistance from you people, the people who are claiming the left are "intolerant" because they disagree with a right wing politician speaking at their commencement.

A. Wendy Davis is not the governor of Texas. As such, she is not on a comparable level of commencement speaker as Governor Abbott is.

B. Assuming Wendy Davis were the governor of Texas, I guarantee you it would not be the "exact same resistance from you people." Protesting and causing a ruckus is a favorite liberal pastime, not a conservative one. There have been several liberal politicians to speak at UT's commencement. I couldn't tell you for certain, but I highly doubt that there was a comparable level of stink raised from conservative students when any of them spoke.

C. Your instructions for the rest of us to "get off our high horses" are more than a little hypocritical, considering you actually are claiming the moral high ground and superior perceptiveness based on your youth.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Mean Green 93-98

[aprice]

A. Wendy Davis is not the governor of Texas. As such, she is not on a comparable level of commencement speaker as Governor Abbott is.

B. Assuming Wendy Davis were the governor of Texas, I guarantee you it would not be the "exact same resistance from you people." Protesting and causing a ruckus is a favorite liberal pastime, not a conservative one. There have been several liberal politicians to speak at UT's commencement. I couldn't tell you for certain, but I highly doubt that there was a comparable level of stink raised from conservative students when any of them spoke.

C. Your instructions for the rest of us to "get off our high horses" are more than a little hypocritical, considering you actually are claiming the moral high ground based on your youth.

So 2,000 petitions on an online website is "causing a ruckus". Being labeled as a victim is a favorite conservative past time, so this sentiment is about par for the course.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Being labeled as a victim is a favorite conservative past time

Now that is hilarious. Really? Which side is enamored with the "victim mentality"? The viewpoint that says, "Anyone who will use his God-given talents and apply himself can make something of himself in America" or the viewpoint that says, "America is inherently unfair and your birth makes you or breaks you"? The viewpoint that says, "The government is responsible for taking care of me" or the viewpoint that says, "We are responsible for taking care of each other"?

I'm not really sure how you get "being labeled as a victim" out of my post anyway. Who do you think I'm labeling as a victim--myself?!?

Edited April 8, 2015 by Mean Green 93-98

[UNT90]

So 2,000 petitions on an online website is "causing a ruckus". Being labeled as a victim is a favorite conservative past time, so this sentiment is about par for the course.

Hey goober. This isn't about politics. It's about respecting the office of the governor, no matter who is in it.

Its about not embarrassing your alma mater. It's about not making an enemy out of a guy who runs a government that YOUR university literally owes MILLIONS of dollars.

But by all means, hippie out and make an ass of yourself. That is the UNT culture, after all.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Why the hell is this not the "best answer"?!?

Because it doesn't troll nearly as hard as the "Best Answer" currently up there.

[GreenMachine]

Wonder why conservatives didn't protest and act like asses when UNT recently had a transgender speaker.

[Got5onIt]

We're talking college students here, folks. Probably the most liberal group on the planet. I'm definitely not a conservative, but we are talking the Texas Governor. Just bite the bullet, take the generic well wishes, and be on your way to a life of student loan debt and a stagnant job market. Hell, I can't even remember the speaker when I walked....

[UNT90]

Because she's not political. Was wondering when someone would act like an ass about Laverne Cox.

Wait, a transgender gives a speech and it's not political?

What was she addressing, thermonuclear war?

[JesseMartin]

I'm an artist with half a dozen piercings in my face, and statements like the ones in this thread are really good examples of why I've never fully aligned with "liberals." If you don't understand why that's funny, then you haven't been paying attention.

For the record, nearly everyone with a publicly recognizable name who could be named as a commencement speaker would likely be labeled "too liberal" or "too conservative" for a reasonable number of people in the audience simply due to the issues for which they're known. Intelligent people would wait until after the speech to determine if they'd been maligned by the content of the speech, and until that time would simply be proud that their alma mater garnered enough respect to attract speakers of great renown and caliber, regardless of their political alignment (real or implied, i.e. a transgendered speaker may not be explicitly political but would be labeled as a "liberal speaker" simply because of labels applied in regard to the speaking engagement).

The point to take away from this is: If you protest just because of the political alignment of the governor, you look like an idiot. If he makes inflammatory or politically-charged statements, then go ahead and protest...but if you were already protesting for no real reason, then your post-speech protest carries no real weight, because everyone knows that you would be protesting anyway and there's no real line of demarcation to determine what is unacceptable enough to cause you to protest. On the other hand, if you did wait until after the speech, then your protest may carry the real weight of the malignment you've endured.

Learn how to do it right so that you can actually affect the world. If you refuse to protest effectively, then - once again - you look like an idiot and gain neither respect nor political ground. And if that's okay with you, then why are you protesting in the first place? Just to fit in with a certain ideological group? What is ideology if not focused on any practical goals?

[eulessismore]

My concern, my fellow liberals, is that we could become "illiberal" by being too resistant to hearing multiple points of view. Isn't that what a "liberal education" is about, to some extent? Some of my favorite memories at old North Texas were of arguing with those of differing opinions, and then, all of us realizing at the end (some of this sitting around Jim's café, if anyone remembers that) that we really enjoyed the give and take. Too old fashioned?

[UNT90]

Wow. Just...wow. At least you didn't show your true bigotry and call her a tranny or something, I'd expect that from you. Apparently all transgendered folks are Democrats and can only discuss political topics, clearly.

Funny that you cite the governor's stance on gays as a reason to boycott and then turn around and say a transgender speaker isn't political?

And name calling from a liberal. Not surprised. Ever consider you are the bigot here?

Bigot- a person who is intolerant toward those holding a different opinion.

Read a dictionary

And you didn't answer me. What did the transgender speaker talk about? Do you even know?

Edited April 8, 2015 by UNT90

[UNT90]

I didn't say that because as usual, you're just making stuff up and putting words in my mouth because you're a lying piece of work who makes up his own narrative to fit his own argument. Nor am I a liberal, at least politically.

Personally though, I prefer the Merriam Webster definition: ": a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)" because you are this definition. Why don't you go on a rant about how donors are going to pull out of donating because we had a non-binary homecoming court again?

Lol.

<doesn't realize he just described himself>