The Brickyard preachers are amusing
This title is misleading. The article just told us how to AVOID Brickyard preachers, not DEAL with them. And by the way, why would you want to avoid them anyway and miss out on all the fun?
The tradition of preachers standing in a public square and screaming out words such as hellfire and damnation is not a “southern thing,” as you said, but really an American thing, dating back to good ol’ Jonathan Edwards in the early 1700s, who referred to all of humanity as “sinners in the hands of an angry God.” He compared our souls to spiders being hung by a thread over an open flame, and God was holding the string (he would usually also demonstrate this by doing exactly that, holding a live spider over a candle until it burned). I should also mention that he was crazy, cross-eyed and was pretty much the colonial version of our very own Preacher Gary (and not a southerner, but a New Englander).
I love the Brickyard preachers, especially the ones who have mastered their art. Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges all put together couldn’t possibly provide as good of entertainment as you can get by sitting on the Atrium steps and listening to these guys rant away.
Ben Mazursenior, religious studies
Pike’s column offensive
I found the column, “Dealing with Brickyard preachers,” very offensive. It is completely ridiculous to compare those evangelists, who are trying to spread the gospel to a campus that is mostly without Christ, to “fried chicken,” and “Bible Belt fauna.” Your tone and choice of words showed a complete lack of respect for their beliefs and religion, which is ironic because later in the article you question the absence of Brickyard Muslims and Brickyard Buddhist. What would you do if Buddhists and Muslims set up on the Brickyard as well, run from them too? Would you write another article insulting them, and give people tips on how to avoid this new “peril” to our public institution?
Like you said, the Brickyard is a free speech zone. People are going to set up tents there and bug you. I am not going to drink until I’m 21 – it’s a belief that I have that also ties into my religion. During Welcome Week, there was a tent set up from some bar in Raleigh. A man from the booth chased me down and gave me this flyer and discount thing, even after I told him that I was only 18. Yes it was annoying to me; yes I was uncomfortable, but I didn’t write a column slurring and slandering him. Our University is a public university, and as such we are exposed to and confronted with, things that challenge us to adapt. We must overcome such minor irritations, whether they’re difficult math problems in the classroom or a preacher yelling at us on the Brickyard. Handling adversity is a true test of character.
If you can avoid the preachers and get to Chick-fil-A without getting harassed, that’s great for you. Enjoy your chicken sandwich, but I’m sure we can find a better and less offensive way of handling that adversity. There is no reason to write a column that makes light of a religion’s way of voicing their beliefs. The column “Dealing with Brickyard preachers” is disrespectful and childish.
Sara Marleyfreshman, environmental design
Take the microphone away from gametime talker
It’s third down and long for the Wolfpack offense, and the team is lining up, focusing on the play at hand, trying to make the marker. Then, all of a sudden, somebody’s voice comes yelling across the speakers in front of the student section trying to get the students to start cheering. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO CHEER!
Being a fifth-year senior, I’ve been to a lot of football games, but some freshmen might not know how the system works. It is appropriate to cheer for the team after successful plays on offense, and you are certainly supposed to yell loudly and continuously during defensive plays to distract and disrupt the opposing team. However, during the huddle and offensive plays for N.C. State, the crowd should be quiet in order to allow the team to communicate and execute efficiently. This isn’t the only issue I have with this voice.
Saturday, the voice started cheering “make that kick” when we were kicking the ball, again something that takes away from the focus of the offense. “Block that kick” is fine, but we don’t need to cheer “make that kick.” This voice is totally out of touch with the cheers and desires of the student section, and I don’t think I’m the only person who feels this way. This is evident by the scores of yells to “SHUT UP!” virtually every time the voice comes over the speaker to encourage us to cheer inappropriately.
I’m a big fan of cheering – don’t get me wrong. I often can’t speak after games because I’ve used up my voice. I’m OK with losing my voice if I lose it by cheering my team on to victory. However, I rarely follow the directions given by the voice on the speakers and I don’t think many others do either. For this reason, I submit that those speakers should be taken down, especially considering the one in front of section 6/7 keeps shorting out. Useful cheers are started all the time by passionate students in the student section who understand the will of the students around them and know when the appropriate time is for certain cheers. We can do without this voice. We are the Wolfpack and we don’t need a voice coming from a box to tell us how to support our team.
J.C. Stevenssenior, mechanical engineering
