memes

Prior to starting college, my college assigned all freshmen to read a book called "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind". It was a nonfiction book about a boy in rural, poverty-stricken Africa who used a basic knowledge of science to cobble together rudimentary windmills, which brought electricity to his villiage. It was a pretty decent book, and it was a good book for the administration to assign incoming freshman to read, as it brought together the power of science and technology, the impact a single (young) person can have, and the struggles of the world's poorest. And in the book, there were a few sentances where the boy talks about mystical spirits which were part of his people's traditional religious beliefs guiding him or helping him or whatever. If you're looking for a real-life inspiring page turner, I'd highly recommend.

Anyway, the summer ends and I go to college, and we have our commencement ceremony. A bunch of important people from the college get on stages and talk about how great the college is, and how great we are for being here, and it's hand jobs all around. Eventually, the kid from the book - who is about our age, walks up to the podium and gives a short speech, and then the floor is opened for any of the incoming freshmen to ask this very nice young African man any questions they had about his inspiring story.

Cue our an-hero. After a few other freshmen ask him very nice questions about life in Africa and his plans for the future, and other things that would be reasonable to ask, this jackass gets to the mic and proceeds to try to have a debate about the existance of supernatural spirits. Talking about the supernatural took up maybe one paragraph total in the book, and had basically nothing at all to do with anything else - but apparently their inclusion was offensive enough to this idiot that he goes full /r/atheism in front of all his other incoming freshmen, a large portion of the faculty, and a huge crowd of parents. Not just asking a dumbass question, but when the nice African guy, who went through extreme poverty and famine, tries to give a reasonable and friendly answer, the dumbass comes back again and tries to contradict him - until one of the University staff inform him that he is only allowed one question and he has the mic removed from his grasp, thank god.

I still remember.