The National Day of Silence is, as everyone probably knows by now, the annual day when students protest the frequent treatment of the LBGT community by remaining silent in classes. 'Tis a Monday this year, so I have no classes on that day, but it's interesting to think about whether or not to participate as a Christian who believes that homosexuality is wrong.
The first question to ask is "What exactly are they protesting?" If they are protesting the lack of general acceptance of homosexuality as a relationship with the same moral status as a heterosexual relationship, I do not agree and cannot participate. If, on the other hand, they are protesting actual hate assaults (which have happened and still do) then it is within my conscience to participate.
The next question is "Is remaining silent in class a good way to protest?" First of all, is it fair to take out this dissent on the teachers and professors, who are trying to teach us and to help us succeed in our lives and in our future careers, by not participating and making their job harder? The answer here is "Probably not," meaning that we next need to ask "Are the results of the protest enough to justify one day of this inconvenience?"
At my school, at least, every class contains a few students who speak up and participate and a bunch of students who sit there and never say a word or participate. So the only ones who would be noticeably participating in the Day of Silence would be those who frequently participate in class. (Such as myself.) While this lowers the inconvenience caused to the professors, it also lowers the effects of the protest. Finally, would participating in class be seen as protesting the protest? That is very possible. So the most important question that it all comes down to is, what message are you trying to get across, can you get it across, and how?
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