The Never Ending LDS Slam-Fest, or why Fighting Ignorance doesn't apply equally here.

The BBQ Pit
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Gee, GuanoLad, why do all LDS members look alike? Why do all gay men from large cities look alike? Why do all Jews look alike? Why do all Roman Catholics look alike? Why do all Republicans look alike? In This G.Q. Thread, you share you astonishing wisdoms.

You’ve got almost three THOUSAND posts to your name, and you come up with this thread? Gosh, way to go stamping out ignorance. This is GQ, and your OP offers little gems like,

**

Let’s see now. People don’t “ROVE” in pairs, people walk next to their friends, and that creates a pair of people, walking. Roving insinuates violent intentions, IMHO.

Lots of people on the face of this earth happen to be the same age. Why does this disturb you? Can you prove with cite that only members of the LDS Church walk next to friends who are their age? And, if they did, why is this a problem for you? Do you find it a threat to your well-being that people walk next to other people in your neighborhood?

I’m so very sorry that you find nice people to be sickeningly sweet. Perhaps you might wish to re-locate to the lower east side of Manhatten, NYC. There you may find any number of truly angry, dangrous, unstable, NOT NICE, highly unsweet bitter wrathful cruel individuals whose personality may be more in line with what you apparently prefer.

Riding bicycles. Boy, that sure pegs people as strange, different and deserving of derisive comments. I can’t think of the last time I saw someone on a bicycle and didn’t think, " oh my GOD, there goes another ROVING LDS PERSON !!! QUICK, HIDE THE KIDS !! ":rolleyes:

You chose the wrong Forum buddy, and I’m dismayed- NOT for the first time- that it always seems to be open season on Mormons, but god help us we ask a question about any other minority culture in our country… With the tone of your OP, it might have belonged in the Pit, but it doesn’t belong in GQ.

Since the definition on the front page of SDMB says that the Pit is the place for any complaints about Administration and Moderation, I will say this: I’m saddened that the Moderators have chosen to let it fly there, instead of moving it.

Your accusation that LDS Missionaries don’t know much about their Church is beyond contemptible. Show us cite please, that proves that they are sent out on their Missions totally ignorant? Because, from the LDS friends I HAVE, I’ve been shown enough to see that the youth that go out on Missions are unbelievably well-versed in both the theory, theological and practical aspects of Mormon Life. They can discuss Scripture, and share the community and family support structures that are the backbone of their faith.

You not only owe LDS members here an apology, but you might want to apologize to anyone who actually has respect for another’s faith. And, again, way to go and fight ignorance !!!

I’m a Jew, like it matters in this rant.

Cartooniverse

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Cartooniverse, thank you!

I am LDS, and it gets very frustrating to hear the rants about my religion and the members of it. So many times I have people walk up to me and say, “you believe such-and-such.” When I laugh in amazement at their ignorance, and tell them what I actually do believe, they inform me that I’m wrong. Huh? :confused:

My extended family consists of Mormons, Presbyterians, Catholics, Jews, etc., and I love them all and appreciate them all.

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That would be a great team mascot for Bringham Young University.

The BYU Rovers.

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Cartooniverse, I can’t help but notice that you didn’t post anything in the thread you linked to. I think you could do a lot more for the cause of fighting ignorance about the LDS church by providing information, instead of just pitting people who are ignorant about it. I realize that GuanoLad’s OP could seem inflammatory, but did you notice that Monty, who is a member of the LDS church (if I’m not mistaken) didn’t feel the need to flame? I’m not trying to start a fight; I’m just trying to offer a suggestion.

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Cartooniverse,

While I think you wrote an aqdmirtable rant, to Rove is simply to travel. there is no violent intentions behinds the word.

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IIRC, guanolad didn’t rant about beliefs, but asked why their missionaries dressed the way they did. I fail to see why one should get so riled up about such a query. While this board has seen its share of Mormon (and every other religion) bashing, we still should be able to ask questions without fear of being flamed.

7

Well . . .

LDS missionaries (the young men, at any rate) are all of roughly the same age. They are largely white. They travel in pairs, wearing nearly identical clothing and nametags. They ride bikes when they aren’t walking, and wear long coats in inclement weather. And their job is to be unfailingly polite and nice.

By the “doorknocking ones” reference, it was clear that Guano was talking about missionaries.

He might not be particularly tactful, 'Toon, but he was not inaccurate.

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Ultrafilter, you’re correct. As I said in the OP here, I’m not LDS. I’d rather leave the explaining to those who are members of that faith.

Since some threads were lost in the Great Loss of 2001, I can’t provide cite for all the threads that show a pattern of LDS bashing.

