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Ah, the hallowed halls of higher education, where tolerance is preached like gospel and practiced about as often as abstinence is by Stormy Daniels.
Enter Derek Lopez, a 27-year-old graduate student at Illinois State University, who apparently decided that the best way to channel his inner Christ was by channeling a WWE wrestler instead. In a viral clip that's got every conservative on campus dusting off their "free speech" placards, Lopez canoodled up to a Turning Point USA table, muttered something profoundly theological, and then pushed over the whole setup like it owed him money.
The fallout was swift and satisfying. Lopez got the boot from his gig as a graduate teaching assistant faster than you can say "diversity training." "While Illinois State University does not comment specifically on personnel matters, we can confirm Derek Lopez has been relieved of his duties as a graduate teaching assistant pending further investigation," the school confirmed in a Monday afternoon release.
For those keeping score at home, the video—courtesy of X/@FrontlinesTPUSA, shows Lopez chatting up a bystander right by the TPUSA booth, where the crew was hyping an upcoming gig by political comedian Alex Stein. "Well, you know, Jesus did it, so you know I gotta do it, right?" Lopez told the man before he was seen flipping the table over. Solid exegesis there, buddy. "Thanks guys, have a great day," he added with the casual flair of a guy who's just recycled your Amazon box, before sauntering off like he'd solved world hunger.
But wait, there's more!
The fallout was swift and satisfying. Lopez got the boot from his gig as a graduate teaching assistant faster than you can say "diversity training." "While Illinois State University does not comment specifically on personnel matters, we can confirm Derek Lopez has been relieved of his duties as a graduate teaching assistant pending further investigation," the school confirmed in a Monday afternoon release.
For those keeping score at home, the video—courtesy of X/@FrontlinesTPUSA, shows Lopez chatting up a bystander right by the TPUSA booth, where the crew was hyping an upcoming gig by political comedian Alex Stein. "Well, you know, Jesus did it, so you know I gotta do it, right?" Lopez told the man before he was seen flipping the table over. Solid exegesis there, buddy. "Thanks guys, have a great day," he added with the casual flair of a guy who's just recycled your Amazon box, before sauntering off like he'd solved world hunger.
But wait, there's more!
Illinois State University Police say Lopez wasn't done; he allegedly crashed a second student group's info table, turning one-man disruption derby into a full campus tour. Cops hauled him in on Friday, slapping him with disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property charges. "Police said the case is pending and may be grounds for additional charges and university disciplinary action." In other words, buckle up, cretin, your semester's about to get a lot more "investigative."
To their credit, the university didn't just issue a mealy-mouthed memo and call it a day. On Saturday, they doubled down on the First Amendment love-fest: "The University recognizes the diverse perspectives represented on our campus. We expect everyone to listen and respond to opposing views with civility," a statement said.
Even the campus cops got in on the virtue-signaling: "We are committed to protecting the First Amendment rights as well as safety of everyone in our campus community," Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said. "We encourage all members of our community to learn more about free speech rights and responsibilities at Illinois State University, including constructive ways to respond when encountering speech they may disagree with," the statement continued.
Look, in a world where Turning Point USA is basically the polite rebel yelling into the echo chamber of academia's safe spaces, it's refreshing to see the grown-ups (or at least the ones with HR departments) actually enforce the rules. Lopez's Jesus-fueled flip-out is a reminder that if you're gonna invoke the Messiah for your meltdown, maybe aim for the part about loving thy neighbor instead of treating their lit table like a piñata.
To their credit, the university didn't just issue a mealy-mouthed memo and call it a day. On Saturday, they doubled down on the First Amendment love-fest: "The University recognizes the diverse perspectives represented on our campus. We expect everyone to listen and respond to opposing views with civility," a statement said.
Even the campus cops got in on the virtue-signaling: "We are committed to protecting the First Amendment rights as well as safety of everyone in our campus community," Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said. "We encourage all members of our community to learn more about free speech rights and responsibilities at Illinois State University, including constructive ways to respond when encountering speech they may disagree with," the statement continued.
Look, in a world where Turning Point USA is basically the polite rebel yelling into the echo chamber of academia's safe spaces, it's refreshing to see the grown-ups (or at least the ones with HR departments) actually enforce the rules. Lopez's Jesus-fueled flip-out is a reminder that if you're gonna invoke the Messiah for your meltdown, maybe aim for the part about loving thy neighbor instead of treating their lit table like a piñata.
As for TPUSA? They're probably already tabling a lawsuit or a sequel event. Because in the culture wars, the only thing flipping faster than that table is the script on who's really intolerant around here.
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