Dear UNI Students,

By now most of you reading this are aware of the presence of Brother Jed and Sister Cindy on our campus the last week. 

I spent some time listening to their message and watching students interact with the pair.

 I walked away from the Union that day very disappointed, but not solely with Jed or Cindy.

What saddened and frustrated me the most was the way in which UNI students approached and handled the entire situation. 

As the afternoon went on, the circle of students tightened around those outsiders, with more students shouting insults or mocking Jed and Cindy. 

There were a few students who were shouting with a reasonable cause, attempting to make Jed and Cindy face the flaws in their arguments, to meet their ignorance with reason, their harsh judgments with loving acceptance. 

However, the majority in the crowd seemed to be simply enjoying being part of the mob, being another face to yell profanities. 

It was chilling to see the delight on students’ faces as they packed around these two. 

What did we miss while falling into this mob mentality? A couple of ideas I think worth considering. The first question brought up was the effect of pornography on our generation. 

Is it not worth asking if the high accessibility and viewing rate of porn is distorting our view of sexuality, or perhaps aiding in the objectification of people so that some are seen only as sex objects? 

Another question Jed and Cindy could have asked is if we are all being honest about the risks of unprotected sex? 

This is not an exhaustive list, but a starting point.

I do not claim to have the answers to the questions above, but I do think they are worth each individual examining for themselves. 

I am not even saying these were the intended messages of the Brother and Sister, but with the principle of charity and a little critical thinking I do not believe these questions would be hard to answer from their preaching. 

I also am not saying it ought to be forbidden to make light of a message such as Jed’s, but I would warn against the dangers of refusing to even critically examine any message one hears. 

It is so easy to let the crowd’s view wash over you as you become one of US united against THEM. However, I expected more from UNI students who should be learning about the dangers of rejecting any idea without consideration. 

What I saw that day scared me, seeing the ease with which some students could become callous and cruel. 

-Hansen Breitling, junior philosophy major