God Hates Figs (and Shrimp)

U of C counters hate with belly laughs

Another protest by the miserable Westboro Baptist Church parishioners came to Chicago this week. You might not have heard about it, because most of the country smartly ignores their ravings, hoping they'll just go away.

But the University of Chicago students took a much more imaginative tack, as Dan Savage astutely pointed out.  Rather than just standing by and letting the WBC stomp on U.S. flags and indoctrinate their children into a rhetoric of hate on the U of C campus, students laughed in their faces.

Spoofing WBC's tired poster board signs (we all know what they say), undergrads handed out flyers that read, "God Hates Figs." The leaflets were complete with a list of real Bible passages that delve into Christ's apparently well-documented distaste for the fruit. 

Commenters on Savage's post gleefully noted the array of other signs students came up with, like: "God Hates It When You Don't Call" and "Thank God for 7-11."  Chicagoist has the photos, here.

Others on the comment board posted even more dos and don'ts of the Almighty.  For example, did you know that God Hates Shrimp?

Frat Boys vs Westboro Baptist Church

The puns were great, but the most effective counter-protest (of sorts) was put on by the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity when the WBC showed up on their block. Savage shared a YouTube video that caught some of the action. From a second-story window, the brothers unfurled a huge sign that read, "ΑΔΦ Presents Straight Huggin' NO Tolerance for Intolerance." A few minutes later, Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out" started blaring from loudspeakers, and a dozen or so frat boys came out of the building to dance in their boxer shorts.

As the gathering crowd cheered for the Alpha Delt guys, the WBC folks made a beeline for another part of campus.

Whether you're pro gay rights or not, the whole day showed that chuckles can be much more powerful than threats and fear.  The students should be commended for their good-spirited creativity.

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