Qadgop, I would have agreed with you two years ago or so. I believed that any query, no matter how far-fetched was going to get a thorough, humorous yet evenhanded reply. If one spends enough time on the Boards, one learns that this simply is not the case any more. The LDS bashing is disgusting, and I felt the need to point it out. You’re of course free to disagree.

andros, you’re defending the OP’er I addressed- I think- because that thread was about LDS members. I could craft a thread with nearly identical queries about Jews, Gays or Catholics that would get me Banned, I’d wager. For some reason, it’s open season on this particular faith, and I for one have had enough of it.

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Yeah, you probably could. You could also craft nearly identical queries which would get you an answer.

What, you think a search of the archives won’t turn up questions about Orthodox Jews’ clothing or hair? Cecil took care of the “gay lisp” thing, and it turns up from time to time anyway.

The OP wasn’t the most well-worded in the history of GQ, but you are off base that it did not belong there. The facts, which I learned in the thread (never having seen an LDS missionary) are that LDS members go to not-inconsiderable lengths to dress similarly and that they tend to come disproportionately from a narrow age group and that they are overwhelmingly white – that is, many do look similar – but that there’s no “uniform” which would make the answer to the question self-evident (The difference between “Why did IBM employees look the same” and “Why do Marine recruiters look all the same”, if you will.")

You have my complete assurance that LDS members get exactly the same protection in GQ as do members of any recognized religion in the world and probably a few unrecognized ones.

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Aw, what the hell, since its the Pit:

“What does BYU stand for?”

“Brown and Yellow Underwear!” :smiley:

I got another one, but it’s too nasty! :wink:

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I’m not a fan of Mormon-bashing, either 'Toon. When I say that some of my best friends are LDS, I actually mean it.

I’m not defending GuanoLad, per se. I just think that his OP in that thread was not particularly objectionable. I find it interesting that Monty also did not find it so.

There’s plenty of rabid anti-LDS ranting around to be derided. But I don’t think this qualifies. Tactless to the point of rude, yes, but not actively anti-LDS.

:shrug: Just my $.02.

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Manny sed:

And yet, ya say one word about foreskins . . .
::d&r::

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andros:

Well, I did raise an eye with the wording “all” in that thread. That’s a dead giveaway for “stereotype land.” But since this is a text-based medium, one can’t see the other stuff going on (as I learned to my detriment quite recently–don’t ask!), thus nobody saw my raised eyebrow.

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Peorgie: What are you going to do tomorrow, after we graduate?

Mudhead: I thought maybe I’d go out and find a bunch of guys who dress alike and follow 'em around.

– Firesign Theatre, Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers

::D&R::

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Not spoilin’ for a fight or nuthin’ but 'toon…ain’t you been seen doing this a few times before? By “this” I mean jumping to the worst possible conclusion about what someone meant, and then calling them out in the pit for being racist or creedist, or whatever? I know it happened at least once, but my memory tells me it might have been more.

I think it’s nice that you feel the wounds of everyone so acutely, speaks well of you in a general sense, but maybe you should tone down the sensitivity meter just a tad? Particularly when it is not your race or creed or sex or whatever that you perceive is being attacked?

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I made the entirely accurate point in my O.P. that LDS Bashing is given a waiver on the SDMB. Now, this may tax your cerebral bloodflow mightily, Stoid, but if you chose to

Make

The

Effort

To

Read

These

Threads you might indeed percieve an incredibly meanspirited Anti-LDS tone in all of them.

Your suggestion that I tone down my sensitivity meter where my own religion/race/sex/creed is not concerned is appalling. Okay, lemme get this straight- you advocate this mindset:

>>shrug<< If you live your life that way, that’s fine. I chose not to. And, not to put too fine a point on it, but if you weren’t spoilin’ for a fight, why did you write what you wrote? So I could sit here numbly and nod my head up and down rapidly in shocked acquiescence of your suggestions?

You got a positive spin on " roving Mormons", you step right up and make your case. It sure as heck sounded very, VERY meanspirited and so I took it here, to the Pit, and remarked as such.

I also have now provided ample cite to back up my allegation that it’s always Open Season on LDS Members, here on the SDMB. Go on, read a little bit. It’ll do you a world of good. Of course, you might indeed read every single blessed link I’ve delivered and find that not a single bigoted, meanspirited or cruel or inaccurate remark was offered. :rolleyes:

Cartooniverse

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Um, correct me if I’m wrong Cartooniverse, but didn’t you write a rant just a couple of weeks ago condemning most decent Catholics and good priests because of the whole abuse scandal?

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Ah, here we go!

:rolleyes:

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OK, Cartooniverse, I scanned the threads you linked to and only saw some people attempting to correct their own ignorance and the usually variety of (usually) helpful answers.

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Cartooniverse, you are no Collounsbury