re: #27 Killgore Trout

That does raise an interesting point. Let’s put the shoe on the other foot: If he had made the same point using the Quran and Muslim students had walked out would this be any different? I think the students behaved well, quietly left and didn’t interrupt. They exercised their right to leave. I think it was a little over the top to insult them although I understand Savage’s sentiment.

Nope, it wouldn’t be any different at all*, especially since this was a journalism class:

According to Fox, the event’s organizers defended Savage and said student journalists had a duty to listen to what they did not want to hear.

“We appreciate the level of thoughtfulness and deliberation regarding Dan Savage’s keynote address,” the National Scholastic Press Association was quoted as saying in a statement.

“Some audience members who felt hurt by his words and tone decided to leave in the middle of his speech, and to this, we want to make our point very clear: While as a journalist it’s important to be able to listen to speech that offends you, these students and advisers had simply reached their tolerance level for what they were willing to hear.”

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120429/dan-savage-speech-conservatives-denounce-gay-aut

*Except I’d be feeling the usual “here we go again” instead of schadenfreude.