Mormon Blogger on Mocking Religion

[lilwriter85]

Heather, the Mormon blogger from Paralyzed with Joy put a link up to a WSJ article on mocking religion and why it is ok for Mormons to be mocked, but not Muslims. The article she put brings up some good points. On her blog, Heather states that she wouldn't recommend that anyone see The Book of Mormon and that she feels that no religion should be mocked. She also puts up links to LDS website articles which talk about the Book of Mormon. I hate to say this, but some of her readers are going get turned off by Mormonism and if they do their research and come across sites like exmormon.org. It is interesting that Heather seems to be talking more about her religion. In some of her past blog posters, she has never said the words "Mormon" or "LDS". She would say stuff like "my church is based in Salt Lake City" or "we watched the General Conference". There were a lot of hints that she is Mormon because she just wouldn't come out and say it directly on the blog.

 

paralyzedwithjoy.blogspot.com/2012/09/double-standard.html

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000087 ... 1481237582

[over-thinker]

Oh, I am so excited to read this. As an ex-Mormon, Mormon Mommy Bloggers are my favorite.

[mebeforee]

Hmm. I guess I understand her point; some works that mock religion are seen as humorous while others are seen as offensive. But I think she's failing to identify that there is a sliding scale of humor. There's a lot of humor out there that many people would consider offensive, but others find hysterical. For example, I really enjoy the show Louie, but I recognize that it's not funny to everyone.

But there is a difference between poking fun at something and deriding something. I also think that the intention behind different types of 'mocking' has to do with how much the creator understands the subject matter. And one can't forget the reaction of the targeted subject.

Sure, you could say that Mormonism is more easily mocked because no one has been killed for mocking Mormons in the past. But that's how it is with any person, group, or country. Say you're out with a group of friends, one of whom is totally easygoing and the other which is really sensitive. When you crack a joke, are you teasing your laid back friend or the one whose feelings will be hurt?

The sentiment and relationship that the two bodies have with each other has a huge influence on how humor manifests there. The relationship between the US and the Muslim world, right now, is not one that will allow for easy jokes to be made at each others' expense. Maybe one day that will change, but it's not an issue of fairness or respect. It's an issue of the relationship between the mainstream US and the group at hand.

[lilwriter85]

Hmm. I guess I understand her point; some works that mock religion are seen as humorous while others are seen as offensive. But I think she's failing to identify that there is a sliding scale of humor. There's a lot of humor out there that many people would consider offensive, but others find hysterical. For example, I really enjoy the show Louie, but I recognize that it's not funny to everyone.

But there is a difference between poking fun at something and deriding something. I also think that the intention behind different types of 'mocking' has to do with how much the creator understands the subject matter. And one can't forget the reaction of the targeted subject.

Sure, you could say that Mormonism is more easily mocked because no one has been killed for mocking Mormons in the past. But that's how it is with any person, group, or country. Say you're out with a group of friends, one of whom is totally easygoing and the other which is really sensitive. When you crack a joke, are you teasing your laid back friend or the one whose feelings will be hurt?

The sentiment and relationship that the two bodies have with each other has a huge influence on how humor manifests there. The relationship between the US and the Muslim world, right now, is not one that will allow for easy jokes to be made at each others' expense. Maybe one day that will change, but it's not an issue of fairness or respect. It's an issue of the relationship between the mainstream US and the group at hand.

I noticed that too. She has probably listened to clips of the BOM songs and maybe she has read the muscial libretto. It wasn't surprising to me that she finds BOM derogatory, while non Mormons and ex Mormons would find it hilarious.

[lilwriter85]

Oh, I am so excited to read this. As an ex-Mormon, Mormon Mommy Bloggers are my favorite.

She isn't a mommy blogger. She blogs mostly about her daily life, things she likes, and recently she has been doing FAQs about her disability. Some of her postings give off the conservative Mormon vibe. I sometimes laugh when she blogs about movies, because will complain about the language or certain content. Some of her complaints are a bit exaggerated. She has claimed that a few PG-13 movies have excessive swearing. Two of her sisters are Mommy bloggers and one of the sisters gives off the vibe that she isn't happy with her husband.

[mebeforee]

And wasn't BOM written by the same guys who write South Park? I've read interviews with them before where they discussed how they actually are very fond of Mormonism, having grown up surrounded by it. I never got the impression that they were seriously trying to hurt Mormons.

It's kind of like saying, only Mormon writers can write acceptable Mormon characters, or only Jewish writers can write acceptable Jewish characters. While there's always going to be some skepticism about a character of a definite culture being written by someone outside that culture, it doesn't necessarily mean the representation will be unfair, inaccurate, or with the intention of discrediting the culture. If that statement makes any sense, lol.

