Strange You Can Believe In

From the beginning of the presentation, the entire student body gathered in Chapel knew it was coming. Sooner or later, among such icons as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandella, he would eventually pop up. One could literally feel the entire congregation bracing itself for the moment that was inevitably coming.

And it did. As the choir sang its closing notes, clips of President Obama flashed up on the screen, at both his victory and inaugural speeches.

Many Houghtians didn't like that- as evidenced by both the segment in yesterday's STAR and angrily whispered comments in chapel- encompassing everything from the dryly sarcastic chant of "Yes we can!" to outraged murmurs of "Idolatry!".

Was it really that bad?

Granted it was on the grandiose side, but so was the entire presentation. A massive picture of MLK Jr was portrayed and accompanied by the swelling voices of the choir below and I don't recall anyone saying "Idolatry!". Sure Obama was portayed as the ending crescendo swept through the audience like a storm, but isn't that natural? Obama's achievement of being the first black president of the US has been the most recent milestone in black history- why wouldn't it be portrayed at the end? Was it- as some claim- a political statement? Of course not. The reason Obama was portrayed along with the floating, red, white, and blue subtitle of "PRESIDENT!" was because he is president. The subtitle doesn't scream "In your face, losers!"- it merely underscores the magnitude of the event.

The student body of Houghton is generally- with the exception of a handful of liberals and far-left extremists- conservative. Some disappointment is expected and natural. However bitterness about the outcome is totally and utterly unacceptable- especially this long after the end of the elections. Cringing, whimpering, or whining every time the word "Obama" is mentioned is, quite simply immature. If McCain had won, the conservatives on campus would be just as irked if the liberals sent up a wail of anguish every time he was referenced- perhaps it's time to extend to the left the same courtesy the right would expect if the situation were reversed.

So what's the conclusion? Don't we have the right to say what we want? Can't we complain?
Yes, we can.

But that doesn't mean we should.