Happy Valley Photo Essay

[_Jersey Girl]

And you ask yourself....W.T.F.??????

I know I did!

What's that thing about jumping the shark?

Yeah, it's that.

[_MrStakhanovite]

And you ask yourself....W.T.F.??????

Naw, I would read this:

They're certainly nowhere near as long as, say, Emerson's "The Over-Soul" (6,926 words), "The American Scholar" (7,768 words), or "Self-Reliance" (10,184 words) -- to say nothing of such classic examples as T. S. Eliot's "Notes toward the Definition of Culture."

I'd chuckle to myself, pick up my brandy snifter, and say, " Indeed, my good man. Indeed."

[_Kishkumen]

What's that thing about jumping the shark?

Yeah, it's that.

Does LDS apologetics have a shark-jump? If so, I haven't noticed. There are funerals, but I don't think there are many shark-leaps.

[_Jersey Girl]

What's that thing about jumping the shark?

Yeah, it's that.

Does LDS apologetics have a shark-jump? If so, I haven't noticed. There are funerals, but I don't think there are many shark-leaps.

Being non-LDS affiliated, I can't say for sure that LDS apologetics has a shark-jump. I do detect rather a chronic case of "Help! I'm posting and I can't STFU!!" on the part of some of those who offered comment there.

[_Dr. Shades]

Kishkumen and Runtu:

Alas, apparently I ought to clarify. When I said that "the photographs broad-brushed all Mormons as _____," what I should've said is that "the captions broad-brushed all Mormons as _____."

I apologize for the lack of communication on my part.

[_sock puppet]

As I read the parallel thread on the other board I am struck by the many protests there against the photos and captions as being one sided and not painting a full picture of LDS. How ironic. I guess it is okay to be one sided only as long as you are on the same side.

As if MD&D and/or the COB monolith paint a full, multi-faceted picture of LDS. Even typing that sentence makes me chortle.

[_Blixa]

And you ask yourself....W.T.F.??????

Naw, I would read this:

They're certainly nowhere near as long as, say, Emerson's "The Over-Soul" (6,926 words), "The American Scholar" (7,768 words), or "Self-Reliance" (10,184 words) -- to say nothing of such classic examples as T. S. Eliot's "Notes toward the Definition of Culture."

I'd chuckle to myself, pick up my brandy snifter, and say, " Indeed, my good man. Indeed."

It will be a long time until I read anything more embarrassing than that remark. The whole performance is aria of hysteric affectation, but to imagine that as some kind of withering and witty bon mot....ye gods and little fishes.

[_RayAgostini]

I was actually only there a short time. You had written much on that board before I came along. I pretty much only read from when I started on and did not read the piece of which you speak.

Anyway, for what it's worth, you are well beyond "balance and fairness" and heavily come across as a defender. Once again, much like Why Me.

Just wondering why you are so motivated to provide your level of "balance and fairness". I don't get the motivation here?

I revealed a lot more about my past history and personal motivations on Liz's board, because I felt it was a "safe environment" where I wouldn't be ridiculed for making certain "confessions", or explaining more (which are kind of "sacred" to me). If you missed those posts, then it's understandable why you'd think I'm just another "why me". I don't feel at similar liberty to "open up" here, so you'll unfortunately just have to keep lumping me in with why me. I think he's a brave soul, by the way, to put up with all the ridicule, including from me in the past, and he seldom if ever "loses it", as I have done. He's politically incorrect much of the time, and doesn't have a great knowledge of Mormon history, but I give him 9/10 for courage in the face of endless ridicule. You can really grow to "hate" this poster, why me, because he doesn't hold to all of the "orthodoxies", Mormon or ex-Mormon. In a way, I felt I needed to purge myself of these "hatreds", but I just have to be careful I don't go too far the other way. Hopefully, one day I'll be more tolerant towards DarthJ.

[_Simon Belmont]

Too bad that a link to MST wasn't placed in the comments instead of the putdown of "pretentious." It was a real missed opportunity. I mean, so what that educated people are statistically less likely to join and more likely to leave Mormonism. The long and short of it is that when you have the rich literary, philosophical, and scientific traditions of the world to choose from, perhaps you don't find the "one true" claim very compelling any longer. Still, there is that highly educated person here and there who will yet feel something is missing and turn to a minority faith like Mormonism to fill that need.

But why all of the putdowns? Why the defensiveness and anger? Why not just state in very calm and neutral terms, "hey, I am an educated Mormon, and my experience is different from this guy's." But no, there has to be all of this sour commentary about the guy's purportedly inept photography, captions that are somehow inaccurate for reasons few non-apologists can fathom, and the "pretentious essay." I really don't get it. More importantly, I don't see how it helps.

Because, Kishkumen, when DCP posted on the Huffington Post article something to the effect of

"In case anyone is interested http://www.mormonscholarstestify.org"

Guess what happened? MDB blew up with threads and posts devoted to tearing down DCP. It doesn't matter what the guy does, he is a hated individual (and, incidentally, no one can point out exactly why they hate him. Is it because maybe -- just maybe -- he's right?)

[_MrStakhanovite]

Too bad that a link to MST wasn't placed in the comments instead of the putdown of "pretentious." It was a real missed opportunity. I mean, so what that educated people are statistically less likely to join and more likely to leave Mormonism. The long and short of it is that when you have the rich literary, philosophical, and scientific traditions of the world to choose from, perhaps you don't find the "one true" claim very compelling any longer. Still, there is that highly educated person here and there who will yet feel something is missing and turn to a minority faith like Mormonism to fill that need.

But why all of the putdowns? Why the defensiveness and anger? Why not just state in very calm and neutral terms, "hey, I am an educated Mormon, and my experience is different from this guy's." But no, there has to be all of this sour commentary about the guy's purportedly inept photography, captions that are somehow inaccurate for reasons few non-apologists can fathom, and the "pretentious essay." I really don't get it. More importantly, I don't see how it helps.

Because, Kishkumen, when DCP posted on the Huffington Post article something to the effect of

"In case anyone is interested http://www.mormonscholarstestify.org"

Guess what happened? MDB blew up with threads and posts devoted to tearing down DCP. It doesn't matter what the guy does, he is a hated individual (and, incidentally, no one can point out exactly why they hate him. Is it because maybe -- just maybe -- he's right?)

I don't think you get what Kishkumen is saying, he's making fun of past events, like the one you just linked to.