Oh boy, here we go again.

Those crazy pro-life folks are out there on Tate Plaza, bothering poor, innocent students who just want to eat their Chick-fil-A in peace and not have to worry their little heads about what a group of dedicated people considers to be abominable genocide.

For as long as I’ve attended the University, I’ve been treated to the sight of blown-up aborted fetuses and dead babies on the plaza.

MILLER

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Infallibly, The Red & Black’s next day opinions page is full of impassioned letters expressing disgust and condemnation of the display.

In fact, as I write this column, our poor opinions editor is probably sifting through a thick e-mail folder of such letters, trying to find the most interesting and coherent ones.

I’m not envious of the task.

Instead, I’m going to take the opportunity to remind everyone how great our country is.

The images displayed are provocative and disturbing. In most other countries in the world, there’s no way this thing would fly.

Which, really, is too bad.

Abortion is a legitimate cause for concern for a large amount of people. You might not agree with them, and that’s your right.

But suspend your disbelief and consider, just for a second, that they’re right.

What if abortion really were today’s genocide?

I hope to God they’re wrong, but in the meantime, there’s no way we’ll reach an agreement on this topic.

This kind of talk might be disturbing, but we’re far better off with it than without it.

In places where free speech, however offensive, is not protected, social progress is slow and tempers are much more likely to flare on divisive issues like this.

The organization’s extreme tactics may be questionable, but in a world where “out of sight, out of mind” is far too often a hindrance to progress on important issues, it’s probably one of the only effective methods to get people thinking about the issue.

Need proof? Read the letters on the page.

Clearly, the demonstration has gotten people thinking about the cause it champions. Even if viewers don’t agree with them, it makes our society stronger if we’re constantly talking about important problems.

Yes, the display might show extreme cases, and yes, it probably won’t change many people’s minds one way or the other. But we’re all better for being forced to formulate an opinion and be able to defend it.

If a few pictures are enough to shake the way of thinking you’re comfortable with, then perhaps you should reconsider your mind-set.

What makes this possible? A little thing called the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Man, I love that thing.

Speaking of which, you might not have noticed while distracted by the bloody pictures, but the display also included a “Free Speech Board” where viewers could leave their comments, praise and criticism for it.

I also noted that, while the operators of the display undoubtedly feel passionately about their cause, their passion didn’t translate into a lot of aggression or viciousness on their parts.

This is a refreshing change from certain other Tate Plaza regulars who come with fire and brimstone in their hearts and produce little opportunity for intelligent discussion.

Although I don’t necessarily support the anti-abortion agenda the organization supports, I really appreciate the amount of dialogue and thought provoked on both sides of the issue, despite the unsavory way they do it.

Instead of being offended, use this as an opportunity to get educated, find what motivates proponents of both sides of the problem and make sure you’re on the right side.