[lilwriter85]

And wasn't BOM written by the same guys who write South Park? I've read interviews with them before where they discussed how they actually are very fond of Mormonism, having grown up surrounded by it. I never got the impression that they were seriously trying to hurt Mormons.

It's kind of like saying, only Mormon writers can write acceptable Mormon characters, or only Jewish writers can write acceptable Jewish characters. While there's always going to be some skepticism about a character of a definite culture being written by someone outside that culture, it doesn't necessarily mean the representation will be unfair, inaccurate, or with the intention of discrediting the culture. If that statement makes any sense, lol.

Yup, it was written by the South Park guys. I don't think they ever intended to Mormons. I remember there being an SP episode about Mormonism and it wasn't really offensive. I think Matt and Trey do know about the dark side of Mormonism.

[over-thinker]

She isn't a mommy blogger. She blogs mostly about her daily life, things she likes, and recently she has been doing FAQs about her disability. Some of her postings give off the conservative Mormon vibe. I sometimes laugh when she blogs about movies, because will complain about the language or certain content. Some of her complaints are a bit exaggerated. She has claimed that a few PG-13 movies have excessive swearing. Two of her sisters are Mommy bloggers and one of the sisters gives off the vibe that she isn't happy with her husband.

Interesting. The movie thing drives me crazy, but I love to swear. Especially excessively.

[lilwriter85]

Interesting. The movie thing drives me crazy, but I love to swear. Especially excessively.

The movie thing also drives me crazy. She blogged about the Footloose remake and I found her posting to be ridiculous. She does exaggerate certain things and her saying that teens are impressionable made it seem like she was dumbing down all teenagers in general.

paralyzedwithjoy.blogspot.com/2011/11/teenage-cinema.html

The criticism I have with the movie, however, is that it's geared towards teenagers, but quite a bit of the content (like language, innuendos and some suggestive dancing) is questionable for young teens. I'm pretty conservative and I don't think I would allow my teenager (especially a young one) to watch this movie. Teens are so impressionable, and I know they will find out about the ways of the world soon enough, but that doesn't mean I have to be the one to expose them to it. It's too bad when a good movie is tainted with things like excessive swearing. Gratuitous swearing is one of my biggest pet peeves in movies!

[mebeforee]

LOL the only ideological problem with the Footloose remake is that Hollywood thought Footloose needed to be remade. I haven't seen the remake, because I felt satisfied enough with the original. But I'm guessing it's no racier than Kevin Bacon dancing alone, in tight jeans, in an abandoned warehouse.

[lilwriter85]

Here are links to the sisters' blogs

Laura's blog She is Heather's younger sister and she was adopted from foster care.

kissofthephoenix.blogspot.com/

She is likable and hasn't blogged too much about Mormonism.

Annnette's blog She is one of Heather's older sisters

coffeyhouseinc.blogspot.com/

She often blogs about Mormon stuff. She doesn't seem to happy with her husband. She doesn't seem too likable and I can't pinpoint why.

[lilwriter85]

LOL the only ideological problem with the Footloose remake is that Hollywood thought Footloose needed to be remade. I haven't seen the remake, because I felt satisfied enough with the original. But I'm guessing it's no racier than Kevin Bacon dancing alone, in tight jeans, in an abandoned warehouse.

I have only seen the remake once, but I liked it for what it was. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible. In some ways, the remake was a bit racier than original.

[mebeforee]

I have only seen the remake once, but I liked it for what it was. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible. In some ways, the remake was a bit racier than original.

I thought about seeing it, but man. I love John Lithgow and couldn't imagine anyone else managing the character with quite the same attitude, lol. Still, I mean, the original has drinking, smoking, dancing, and a pastor's daughter who is doing all of the above + sex and her boyfriend giving off abusive overtones, and the core of the story has to do with rebelling against the (often very physically-based) restrictions of religion. Maybe some of the specific scenes are racier, but overall I can't imagine that the content of the remake would be any worse than the original... I wonder why she focused on the remake rather than the original.

[lilwriter85]

I thought about seeing it, but man. I love John Lithgow and couldn't imagine anyone else managing the character with quite the same attitude, lol. Still, I mean, the original has drinking, smoking, dancing, and a pastor's daughter who is doing all of the above + sex and her boyfriend giving off abusive overtones, and the core of the story has to do with rebelling against the (often very physically-based) restrictions of religion. Maybe some of the specific scenes are racier, but overall I can't imagine that the content of the remake would be any worse than the original... I wonder why she focused on the remake rather than the original.

Heather said she has never seen the original. I wouldn't be surprised if her parents banned the original from their home. She said that she watched clips of the original. She goes to the movies quite a bit with her younger sister and I think they pretty much will see any movie that isn't rated R. She said she thought the remake looked fun, but the problem with her that she didn't watch it from a laid back viewpoint. I thought she was a bit extreme when she said that she wouldn't let teenagers watch it.

