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THEBLUEBANNER.NET Oa. 25,2016 7 OPINION Kaine protesters represent ignorance in America MARK MONROE Opinion Staff Writer mmonroe1@unca.edu Tim Koine’s rally on Wednesday in vited many supporters to come out and encourage others to vote early. Children sang the Pledge of Allegiance and partic ipated in holding signs or coming with families to see Kaine in person. This presidential campaign embroils itself in conflict because free speech exists. There were a few outspoken in dividuals who voiced their opposing viewpoints. While not many protestors came to the event, a select few decided to scream accusations at Kaine during his speech. The most distinct was someone who chanted, “Bill Clinton is a rapist.” Hear ing this being chanted as some honorary battlecry made many within the crowd turn and give a pitiful laugh at the indi vidual. However, this displays a much darker point about the volatile animosity be tween Trump and Clinton supporters. These people are willing to go an extra step and publically embarrass them selves to prove some point they believe to be noble. The protester’s wanton urge to spout such hateful claims aloud for everyone to hear, including children, displays the successful fearmongering utilized by Trump to receive support. These displays of aggression high light the collective animosity stirred up SGA Column V- i/y Photo by Megan Authement Sen. Tim Kaine responds to a protester at the rally on Wednesday. by the divisive rhetoric of Trump. This purposeful social division trickles down into local gatherings and governments which reveals how spiteful society really is toward other groups. This voracious fearlessness to push a message of such hateful nature displays the transparency of protesters. Whether they support Trump or some other third party, their longing to be seen and heard fuels the terrifyingly real narcissistic idealism in America, which can be con fused with speaking one’s mind. We all can speak freely, but to use that ability for something so hateful is ap palling. The protesters achieved their goal to be heard, but whatever point they were attempting to prove was lost in transla tion. Their self-righteous beliefs about fighting to make America great again only distances them from any sort of progressive thinking or hopes of inspir ing real and effective change. Instead of politely discussing issues at hand or debating fairly and with poise. the protesters chose to take the immature route and be as obnoxious as possible so they could be heard. Nobody want ed violence at the rally, its purpose was to create an environment of communal strength to champion a candidate and urge people to vote. By creating hostility where it did not exist before, the protest ers’ goal was to stir up conflict. Luckily, instead of responding with the violence and hatefulness observed at Trump rallies against protesters, the crowd at Kaine’s event neutralized any potential animosity by simply waiting for the protestors to finish and not en gaging them by any means. Protesting is an outcome of any de bate. Opinions for and against issues will always exist, and people will protest should they feel compelled. Democrat ic protestors have overstepped bound aries before at Trump rallies to similar extents, but this particular incident re vealed first-hand the ineffable stubborn ness of Trump supporters. ■ Besides exposing children to such hostility, the protesters only display how ignorant, we, as a society have become. The adults committing such disrespect ful and embarrassing acts are supposed to be the inspiration for the future gen erations, but instead they show what can happen when someone has the loudest voice or largest ego. Another protester was pulled over Continued on page 19 SGA strives to work with campus police MATTHEW DERSHOWITZ Contributor mdershow@unca.edu In the midst of national controversy spawning an unfavorable view of police, UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association began a campus-wide ini tiative to maintain healthy relationships between students and campus security. The brainchild of SGA Chief of Staff, Tatiana Miller, this initiative aims to foster a positive relationship between students and campus police through SGA-sponsored events. The first of these events, a cookout scheduled Oct. 18, went off without a hitch. Welcoming students and cops alike, this informal event encouraged constructive conversation and bonding among attendees. In games like Buzz the Fuzz — another brainchild of Miller’s — police were “ticketed” for their lack of pop culture knowledge. “I think relations between students and campus police already exist and I think it’s important that there is a stu dent-led group on campus that’s trying to continue that relationship,” Miller said. “They’re humans too and I think it’s im portant to build that human to human re lationship. We need to get to know them as people, in addition to knowing them as people who provide safety for us.” After recent accounts of police brutal ity, public opinion of law enforcement is steadily declining. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, only 52 percent of Americans express confi dence in the police — the lowest in 22 years. With movements like Black Lives Matter gaining momentum and in creasing public incidents of brutality, a healthy and beneficial relationship be tween pohce and the public is more im portant than ever.
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