There's a good story in the Wall Street Journal about the extent to which Mitt Romney's Presidential bid was impacted by an Anti-Mormon bias. The story was also commented on by the Freakonomics guys. One of the telling statistics that was shared " . . . cites an NBC News/Journal poll in which 50 percent of the respondents said they had “reservations” or would be “very uncomfortable” about a Mormon becoming president, while 81 percent would be “enthusiastic” or “comfortable” with an African-American president and 76 percent with a female president."
Last year, the law journal was set to elect its new editor in chief from a Mormon woman (M) and another woman (N). They were both very competent people. I had interacted a bit more with the N and I really liked her and respected her. The Mormon woman had always seemed a little awkward and, for lack of a better word, kind of a goober. Sometime before the election I overheard N talking to some people in the Christian lawyers club. I forget exactly how they got onto the subject (I think they were actually talking about M), but they started making fun of Mormons. Something about how we were prudish - no alcohol, no sex, etc... - nothing too scathing, but it was done in a mean-spirited way. It even seemed to me that N felt that it was a bit inappropriate and it was an awkward conversation. I voted for M.
I was also a little appalled when this article talking about a fire started at a Mesa LDS church building had comments about how there were too many mormon churches in mesa anyway or that maybe they should have covered the church in special underwear to keep it from burning down.
Earlier this week there was a conversation in the journal office about politics and John McCain's or Mike Huckabee's chances of getting elected. I was there, sort of half participating, along with fat guy, a liberal mormon, and a geeky guy. Someone made some comment about Mike Huckabee wanting to harm anything Mormon and fat guy said it was a sentiment he absolutely agreed with. Liberal mormon laughed along with geeky guy, and I clenched my teeth.
So here's the point of this posting: How am I supposed to feel about this? Should I have said something when fat guy made his comment, or when I overheard N and co. in the rotunda? Part of me is getting angrier and angrier at things like this as I get older. Another part of me thinks that that is a silly reaction. I understand that it's better to laugh things off than to dwell on them, and that, by getting offended, I am only really making myself unhappy. Maybe I should just laugh these things off like liberal Mormon did. If someone made a comment about wanting to harm anything black, jewish, or gay, that would not be OK. Is this different? Discuss. . .
5 comments:
I had no idea that M was Mormon. Is fat guy the same guy from the tax discussion?
You beat me to the punch a little bit. My next post (if I ever have time for a post) was going to be musings on how minorities and women seem to care more about race and gender than white males; however, white males seem to still see religion. Don't know which one is sadder.
On a side note, I hope fat guy wasn't cite checking with me the other day. I was talking with someone in J. Reuben with us about some of the things I respect about Mormons. I may have just lost a vote ;-)
That's interesting. I'm hot headed and very opinionated so when I hear things like that I tend to speak no matter what. I've never actually thought about whether I should or not.
I have noticed that the most offensive criticism comes from other proclaimed Christians, people who believe it is their duty to denounce mormonism and prevent anyone from being tolerant of mormons. I find this unbelievably hypocritical coming from religious people who claim to be following a person who preached love and understanding. Mormons don't spend their time in sunday school preaching that other Christians are satanic. They teach their members to look for the common ground that all Christians share. Whereas, some Christian groups, presumably more than we think, do teach in sunday school that mormons are to be feared and hated. I don't understand this in a country that was founded on religious freedom so as to allow everyone the choice to believe as they will, or not believe at all. There doesn't seem to be this kind of animosity toward other religious sects or even non religious groups, but I might just be more sensitive because I take it personally. If you are in an actual converstion where your religion is being critised, you have every right to at least call for religious tolerance, even if you are not going to directly defend your own beliefs. If you have merely overheard a conversation, you can choose to ignore it or to butt in and speak your mind. I also find myself annoyed by all the negativity. Mostly I am bugged by people who know nothing but pretend to be experts, and the pundits who believe them. If you want to know what a religion believes, why are you asking an exmember or someone who claims to know but isn't even a member? If you want to know what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes, go to their church meetings, talk to a serious member, or visit the official website. To believe information from anywhere else is just plain ignorant.
I agree with everything that Jannalee said. But the point made by you both that I still don't quite understand is why Mormons are widely considered fair game. I have been trying to come up with any other group of people, religious or otherwise, that society seems to think it is O.K to publicly criticize. I cannot think of one. Is it because you don't regularly see a mormon group go on the defensive? If you critisized jewish people in print the way that L.D.S members are poked fun at in the article you referenced, there would definately be an uproar. Or any other group for that matter, be it racial, religious, or even just fat people. For that matter, some L.D S. members prefer not to be called Mormon. But have you ever seen one make a stink about it? Other groups tend to change their title whenever they think their current title has become derogitory. While writing the above, aI first typed,"jews" instead of "Jewish people", but rewrote it because I didn't think the term was politically correct anymore. Wendell told me the other day that we are not allowed to call black people black anymore. Who knew? And the vertically challenged prefer to be called Little People now instead of Dwarf, even though their condition is still titled dwarfism. We as a society are sensitive to these things and call most groups what they prefer to be called, but not Mormons. As far as speaking out it is hard to judge. I personally don't remember the last time I heard someone make fun of our religion. (besides the crack pots outside the temple. It is easy to tune them out.)I am sure my blood would boil, but we have always been taught not to be confrontational. You and all men and women who work or go to school are in a precarious situation.
The problem I run up against is that some Mormons are nutty. Also, every Mormon boss I've ever had was worse than every non-Mormon boss I've ever had (with one exception--a non-Mormon boss who was worse than some of the Mormons). That's a pretty hard trend to dispute.
At the same time, much of the prejudice is pretty rediculous. Personally, I tend to use mockery when I run across the kind of thing you describe. You have to admit, it's emmanently mockable and who am I to pass up a good laugh when it is so easily provided. The more rediculous the statement, the easier it is to do.
For example, fat guy saying he agrees with harming anything Mormon. That's just a stupid thing to say. Might as well point out how stupid it is. "Yeah, we can't have clean-living, ethical people running around messing things up for the rest of us." or "Yeah, we can't have a moderate Republican without a whiff of scandal ruining it for the rest of them. Better put a stop to that post haste."
Heck, you're better at the quick quip than I am and I do well enough that people don't bother me with anti-Mormon crap like that any more.
Post a Comment