[BoomerLynn]

LOL the only ideological problem with the Footloose remake is that Hollywood thought Footloose needed to be remade. I haven't seen the remake, because I felt satisfied enough with the original. But I'm guessing it's no racier than Kevin Bacon dancing alone, in tight jeans, in an abandoned warehouse.

The remake wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. It did, however, completely ruin that scene. The music was terrible and the dancing was a joke. I love the original (which my parents allowed me to watch at around the tender age of 6 or 7).

[ADoyle90815]

Heather said she has never seen the original. I wouldn't be surprised if her parents banned the original from their home. She said that she watched clips of the original. She goes to the movies quite a bit with her younger sister and I think they pretty much will see any movie that isn't rated R. She said she thought the remake looked fun, but the problem with her that she didn't watch it from a laid back viewpoint. I thought she was a bit extreme when she said that she wouldn't let teenagers watch it.

I think her parents banned the original from the home, and one of the rules in Mormonism is that R rated movies are banned, so it's no wonder that Heather and her sister don't watch anything with an R rating. As for the remake, I haven't seen it as I don't want the original ruined for me.

[mebeforee]

It did, however, completely ruin that scene.

But that's the best scene! :( I mean, it's also the most ridiculous and hilarious scene, but it's still the best dancing in the movie, and everyone remembers that scene. It's like the defining point in the whole film. That bums me out.

I didn't see it until I was already an adult; my parents were more children of the late 60's and the 70's, and I was born in '86, my oldest brother born in '81, so the original film came out in something of a blindspot for our family. I think I saw it around 2005 or so, I watched it with my mom, and really enjoyed it. Maybe part of the reason I didn't see the remake was because it came out so soon after I saw the original, and it seemed weird to me. But even so, nothing about the original film felt alien or ancient to me, so I still think it's kind of silly that they remade it. Film remakes should be reserved for movies that were made so long ago that they're no longer relatable :P

[lilwriter85]

I remember hearing that the original was rated R, but it was later edited down. I think Heather's parents might have banned the original for other reasons. One of the themes of Footloose is rebelling. The parents probably didn't want their kids to rebel against religion. All of the sisters have remained in the LDS church, but I get the feeling that someone will eventually leave the LDS church and my money is on the youngest sister Chandra. I have heard about the Mormon advisement against R rated movies. With Heather, she and her friends/family seem to really take that advisement. She worked at a movie theater prior to her accident, she probably saw parts of R rated movies here and there. What is annoying about her is that she when she watches some PG-13 movies, she isn't satisfied because there are a few cuss words or some of the content is a bit racy. I can't imagine her liking a PG-13 movie like Drop Dead Gorgeous.

She doesn't talk too much about what she watches on TV. She seems to watch a lot of reality type documentary shows like My Strange Addiction and she likes Downton Abbey. I doubt that she watches a lot of current scripted shows. There are a few current TV shows that poke fun at religion and I can't see Heather tolerating that or finding certain things funny.

[mirele]

Interestingly, the first "Footloose" was filmed in Utah. Some of the home interiors were in Mormon homes. The warehouse the Kevin Bacon character worked in was the Lehi Roller Mills, which is still in existence as a grain mill.

The whole notion of not being able to dance really confused us Mormons. Dances and dancing are part and parcel of the teenage Mormon existence.

[Anycah]

Here are links to the sisters' blogs

Laura's blog She is Heather's younger sister and she was adopted from foster care.

kissofthephoenix.blogspot.com/

She is likable and hasn't blogged too much about Mormonism.

Annnette's blog She is one of Heather's older sisters

coffeyhouseinc.blogspot.com/

She often blogs about Mormon stuff. She doesn't seem to happy with her husband. She doesn't seem too likable and I can't pinpoint why.

The father's day post on Annette's blog is Grade A Passive Aggression: coffeyhouseinc.blogspot.com/2012/06/fathers-day.html

Dinner for Father's Day was a true labor of love for me and was very disappointing. Joseph said for dinner he wanted canned fruit, cottage cheese and plain jello. I try to make nice things for Joseph to show my love for him so I was less than excited about these requests. Cottage cheese with fruit was always a meal I dreaded growing up and I swore I would never serve it as an adult. I am now eating my words because I did serve it, but none of the nasty stuff crossed my lips. The kids each tried a bite but didn't care for it. At least Joseph hasn't requested meatloaf. I did make salad and English muffin pizzas which Joseph requested so the rest of us would have something to eat.

(picture)

This was Joseph's idea of dessert...plain jello made with some Sprite.

(picture)

This is my idea of a jello dessert...a jello poke cake.

