A Minor Majority
Being a Mormon is a strange and peculiar thing, even in Utah…sometimes, especially in Utah. I live at the U of U in family housing, and it’s an interesting climate. A friend of mine once commented on his experience as a U student. He said: “There are 3 kinds of students at the U: Mormons, Non-Mormons, and Ex-Mormons, and the Ex-Mormons are by far the most vocal.” I have found this to be true. Even though Mormons are a clear majority in Salt Lake County, and any political pollster will tell you that Utah is clearly a Republican state, I often feel like a minority. I have taken a few classes at the U, and often felt that to speak my mind would invite attack. There was no open dialogue, no free exchange of ideas. If you weren’t liberal, your opinions were not tolerated. My wife has told me of professors who openly Bush Bash, and act as if anyone who disagrees with Obama is mentally flawed. I wouldn’t even think about voicing an opinion against gay marriage.
The U has an office of Diversity Affairs…I recently considered emailing them to say that, in my opinion, they had failed in their mission, as there is no acceptance for Conservatives and Republicans. For evidence of this, one need look no farther than the Student Union in the month prior to an Election. The flyers you see are overwhelmingly Democrat; the guest lecturers are overwhelmingly liberal in their viewpoints and politics. The Student Union Calendar lists holidays from 5 religions between November and January, but no mention of Christmas. How is Christmas not on the calendar??
For some liberals, diversity and acceptance are only practiced if it fits THEIR viewpoint. I once had a boss say “oh, John, we need to talk” when she heard of some of my “whitebread” music tastes. I actually said “so much for diversity,” but she missed the point. She said that the group in question could never be called diverse. (I didn’t point out that one band can’t be called diverse, and that’s improper grammar…diversity applies to the make up of a larger demographic.) Again, they embrace diversity, but only when it fits their narrow definition.
Even though Mormons are the Majority here, it is acceptable to attack them in ways that would never be tolerated if the targets were Black or Jewish. Think I am exaggerating? Go to sltrib.com and pick any 5 news stories at random (news, not just sports or entertainment) and read the comments. I would bet that at least 3 of the 5 have Mormon Bashing comments. For example, a recent story about Hogle Zoo funding had a comment about “public funding for the monument to the cult across the street.” This is the Place Monument is across the street from the zoo. It is supported by church funds and admission money…no public tax funds pay for anything there.
So, even though I am in the majority, it often does not feel like it. To quote Binkley from Bloom County, I’m a “middle class white Christian male, and there are darn few of us left!”











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