Great convo w/an evangelical grad student.

The other week at a once-a-term divisional social event, I ended up running into this one (cleancut) (white) (male) evangelical grad student who went to Wheaton College and still identifies as an evangelical but has become more liberal over time, and we had a great conversation.

First off, as he knows from a friend who works there, it turns out that a Jesuit college in the city has an insanely high syphilis rate among undergraduates that their stats shows is possibly the highest in the country, but they're covering it up for fear of scandal.  Though, they also haven't resisted a Planned Parenthood clinic opening nearby.

"You know," I was like, "I wonder what their HIV infection rates are, if the straight undergrads are f*cking without condoms.  I bet they're not thinking of that, and then they could *really* get fucked."

Then, I added, "All it takes is one, to get that into the mix."



Then, I added, "Happy Thursday!", to a drunk Indian studies grad student who was in on the conversation and seemed horrified.

From there, the evangelical kid said that his parents and everyone would always say that Nietzsche thought the way he did because he went crazy from syphilis.

"They're masters at that," he was like.  "No one took Nietzsche seriously because of that."

Later, he also said that his brother is in the U.S. Army in Washington state and ended up doing logistics and moving into command posts during his 1st period of sign-up, but hates it.

"Of the 50 guys he oversees," he was like, "40 have had police called to their house for domestic violence incidents, and like 20 have had the cops there like 3 times.  Seriously.  But, it all goes to military police, and nothing ever changes."

He then said that his brother felt like his entire job was covering up abusive behavior towards women, and he was disheartened and disgusted and would be leaving permanently after his 1st stint.

"The army attracts a certain type of guy, he says," my colleague was like.  "It's like they're looking for a way to get away with that stuff."