Positive Press vs. Negative Press - who won?

[UtahDan]

I got some news for you sunshine: that is true of almost everyone, espeically under these types of circumstances.

I want to agree with you because what you are saying sounds so reasonable. And yet... what follows the comma is killing me. Who else gets into these kinds of public-ish snafus and then worries so much about how it is going to play "nationally." I'm having a hard time thinking of an analogy.

So I'll kind of go along with your general point but I think it is amplified a couple notches in our case.

[creekster]

Pretty bad when UD is the voice of reason on the board. Of course, he's about as far from the bubble as you can get.

I asked around in my large section today. Several had heard of the story but only one knew which two knew which school it was associated with, and only one knew about the Mormon connection. One kid thought it had happened at Baylor.

Yes, nothing like asking a bunch of LS nerds if, between studying and drinkning, they have had a chance to read stories about sports or other news. (My guess is they couldnt provide much detail about the turmoil in the arab world either)

So what's your point? That is isn't THE biggest news item of the day? OK, you win. But my anecdotal experience stacks up to the contrary of yours. Is the country paying attention? More than they have to anything about mormons in recent history save, perhaps, prop 8 , and even then maybe more than that. They did a story (more than one) on the freakin Today show, for cryin' out loud.

[Tex]

It doesn't alter my point.

Wasn't my intent. But I assume there must be at least a few thousand people listening to a major radio station in a city of what, 4 million? They can't all be Mormon.

[creekster]

I want to agree with you because what you are saying sounds so reasonable. And yet... what follows the comma is killing me. Who else gets into these kinds of public-ish snafus and then worries so much about how it is going to play "nationally." I'm having a hard time thinking of an analogy.

So I'll kind of go along with your general point but I think it is amplified a couple notches in our case.

These circumstances, as I meant it, are ones in which you do something that embarrasses you. You leave a store and realize your fly was down and suddenly you are certain, CERTAIN, that everyone noticed whereas on any other day you cant think of a single person who looked at you below the waist.

It is human nature. It has precious little to do with Mormon 'insularity.' in fact, if anything, it has more to do with their desire to be accepted. IOW, it isn't because we are insular bumpkins, its because we are sensitive to wanting people to like us, so this incident and reporting on it becomes like us walking around with our zippers down.

[Babs]

Is the country paying attention? More than they have to anything about mormons in recent history.

lol. And that, my friend, says it all. (Though Romney may beg to differ with you.)

[Paperback Writer]

There are no jokes on the Late Show and no op-eds in the Wall Street Journal.

Jimmy Kimmel did a segment on it last night complete with dressing up in his cowboy outfit and laddering up on the horse statue on top of his building. It was not flattering.

As mentioned earlier, Good Morning America had a segment on it the morning.

I've gotten several emails from non-LDS friends in Nebraska asking about it.

The story is making the rounds somehow, my deacon-age son heard about it and asked if BD was ex-communicated. He could have found out from his LDS friends though; I didn't think to ask.

But it wasn't on the local (Dallas) news and probably won't make it in the WSJ or NYT. But could - although I hope not.

[UtahDan]

These circumstances, as I meant it, are ones in which you do something that embarrasses you. You leave a store and realize your fly was down and suddenly you are certain, CERTAIN, that everyone noticed whereas on any other day you cant think of a single person who looked at you below the waist.

It is human nature. It has precious little to do with Mormon 'insularity.' in fact, if anything, it has more to do with their desire to be accepted. IOW, it isn't because we are insular bumpkins, its because we are sensitive to wanting people to like us, so this incident and reporting on it becomes like us walking around with our zippers down.

I don't mean insular as a pejorative necessarily. But most LDS, even out the "mission field" socialize primarily with other LDS. Yes we know others from work, but we stick to our own quite a bit. That can just skew perception. Sort of like the statement "everyone drinks" that you hear from teenagers and their parents sometime (no, everyone you know drinks).

Certainly there are other examples of tightly knit communities, the LDS community is just one of the best and biggest examples of that. Human nature is the same across the board, agree, but most Americans don't belong to a group that is as tight as the LDS community if that makes sense. I agree with you that a high sensitivity to how others view us is a big factor too. That is a fair point. I'm not saying it is some defect in LDS people.

[Jeff Lebowski]

lol I love you man, even if you are a total jerk in person and on the Internet.

Being a jerk is one of my many gifts to CUF.

[filsdepac]

Pretty bad when UD is the voice of reason on the board. Of course, he's about as far from the bubble as you can get.

I asked around in my large section today. Several had heard of the story but only one knew which two knew which school it was associated with, and only one knew about the Mormon connection. One kid thought it had happened at Baylor.

lol, nevermind the national news, an informal poll at the watercooler has settled it: no one knows!

[creekster]

lol. And that, my friend, says it all. (Though Romney may beg to differ with you.)

This was your point? This was what you really, really wanted us to know?

Does anybody here disagree with this? That the Davies hting isnt the biggest story in the news but it is the biggest mormon related story in recent history? Ferris? Anyone?

[Babs]

lol, nevermind the national news, an informal poll at the watercooler has settled it: no one knows!

I posted the google data earlier, sweetheart.

I do find it interesting that among a set of guy who spends all of Civ Pro reading ESPN.com, only one of them knew the story had anything to do with Mormons, and only two knew which school.

But, hey, if it somehow validates Triplet and creekster to think that the idiosyncrasies of their church are being discussed in every household in America today, then far be it from me to suggest otherwise.

[creekster]

But, hey, if it somehow validates Triplet and creekster to think that the idiosyncrasies of their church are being discussed in every household in America today, then far be it from me to suggest otherwise.

But, hey, If it makes you feel like you had a big victory by completely misstating my argument, far be it from me to correct you.

(oh, and your google data was very persuasive showing, as it did, that the Davies story made the top ten one day. the top TEN! Yes, just us wacky insular mormons overstating it again.)

[Surfah]

I posted the google data earlier, sweetheart.

I do find it interesting that among a set of guy who spends all of Civ Pro reading ESPN.com, only one of them knew the story had anything to do with Mormons, and only two knew which school.

But, hey, if it somehow validates Triplet and creekster to think that the idiosyncrasies of their church are being discussed in every household in America today, then far be it from me to suggest otherwise.

If they spend all day on ESPN.com then their reading comprehension is pretty poor or they're not college basketball fans. It was front page for two days.

[TripletDaddy]

This was your point? This was what you really, really wanted us to know?

Does anybody here disagree with this? That the Davies hting isnt the biggest story in the news but it is the biggest mormon related story in recent history? Ferris? Anyone?

Babes has been misbehaving all day long.

She cites as sources for her hypo that this story is not national news:

Dallas newspaper
"several" classmates in her large section class

She discounts:

Wall Street Journal
MSNBC
CNBC
USA Today

Babes's curious brand of selective journalism can be summarized succinctly in this cool emoticon I found recently and would like to have added to our library:

[Babs]

But, hey, If it makes you feel like you had a big victory by completely misstating my argument, far be it from me to correct you.

yikes. touchy.