Is this supposed to be playful or resentful?

[2xx1xy1JD]

I think that one of the cornerstones of a free society is the ability to express your opinion about a belief (including using humor/snark/mocking) on one hand, and on the other hand protect the rights of others to hold the beliefs of their choice and not suffer discrimination on that basis.

[lilwriter85]

The father's day post on Annette's blog is Grade A Passive Aggression: coffeyhouseinc.blogspot.com/2012/06/fathers-day.html

Is this supposed to be playful or resentful?

That posting seems playful, but I get a strong feeling it was resentful. There have been other things on Annette's blog that also hint that not all is well in that house. Her husband doesn't seem likable. In the most posting about her son's birthday, she was pissed that some of the kids in his preschool class didn't like cupcakes. I think maybe some of the kids might have said that because their parents might have strict rules on sweets. Annette had to have realized beforehand that some kids were going to refuse the treats.

[Katiebug]

Annnette's blog She is one of Heather's older sisters

coffeyhouseinc.blogspot.com/

She often blogs about Mormon stuff. She doesn't seem to happy with her husband. She doesn't seem too likable and I can't pinpoint why.

She seems dissatisfied with life even though she spouts all of the usual Mormon mommy blogger platitudes. There are little passive-aggressive notes throughout and I can't tell if she's really being P/A or if she's trying to be wry or sarcastic and failing miserably.

I went back a while in posts and their master bedroom was sort of a mess. She sewed a nice-looking quilt, but their bed appears to just be a mattress and box spring on a metal frame and they just chucked the actual bed pillows on top - there are no shams to match the quilt. The window treatments were cheap white miniblinds and there was no evidence of any kind of wall decor. There was clutter on the nightstand and Rubbermaid totes stacked right next to it. It just didn't LOOK like a put-together room. Usually you see the Mormon mommy bloggers and their homes are (apparently) spotless, with nice furniture. A lot of the time the pictures they put on the Internet look worthy of a Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel catalog! So it was a little odd to see something so NOT the norm for that type of blogger.

(Not that there's anything wrong with not having a nice bed or a really pulled-together master bedroom; my husband and I have been married for 7 years and homeowners for 6, and are just now getting around to buying a wood bed (we so want a real bed but had to pay off our share of the hospital bills from our 2 year old's birth). Our room hasn't been our decorating focus since we're the only ones who ever see it! But I'm also not taking pictures and putting them on my blog for the entire Internet to see, you know? If I did, I'd move the laundry basket of clothes to be folded and I'd pull the Ralph Lauren bedding out of the linen closet and prop the shams up nicely so our bed looked slightly less college dorm-like.)

[keeperrox]

I remember there being an SP episode about Mormonism and it wasn't really offensive.

Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. It's on now, btw.

[lilwriter85]

She seems dissatisfied with life even though she spouts all of the usual Mormon mommy blogger platitudes. There are little passive-aggressive notes throughout and I can't tell if she's really being P/A or if she's trying to be wry or sarcastic and failing miserably.

I went back a while in posts and their master bedroom was sort of a mess. She sewed a nice-looking quilt, but their bed appears to just be a mattress and box spring on a metal frame and they just chucked the actual bed pillows on top - there are no shams to match the quilt. The window treatments were cheap white miniblinds and there was no evidence of any kind of wall decor. There was clutter on the nightstand and Rubbermaid totes stacked right next to it. It just didn't LOOK like a put-together room. Usually you see the Mormon mommy bloggers and their homes are (apparently) spotless, with nice furniture. A lot of the time the pictures they put on the Internet look worthy of a Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel catalog! So it was a little odd to see something so NOT the norm for that type of blogger.

(Not that there's anything wrong with not having a nice bed or a really pulled-together master bedroom; my husband and I have been married for 7 years and homeowners for 6, and are just now getting around to buying a wood bed (we so want a real bed but had to pay off our share of the hospital bills from our 2 year old's birth). Our room hasn't been our decorating focus since we're the only ones who ever see it! But I'm also not taking pictures and putting them on my blog for the entire Internet to see, you know? If I did, I'd move the laundry basket of clothes to be folded and I'd pull the Ralph Lauren bedding out of the linen closet and prop the shams up nicely so our bed looked slightly less college dorm-like.)

I think she is being P/A. In some pictures, there is something about her that doesn't look happy. I have noticed that Heather, Laura, and Annette and the rest of their family seem pretty different from other Mormon bloggers or the Utah Mormons. They all live away from Utah and don't seem to be play the Utah Mormon materialism game that bloggers like NieNie play. I did think that Joseph and Annette's bedroom didn't look put-together. It could used a bit of decor. Overall, I think Annette loves her kids, but her husband not so much. I also think she and Joseph aren't going to be having more kids. She hinted in one post about it.