A prof in Austin told me to always show up early to protest a speaker. That advice cost me.

Skyler Anderson · 2026-09-18T03:50:03.215932+00:00

Back in 2019 a prof at UT Austin told me if I wanted to push back on a controversial speaker, I should get there 2 hours early and grab seats up front with my group. So we showed up at 5pm for a 7pm event and the doors did not even open until 6:30. We stood in the heat for 90 minutes with no water while the other side walked in right at 6:45 and got the whole front row. Turns out the venue had a rule that no one could hold seats, so our early arrival did nothing but wear us out. Has anyone actually had luck with the early arrival thing, or is lining up late the real move?

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A prof in Austin told me to always show up early to protest a speaker. That advice cost me. | College Speaker Controversies - Discusd