And, while I’m at it, I want to notify you of a new competition that I hope will catch your interest and inspire your involvement. The anonymous Peterson Obsession Board obsessive who goes by a pseudonym that resembles “Everybody’s WC,” a careful observer and continual commentator on all things Peterson and a person of absolutely indisputable honesty, has called the attention of his credulous audience to my dependence on a cane in Becoming Brigham, which, in his visually demonstrates the consequences of my unvarying daily diet of country fried steaks, double bacon cheeseburgers, onion rings, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and chocolate milkshakes. So I’m very pleased to be able to announce the inaugural round of Mr. Everybody Wang Chung’s “Find the Cane!” Contest. The rules are simple: Anybody who locates a photograph or a segment in the currently extant installments of Becoming Brigham (i.e., in episodes 1-29) in which I’m shown relying on a cane will receive free lifetime online subscriptions both to Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship and to Becoming Brigham.
Sure: okay. Why not extend the offer to Nephite artifacts? Is it okay to claim that there were Nephite horses without actual evidence? Or how about this: *I* will permanently end my posting if the Afore will admit to the deliberate hurt he’s inflicted over the years—I.e., if he admits that he wanted to cause pain to others as part of his Mopologetic goals. How’s that for a competition?**
**specifics are required.
"If, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
It is not unusual to have a fat man say, ‘How can I see a cane until I get one? How can I testify that a cane exists, and that its existence is true? If I have not seen such a cane, would that not be dishonest?’
Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a cane is to be found in the mocking of it!
— Boy-Do-I Pack-in-the-Eats, in "The Quest for Cane Knowledge"
I’m with Peterson on this one. Posting a comment about seeing Peterson using a cane, when it transpired he didn’t do any such thing, is lying to the board. I don’t think that’s right. Parody and spoof, fine. But make it clear that it’s parody or spoof.
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
Several good comments. I find it plausible that a cane was used. Science discovers new things all the time, and just because somebody hasn't rushed to post a screenshot doesn't mean one will never be posted. In fact, they'll just claim it's AI so what's really the point? Reasonable people can disagree. I for one will error on side of belief rather than doubt.
"if you can't admire Joe Biden as a person then it's probably, you got a problem." -- Lindsey Graham
Canes aren’t necessarily used only for medical reasons. They can be decorative, such as in the case of Mr. Peanut. I can’t help but wonder why the Afore seemingly takes such issue with the idea of using a cane.
"If, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
Canes aren’t necessarily used only for medical reasons. They can be decorative, such as in the case of Mr. Peanut. I can’t help but wonder why the Afore seemingly takes such issue with the idea of using a cane.
A fancy one, along with a monocle, could also be used to to signal social status or authority. Brigham Young himself walked with a cane made from the wood of Joseph's coffin. So to me it's plausible largely based on a desire to bill oneself as important.
side note: canes can also be used in a threatening manner.
"if you can't admire Joe Biden as a person then it's probably, you got a problem." -- Lindsey Graham
