ASU must be so proud

Dear ASU,

The next time you host something like the Karl Rove vs. Howard Dean debate tonight, please consider having a matinee for the kids and a later showing for the grown-ups.  And by "kids" I mean a handful of your students.

If I wanted to watch and listen to ASU students make asses of themselves, I would have gone to one of the bars on Mill Ave and skipped the $20 ticket price.  

I have no problem with the people who clapped after one or the other speakers finished making a point or spoke discretely to the person they were there with.

I have a huge problem with the disrespectful idiots who couldn't keep from breaking out their phones to try to get the next hot YouTube video.  My heart went out to the ushers who kept having to run down the aisles to get someone to put their phone where it belonged... and everyone whose view was blocked by said ushers.

I also had a huge problem with the whiny brats that felt a need to yell out "Liar" damn near every time Karl Rove spoke.  The ushers should have been given rolls of duct tape to put over their mouths.  If anyone had cared what these students had to say, they would have been up on the stage.  But they were in the audience and should have kept their petulant mantras to themselves.  (I also would really like to know if that one silly little bint sitting near me who yelled "Medicare for everyone" knows a single person on Medicare.)

The saddest moment of the evening for me was when Howard Dean, towards the end, made some comments about how people can disagree without it being personal.  You can be passionate without showing disrespect to the person you're debating.  A few of the brain dead zombies around me clapped at that, even though they had been yelling and interrupting Karl Rove the entire time.

One of the reasons I went to this debate alone was because I hate when I go with someone who wants to talk all the way through it.  It's ok to do that when you're watching something on a Tivo and can hit the pause button.  I got the chance tonight to see two intelligent men debate current events and I wanted to hear every word.  Instead, I heard the students around me.

They obviously have a few things to learn about respect and how to behave in public.  

If I had to guess though, you're all breathing a sigh of relief and considering the night a success because it didn't end up like this:

Yeah, victory.   Woohoo.  The debaters didn't get run off the stage.  They were just heckled and interrupted almost constantly.  You should be so proud.

Sincerely,
Someone who may not go to the next event like this if it's on campus
(aka Code Monkey)