The alternate universe where Rusty apologizes for racism at General Conference

The catch-all forum for general topics and debates. Minimal moderation. Rated PG to PG-13.
Post Reply
drumdude
God
Posts: 5212
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:29 am

The alternate universe where Rusty apologizes for racism at General Conference

Post by drumdude »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvsuqDqUXtU

5 years after Black Mormons wished desperately that this apology was real, we have the technology to almost hear Rusty offer it himself. Another year or so and we will be able to see him speak the words from his own computer-generated mouth.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/0 ... mbers.html
On June 1, the Mormon church will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the “revelation” that black men should be allowed to be full members of the church. In anticipation of the event, top leaders of the Mormon church, including president Russell Nelson, met this week in Salt Lake City with national leaders of the NAACP. The meeting was significant, given the history of tension and enmity between the groups; the NAACP led a march in the city against the church’s racial policies in the 1960s, for example. But the substance of the meeting—education initiatives, humanitarian work, and a shared commitment to civility—was hardly revolutionary.

Hours earlier, however, a forceful statement appeared online, labeled as an official church release and looking every bit the real thing.

“President Nelson Meets With NAACP; Offers Apology for History of Racism,” the headline announced. The statement included what was described as a statement Nelson would deliver at the meeting with the NAACP. “I offer a full unqualified apology for the error of racism which was taught from this office and in the tabernacle and over the pulpits of our churches the world over,” the statement read, before a detailed repentance of the church’s wrongs toward black members. “Our souls are harrowed up by the memory of this sin.”

The full-throated apology left many Mormons, especially black Mormons, in a state of happy shock. The local Fox outlet posted an article about the apology (now removed). But within hours, word had spread that the letter was a sophisticated fake. The URL included an extraneous hyphen, for example, and the fine print included a reference to the church’s official “pasquinade”—satirical—newsroom. The revelation devastated many of the same people who had celebrated it just hours before.
Even though the person who created the text of the fake apology had to himself apologize for it, I think he did a fantastic job of creating something that any future Mormon President would be proud to say.
Post Reply