DCP Encourages Email Campaign Against Black Journalist

[Guest]

Think about what has happened here. Blow heard this comment. It angered him and made him feel emotional and protective. He let fly with his instinctive thoughts on Twitter. Dan Peterson's response is to go after the man's job. Not only does Dan do this, he urges his blog followers to do the same!

It is a bit silly. Twitter is a really horrible medium for public debate since people seem to spout off even quicker than if they were posting from a computer, but to call for a person's job for making a common Mormon joke ("magic Mormon underwear") that doesn't threaten violence seems a bit much. Frankly I think it's even sillier to tell readers to go write someone about how they feel about the "outrage". Who is actually going to click on a link and respond about something as tame as a Mormon garment joke? (Mormons I guess. . .)

[_honorentheos]

Think about what has happened here. Blow heard this comment. It angered him and made him feel emotional and protective. He let fly with his instinctive thoughts on Twitter. Dan Peterson's response is to go after the man's job. Not only does Dan do this, he urges his blog followers to do the same!

I'm on board with you on this, Doctor. Dr. Peterson's comments are out of line. Simply because the man mentioned "magic underwear" while tweeting when Romney more or less insulted the man's race and parenting skills via broad stereotyping brush strokes?

If, as the link suggests, the issue is the impact of underlying prejudice first on our thoughts and then on our actions, I'd say Romney is by far the more guilty party here.

[Guest]

Of greater import is Dr Scratch's playing of the race card in this thread; intended to make it look like Blow is receiving this treatment because of his color rather than because of his inflammatory statement. It's striking similar to the yellow journalistic portrayal of the modern LDS priesthood ban by critics as being somehow racist.

[_honorentheos]

You mean Dr. Scratch I suppose.

BC, what Romney said hinted at racism. What the link in DCP's blog suggests is that Blow's comment is wrong for the reason that it exposes an underlying prejudice towards Mormons.

They are of the same family. And given that Blow's comment was said in the heat of the moment while Romney's was said while he was trying to fill space and impress conservative voters with how important he felt the family unit is to American stability I don't know how one could say that Blow's comment was something sinister without calling Romney out for his comment as well.

I think Romney exposed a racist type of thinking when he made the comment. I thought that on Wednesday when he said it and suspect it will come back to bite him if/when he makes it to the general election.

[_bcspace]

You mean Dr. Scratch I suppose.

Yes. Corrected.

BC, what Romney said hinted at racism.

No it didn't.

And given that Blow's comment was said in the heat of the moment

Not hardly. Blow's comment sounds exactly like he's been waiting a significant time period to say it.

I thought that on Wednesday when he said it and suspect it will come back to bite him if/when he makes it to the general election.

There's no doubt someone(s) will try to make it come back and bite.

[_honorentheos]

BC - here's the comment:

When you have 40 percent of kids being born out of wedlock, and among certain ethnic groups the vast majority being born out of wedlock, you ask yourself, how are we going to have a society in the future? Because these kids are raised in poverty in many cases, they're in abusive settings. The likelihood of them being able to finish high school or college drops dramatically in single-family homes. And we haven't been willing to talk about this.

I don't think this was a prepared line of attack for Romney as he was quoting the 40% statistic Rick Santorum had just shared but then added to it with the "among certain ethnic groups" not to mention the comments about abusive settings. It was poor judgment on his part at a minimum and I'd argue it came from somewhere inside him rather than from a prepared response. How is that better than Blow telling Romney to stick his (Blow's) success as a black single parent in his (Romney's) magic Mormon underpants?

[_Kishkumen]

I think Blow really blew it here. Public figures really need to learn that their published words (even tweets) are under intense scrutiny, and that their political opponents will make hay out of whatever little peccadillo they can find. I find Blow's statements incredibly distasteful, and I am neither an active, believing LDS person, nor a conservative (he also tweeted about right-wing "lice").

I feel like it is high time that people did not get a pass when engaging in derogatory stereotypes about LDS people. I do not agree with the erroneous characterization of garments as "magic underwear" and I don't think it is at all appropriate for journalists to write about Mormons in this way. So, as controversial as it may be around here, I see nothing wrong with Mormons contacting this guy's employer to get him to shut the hell up with this insulting language about Mormonism. Maybe he'll get wise and start keeping his bigotry to himself.

Now, I would not take any drastic action against Blow, if I were his boss. I would give the guy a warning, telling him that his tweets reflected on his employer and as such needed to be more professional.

On a personal level, though, I find this behavior despicable. As an independent who leans to the left, I have been dismayed by all of the nastiness towards Mormonism that is tolerated by liberal media types who would be up in arms if the same kind of attitude were directed at other religious and ethnic groups. Talk about an appalling double standard.

[_Kishkumen]

How is that better than Blow telling Romney to stick his (Blow's) success as a black single parent in his (Romney's) magic Mormon underpants?

The difference here is that Romney is using statistical information to highlight a real social problem in our country. Maybe it is "poor judgment" to use facts and statistics to draw conclusions and depict the world around you (hardy har) in a political discussion, but that is a far cry from gratuitously insulting someone based on their private religious practices.

I would love to see the reaction, if his comment had been about a Jewish candidate's stupid yarmulke, or some such. They would rightly be appalled and decry the bigotry of the comment. Since many Mormons are conservatives who support controversial initiatives like the fight to deprive gay people of their civil rights, those aiming bigoted comments at them get a pass. I see the temptation, but a moment's reflection will show anyone what a stupid and counterproductive move it was.

[_krose]

... the erroneous characterization of garments as "magic underwear"...

Okay, I will accept that this is inflammatory use of terminology (and therefore inappropriate in polite discourse), but how is it erroneous, given the common belief of supernatural (magical) properties?

[_Kishkumen]

... the erroneous characterization of garments as "magic underwear"...

Okay, I will accept that this is inflammatory use of terminology (and therefore inappropriate in polite discourse), but how is it erroneous, given the common belief of supernatural (magical) properties?

I think there is an important distinction to be drawn between the popular understanding of magic and the problem with the whole categorical separation of magic and religion in academic discussions. Technically speaking, it is difficult to separate magic and religion. But the use of "magical underwear" to refer to Mormon garments is not academic usage; it is a derogatory reference to a religious practice that Mormons hold sacred.