Almost every one of us is guilty of watching some sort of talk show. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a fan of Rosie O’Donnell on The View or a political junkie who can’t miss an episode of Hannity and Colmes. We are Americans and we like talk shows.

You do not have to have a Ph.D. to realize shows are made for those who find pleasure in the drama of a debate rather than an intellectual discussion. Sure, talk shows help make issues larger-than-life and they motivate the masses. Yet, talk shows do not solve problems. Talk shows gain popularity from finger-pointing and baseless sound bytes.

If you’ve listened to the dialogue exchanged between our campus leaders these past few weeks, you might have noticed we are living in the midst of our very own talk show. Yes, N.C. State has all the characteristics. For some reason we’re addicted to the petty fights, the unanswerable questions and the strong emotions attached to issues that need open deliberation and reason.

Let’s take a look at just two of the issues floating around campus and try to characterize their debates more logically.

1. Creating an LGBT Center

There is no doubt that N.C. State is an unfriendly environment for those who are not heterosexual. We’ve all heard the jokes. We’ve all seen the small, but noticeable, grimaces on students’ faces as two partners walk by. In fact, most of us have blatantly heard or read words of hate at football tailgates or on the Wolf Web.

There is no doubt that non-heterosexual students are more likely to suffer emotional pain or contemplate suicide. After all, according to an ABC News poll in 2004, 70 percent of men and 34 percent of women think about sex at least once a day. That’s a lot of thinking about those hurtful jokes for our non-heterosexual students.

Perhaps an LGBT center would serve non-heterosexual students well. However, it is only fair to consider reasons why such a center would not be beneficial for the student body.

For one, an LGBT center costs money. The estimated start-up cost is only $200,000, but we all know any department in the N.C. State bureaucracy expands and raises student fees over time. Additionally, the center would not serve all of N.C. State’s students. Should all students be required to pay for a center that would not benefit them? That’s a fair question.

We must also consider which portions of the student body deserve their own centers. We have students who come from single-parent homes and they too are more likely to suffer from emotional pains. Should they have their own center? If we created a center for every type of student who suffers from a societal struggle, we would have to expand N.C. State all the way to Chapel Hill.

This debate is much more complex but my limited space will not permit further review. In short, N.C. State should consider how it can make the campus more welcoming for everyone. Those students who advocate for an LGBT center are compassionate and progressive. Those students who oppose the center have valid points that should be considered fairly.

For those who support the center: please stop calling the opposition Ã’hatersÓ and Ã’homophobes.” For those who oppose the center: please characterize the debate correctly and do not try to determine whether people are born homosexual.

2. The Teepee at Habitat for Humanity

In case you missed it, the Students for Sensible Drug Policy built a teepee a few weeks ago to raise money for Habitat for Humanity’s Shack-a-Thon. Upon viewing the teepee, the Native American Student Association was outraged and demanded that the teepee be deconstructed.

While the president of NASA makes a point that N.C. State is often insensitive towards other cultures, this is another classic example of a petty argument.

SSDD was not trying to offend Native Americans of the west. More likely, the teepee was a creative structure that made Shack-a-Thon more interesting and possibly created awareness about another culture.

If you noticed, no agricultural students were offended by Campus Crusade’s barn. Both the teepee and the barn were innovative buildings that celebrated cultures across our nation. N.C. State should be sensitive towards other cultures but students from other cultures should not instigate unnecessary battles.

We are a university. We should haves open discussions and consider all viewpoints with respect and intellectualism. Can this talk show please end?

E-mail Forrest at [email protected].