Sure, I'm a bit of a bubble here and often oblivious to what people really think of the people of my faith (I didn't grow up here, but even then my friends didn't care and most all the people I knew were kind and respectful to me and my family despite our six kids and the whole zero population movement).
Still, I was a little taken aback this morning to find a link shared on Facebook by a friend of mine from work--from another part of the country and of another faith--screaming about a Mormon mother who is in hot water for using a cold shower and hot sauce to discipline her son.
I'm sure I don't know the whole story. I'm equally sure I had hot sauce put on my tongue a few times when I was a kid. Among other things that could probably get a parent tossed into jail these days. (And I was WAY less sassy than a particular child of mine.) But that's not the point.
What I thought was interesting is that people abuse their kids every day. Not ever do I read a headline that identifies the abuser by his or her religion.
"Lock her up and throw away the key!" She (my friend) said in all caps.
Hmmm. I've not seen anyone screaming on Facebook about the woman of an undisclosed religion who, just a few days, shot and killed her kids for being sassy to her.
People really do hate us. And because 'we' are some of the nicest people I know (not the only nicest and not all of us are nice, but you know what I mean), I'm always taken aback by that.
/rant
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7 comments:
I hope it is okay for me to comment here. :) I always think that, too. Mormons are identified in every situation. It bugs me, too! And good point about that woman who just shot her kids. I haven't read the story-I will go read it, but I have to say that my husband's mom put his sister in a cold shower among other things. He says it was all terrible, but the siblings all survived and are living good lives as parents themselves.
That was hard to watch. Very sad.
Yep. We had a horrific home invasion/murder in our state a little over a year ago and one of young adult men was raised LDS. We've heard over and over again about the "Mormon" murderer....but no mention that the other two involved were Catholic and protestant.
Agree: I don't understand why Mormons are always labeled, especially in negative media, when others aren't. I can't remember the last time I saw/heard/read "Baptist Woman Charged With ..." probably because I never have.
I read the whole article and some of the comments, and the emphasis on "Mormon mother" strikes me as just one problem with this article. In response to one of the comments, the article author states "We as parents need to learn that we do not own our children and can't do whatever we think is best for them." (She also claims that this mother is worse than the harshest drill sergeant in the world's toughest armies. Um, not to diminish the cruelty of what this mother did, but surely that sort of absolutist rhetoric isn't designed to foster a healthy discussion about appropriate parenting styles. In that light, her emphasis on the Mormon aspect seems like just part of an overall attempt to drive up page views by creating controversy.)
I absolutely agree that some parenting is abusive and that parents should not be allowed to get away with anything they want just because they ARE parents, but I have to wonder about parents who argue that "we can't do whatever we think is best for [our kids]." When it's done properly, or at least to the best of our own abilities, isn't that kind of the whole point of parenting?
This post reminded me way back when I went to college in Texas with a friend of mine. We had been friends for 7 years. I knew her immediate and extended family well. We were sitting in our dorm room and she shows me a bunch of anti-Mormon tapes her parents had given to her. I guess they were afraid of what I would do to her since we would be living together. Funny thing was she and I were completely different and I barely saw her that year we lived together as she had pretty much moved in with her boyfriend.
The point here is that churches also preach specifically against the church, too. But I don't see anti-catholic or (name your religion here) tapes being handed out just as equally.
And finally and then I will be done....I read today that the creators or writers (?) of South Park are opening up on Broadway a musical about....Mormons!
I guess using Mormons in your news, tv, Broadway shows, sells.
I nearly posted today almost on this same topic. I saw a headline on another news site asking if Tabasco-ing kids was abuse, and it listed this woman as the prime target of her local district attorney. Thankfully, it didn't identify her as LDS in the article. Now, you all know that once upon a time I Tabasco'd EG (the famous fruit-roll-up post.) So I went back to read that. I found that someone had linked to my post. She thought it was funny and had told a friend--a friend who was HORRIFIED because it was child abuse!
I find it hard to believe that anyone would think 4 drops of Tabasco as child abuse. I'm torn between "kids today aren't disciplined!" and "listen, it was one time and it fit the crime" and "You think THAT'S child abuse? Have you ever seen ACTUAL child abuse?"
Anyway, to agree, people hate Mormons or think they are weird, yes.
Lisa--you are welcome to comment here, there and anywhere. I love you and miss your face.
Thanks for the chat, ladies, and for getting what I'm saying.
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