A Tale of Two Film Projects: Vainglory & the Priorities of Mopologetics

[Doctor Scratch]

hmmm. Was this an authentic or a staged lunch? Suppose these public conversations about the film project never happened. Would that still have been the lunch?

That’s an interesting point. Like, did he *order* the filmmaking team to take him to lunch, so that he could then order the least expensive thing on the menu and then boast about it on his blog?

[Gadianton]

It's been several years since I've travelled on a company's dime. But this one time I selected a lower-tier hotel chain for some reason. It may have been closer to a coworker I planned to hang out with. But as luck would have it, it had a restaurant that was far better than the mid+ tier places. I could get a killer Ribeye and a couple glasses of wine to go with it. It was so good, I had it every night. But to justify it, I didn't have breakfast and went cheap on lunch. Like, I remember one day I got a footlong from Subway for lunch and kept half so I didn't charge lunch the second day.

Look, I'm as human as anyone. I'm just pointing out I can totally see myself ordering a potato soup for appearances when the company is paying, as a token gesture to justify the "super haul" at a later time. I mean, I can only imagine the spread that shall repay a couple of these potato soups. A master class in restraining impulses for the sake of heightened utility in a scheme of delayed gratification while at the same time signaling frugality.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

To answer the question as to why Mopologists care to rehabilitate BY’s image, well, that’s it. They’re rehabbing his image in order to distance it from the near-recent activities of keyboard Utah fascists who elevated BY to ‘Hitler status’ for Zion. There was no lack of NüMormon fascists spawning left and right over the last 20 years, and BY was absolutely their Golden Calf.

IMHO, the mopes are attempting a rebrand.

[Doctor Scratch]

Look, I'm as human as anyone. I'm just pointing out I can totally see myself ordering a potato soup for appearances when the company is paying, as a token gesture to justify the "super haul" at a later time. I mean, I can only imagine the spread that shall repay a couple of these potato soups. A master class in restraining impulses for the sake of heightened utility in a scheme of delayed gratification while at the same time signaling frugality.

Great points, Dr. Robbers. But did you also boast in front of all the other employees about how you gave more than anyone during the company's annual holiday food drive, only to then turn around and bill the company for 10x that amount for your travel expenses?

And the funny thing about all of this is: Who is this "frugality" supposed to impress? The people who support Interpreter don't care. He could be openly boasting about running up all kinds of bills--eating $300 dinners and flying first class, staying in the presidential suites at the various hotels--and the average Interpreter donor would just shrug and move on, because, hey: he's doing *some*thing for the Church, right?

[I Have Questions]

Peterson just cannot help himself...

Here’s an imaginary dialogue that will help to answer some questions about my current junket southwards:

Hostile Interrogator (HI): “You’re traveling again.”
Devious Peterson (DP): “Yes. That’s true. My wife and I are down in Arizona, visiting family and friends. Your tone suggests disapproval. Is traveling to visit friends and family somehow unethical in your view?”
HI (ignoring the question): “How did you get there?”
DP: “We flew.”
HI: “On a luxurious private jet?”
DP: “No. On a commercial airliner.”
HI: “Who paid your airfare?”
DP: “We did.”
HI: “Who is we?”
DP: “My wife and I.”
HI: “Who is covering the cost of your lodging?”
DP: “We are.”
HI: “Who is paying for your food?”
DP: “We are.”
HI: “What proportion of your expenses for this trip is covered by the Interpreter Foundation?”
DP: “Zero.”
HI: “As always, you’re being evasive. Just answer the question! What portion of your expenses for this trip is borne by Redbrick Filmworks?”
DP: “None. Zero. Not a cent.”
HI: “More obfuscation. Why don’t you just admit that you profit enormously from your involvement with the Interpreter Foundation? Why are you afraid to concede that it funds your lavish lifestyle? Just come clean! After all, your followers are too duped and benighted even to care.”
DP: “Because I won’t lie. And, by the way, they’re not.”
HI: “You’re lying.”

Deny, Deflect, Dismiss. It's a familiar pattern.

I'm reasonably certain that nobody has made the suggestion that Interpreter funds are being used by Peterson to fund his trips to see family and friends. Instead, the suggestion is as follows:

Dan solicits donations to Interpreter. Dan uses those donations on projects in which he is involved. The people delivering those projects use the funds received from Dan to pay for Dan's travel, accommodation, and food, in relation to activities for the project. Dan also donates funds to Interpreter, but is actually a net overhead because what he consumes in terms of travel, accommodation, and food in connection with those projects that is paid for by Interpreter donations that Dan has dispersed, outweighs the meagre amount he and his wife stump up.

If you donate $10, but cost $100, you are not a donor. You are a $90 overhead. For once I'd like to see Dan give an accurate account of what has been suggested on here. Instead of trying to deflect from a point that must hit home, by cartoonishly changing the point into what he thinks is self deprecating satire.

But here's the bigger question - why does he care what people here say? It has no influence whatsoever on anyone from the outside world. He creates the drama himself. He feeds it. So he must need it. He's gone so far as swindling $10,000 out of Dr Moore by being unable to resist seeking the attention. He's really not able to fill the gap in his life if he ignores this board. The more he dreams up straw men, the more we laugh at him. But he never disproves the point - that he's a net overhead to Interpreter because of how much he travels and eats.

