Is President Monson a Cranky Bastard?

Post by **_Runtu** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:32 pm

In thinking about Ray's suggestion that I think President Monson is a cranky old bastard, I have been thinking about what I know about the man.

I've never met him personally, and those who have tell me that he is very businesslike and unlikely to get into small talk. My friend who used to record church magazines for the blind said that President Monson would come in, ask what he was supposed to do, do it, and leave.

My only personal experience with him was, as I said, at the All-Church Coordinating Council meeting sometime in 1993. He raked our department over the coals (and he was exactly right to do it). He had none of the grandfatherly persona of conference, and no sing-song delivery. He was blunt and forceful and right.

Another time I was working on an instructional manual and was forced to produce a subpar end product. After the first run was printed (50,000 copies), I guess the powers that be found out that our department (meaning me) wasn't happy with what was going out. President Monson requested a copy, read it over a weekend, and said it wasn't great but that it wasn't worth redoing. However, he did say that the covers had to go. So, they hired some temp workers to cut the covers off all the copiesl, and then they rebound them.

We were told that he had seen "Legacy" over 50 times and got misty-eyed each time.

So I suppose my impression is that he's an effective and businesslike administrator who has a soft spot for schmaltzy stories, pigeons, and bad poetry. An angry bastard? Not in my book.

Post by **_Bond...James Bond** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:34 pm

Aren't most old people cranky bastards?

Post by **_Sethbag** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:39 pm

I guess I missed the post where he's supposed to be a cranky old bastard. I don't see that. I don't see that he's a Prophet either, however.

Post by **_RebelYell** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:42 pm

maybe he appears cranky because he has to fake his religion - maybe he knows what some of us know (gasp!)... I'd be cranky too if I still had to sit in the hall for 3 hours while my kids screamed because they were tired and did not want to be in tight collared "sunday" dress.

For the record, when I was TBM I enjoyed Monson and thought him direct but approachable (not that I ever met him)... I know other people that knew him from his BYU days that dislike him.

Post by **_charity** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:22 pm

Bond...James Bond wrote:Aren't most old people cranky bastards?

Watch it! I am not cranky! and my parents were married 2 years before I was born!

Post by **_Runtu** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:25 pm

charity wrote:
Bond...James Bond wrote:Aren't most old people cranky bastards?

Watch it! I am not cranky! and my parents were married 2 years before I was born!

I'll confess to being occasionally cranky, but I'm the fourth child, so I'm legit.

Post by **_karl61** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:35 pm

I met him once at an airport when I was working for a rental car company - He was real nice and jolly.

Post by **_Jason Bourne** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:00 am

I met him when a missionary. Held the door open for him and the brief exchange was pleasant. I do have a friend who in his Church employ has contact with him and I do not think he likes him much.

Post by **_ludwigm** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:13 am

FYI

I am not old, I am only 63.
I may be cranky or not, because I don't know the word exactly.
I am not a bastard, because at that time it wasn't in fashion.

Post by **_Blixa** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 12:11 pm

My Dad has a good anecdote about him. Unfortunately, I can't relate it in detail without giving information that would destroy my anonymous coward status. So you'll just have to imagine it. In it Monson pretty much invented a childhood scene with my Dad that he attempted to reminisce with him about. He also comes off as a man whose smarmy sentimentalism masks a more hard-nosed persona. Not exactly a "cranky bastard" but not Little Tommy either.