Candlelight Vigils

This school’s various has taken the idea of the candlelight vigil and completely bastardized it. Since when did dead animals receive candlelight vigils? The same goes for issues (in this case homosexuality). The whole idea of the candlelight vigil is remembrance, hope, and prayer for PEOPLE. A dead cat, although a tragedy, sure doesn’t need a candlelight vigil. One may argue that they need to “raise awareness”, but this isn’t true! There is not a person on this campus who does not know about the events. The candlight vigil for the cat was a prime example of overkill (no pun intended). As for the issue of homosexuality. What exactly are the candles being lit for? A meeting held about the issue of homophobia on this campus and in the world would be much more appropriate. By announcing that a(n) (essentially) meaningless candlelight vigil will be held, no one will take the flyers (let alone the meeting) seriously. To sum everything up, candlelight vigils have their place. When they are held for ridiculous reasons, their meaning is drastically reduced. Organizations need to choose wisely and with discretion.