[Doctor Scratch]

LOL. The more he continues to deny it, the more we will continue to dunk on his head.

And there really is only one question: How much money has Interpreter given to Redbrick?

He already admitted that Redbrick paid for his travel, lodging, and food, and unless he and the missus are donating something like $10,000 per year to Interpreter (and there is no way in hell, since it would cut into his own, personal travel budget), then this Interpreter/Redbrick partnership has essentially been paying for him to do his hobbies.

For the record, I personally would assume that his donation is similar to what was paid for that bowl of potato soup. I assume he's only kicking in like 20 bucks.

[I Have Questions]

LOL. The more he continues to deny it, the more we will continue to dunk on his head.

And there really is only one question: How much money has Interpreter given to Redbrick?

He already admitted that Redbrick paid for his travel, lodging, and food, and unless he and the missus are donating something like $10,000 per year to Interpreter (and there is no way in hell, since it would cut into his own, personal travel budget), then this Interpreter/Redbrick partnership has essentially been paying for him to do his hobbies.

For the record, I personally would assume that his donation is similar to what was paid for that bowl of potato soup. I assume he's only kicking in like 20 bucks.

Given that Redbrick have done both films, the project in Africa, and the latest YouTube series, it’s likely well north of $4 million.

[Doctor Scratch]

LOL. The more he continues to deny it, the more we will continue to dunk on his head.

And there really is only one question: How much money has Interpreter given to Redbrick?

He already admitted that Redbrick paid for his travel, lodging, and food, and unless he and the missus are donating something like $10,000 per year to Interpreter (and there is no way in hell, since it would cut into his own, personal travel budget), then this Interpreter/Redbrick partnership has essentially been paying for him to do his hobbies.

For the record, I personally would assume that his donation is similar to what was paid for that bowl of potato soup. I assume he's only kicking in like 20 bucks.

Given that Redbrick have done both films, the project in Africa, and the latest YouTube series, it’s likely well north of $4 million.

A good point. And it's worth remembering that they shelled out something like half a million dollars to Skousen for his Book of Mormon project. So there is definitely a lot of "discretionary" money laying around at Interpreter.

Still, you have to wonder why the he's chosen this particular avenue of response. I mean, why not strike a tone of humility?: "I'm so grateful that our generous donors allow us to continue this important work." Instead he has to toss in this nonsense about how he's some "sacrificial" martyr who's burning through his own money in order to help finance the cash-strapped Interpreter, which is obviously false. He could even go the route of playing dumb, as he did (for a time) when it came to light that he was paid thousands of dollars for his work at the Maxwell Institute/FARMS: e.g., "I'm a knucklehead when it comes to finances, so it never really occurred to me that the expenses that Redbrick was paying were actually coming from Interpreter. My bad!"

No one is saying that he is illegitimately "exploiting" Interpreter and donors in order to "enrich" himself. But I do think it's accurate to say that the organization helps to fund his hobbies, and that this is essentially a mutually agreed-upon situation.

[I Have Questions]

Given that Redbrick have done both films, the project in Africa, and the latest YouTube series, it’s likely well north of $4 million.

A good point. And it's worth remembering that they shelled out something like half a million dollars to Skousen for his Book of Mormon project. So there is definitely a lot of "discretionary" money laying around at Interpreter.

Still, you have to wonder why the he's chosen this particular avenue of response. I mean, why not strike a tone of humility?: "I'm so grateful that our generous donors allow us to continue this important work." Instead he has to toss in this nonsense about how he's some "sacrificial" martyr who's burning through his own money in order to help finance the cash-strapped Interpreter, which is obviously false. He could even go the route of playing dumb, as he did (for a time) when it came to light that he was paid thousands of dollars for his work at the Maxwell Institute/FARMS: e.g., "I'm a knucklehead when it comes to finances, so it never really occurred to me that the expenses that Redbrick was paying were actually coming from Interpreter. My bad!"

No one is saying that he is illegitimately "exploiting" Interpreter and donors in order to "enrich" himself. But I do think it's accurate to say that the organization helps to fund his hobbies, and that this is essentially a mutually agreed-upon situation.

If he ignored this board, the point raised about him being a net overhead to Interpreter wouldn’t go anywhere other than round and round on this board. He chooses to discuss it (and the other stuff that’s discussed on this board) on his blog for his own purposes. He keeps the fire burning by choice. I think he likes to portray himself as a victim of attacks from critics, and he wants everyone to know that he’s this victim of attacks from critics.

[I Have Questions]

Does the lady protest too much?

(Please be advised, incidentally, that no donors to the Interpreter Foundation were harmed in any way by our attendance at the Dodgers/Brewers game this afternoon.)

Perhaps by mentioning all the time he isn’t travelling on Interpreters dime, he hopes that people won’t notice those times when he does. Dan, please restrict your expense updates to the point in question - your expenses for each and every time you travel on Interpreters business. Not when you’re travelling for personal reasons, and don’t just cherry pick those odd few occasions where you think your expense level is defensible. Mention ALL those occasions, and only those occasions, where Interpreter or Redbrick are picking up the tab. Stop trying to “deflect” (one of MG’a core tactics) people away from seeing behind the curtain with repeated claims of not costing donors money when you do something personal.