Stolen memories
Incident shows society hasn’t learned

Whoever stole the 75 flags from the Holocaust Remembrance Week memorial should be ashamed of themselves.

The pink flags were placed on the Sadler Hall lawn to honor about 450,000 homosexuals who were persecuted by the Nazis. When they were removed, it sent a clear message to TCU’s gay and lesbian community that someone either on this campus or in the Fort Worth community not only doesn’t respect the memory of the dead, but they also don’t respect the living.

We want to send a message to the idiot or idiots with too much time on their hands, whose ignorance and bigotry drove them to sneak out onto Sadler Hall lawn and take the markers.

You are ridiculous.

We are all entitled to a personal opinion about the homosexual lifestyle, just like we are entitled to have views on politics, religion or abortion. Our opinions shape who we are. They define our values. They play a unique role in the relationships we develop. Having passionate beliefs and well-thought-out convictions are essential.

But expressing those beliefs in a negative manner isn’t merely inconsiderate of others, it can be dangerous.

Practically from the beginning of time, people have been beating or killing each other because they disagree with one another. That’s what Holocaust Remembrance Week is all about.

We should all feel lucky that whoever it was that stole these flags didn’t do anything more rash.

But we should also be concerned. Alarmed. Saddened.

If there is a lesson to be learned by this incident, it is that we, as a society, haven’t learned from our mistakes. Tolerance, and the maturity it takes, is still a bit of a mystery.

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