Harvard commencement

[magid]

I left home about half an hour later than I should've given that it's Harvard graduation today. There are so many people out on the streets around the Yard, families and guests in their dressed-up clothing converging on Harvard Yard, queueing up to get inside. There are also lots of people in a variety of gowns striding along, making it look more like some English college town, black gowns for the undergraduates, deep red ones for graduates. Some of the red ones have black (velvet?) bands on the sleeves; I didn't see any hoods on yet (that would bring back memories indeed).

I'm reminded of how odd our weather is compared to the typical June: usually people are already sweltering, and today it is cool and overcast, with rain forecasted.

Traffic was horrible, so I got far too much time to see a demonstration outside the Yard. I found out that apprently gays are horrible, that AIDS is their punishment, that the Supreme Court is a 'fag court' (the guy carrying this sign was ever-so-impressively dragging a large US flag on the ground... I thought jerks like this would avoid that), and that 9/11 was a good thing (WTF????), etc. I don't know what group they were with, or what their justifications were. They were marching, and people were pretty much ignoring them, which I suppose is the best possible outcome.

Comments

*growl*

[zebraartist.livejournal.com]

goodness - I just don't even know what to say!
Whatever can they be hoping to accomplish - *grumble grumble*

on an entirely unrelated note - QUIDDLER tonight?

Re: *growl*

[magid.livejournal.com]

It seems like an odd place/time for that kind of protest. I mean, there were protests at my graduation ("Brandeis off the pig!"), but this wasn't coherent or cohesive, nor were they views that students are likely to endorse (the protesters didn't look like students; possibly other locals), nor were they particularly Harvard-relevant.

Quiddler? Of course!

surfing through from davis_square

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Hmm...just from the tone (stupidly offensive and desperate for attention), I'd guess it's either the Rev. Fred Phelps, or Chris Korda and his Euthanasia people being "ironic" again.

Re: surfing through from davis_square

[magid.livejournal.com]

I've heard of Phelps, but not Korda.

Re: surfing through from davis_square

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

He's local: he got fifteen minutes of fame for his "Unabomber for President" bumper stickers, and showing up with friends at rallies with over-the-top banners and signs. ("Save the planet, kill yourself" was one of his.) Last I heard he was sending out a press release to announce that 9/11 footage gave him 'great sexual pleasure'.

Re: surfing through from davis_square

[clauclauclaudia]

It was in fact Fred Phelps. The Law School did something insufficiently homophobic (I don't know what) so he decided to picket.