OK, so I’m reading a very interesting article on Mitt Romney, perhaps the most interesting article I’ve seen on the Mormon Massachusetts governor, and near the end, the writer has the gall to ask him, “do you wear temple garments?” Mitt very politely responds the only way one can to that type of public question, saying it is a “private” issue and he won’t answer. But of course this raises the inevitable issue: why can journalists get away with asking Mormons questions about their underwear when they would never get away with asking questions like that to a Jew, Muslim or Buddhist?
Orthodox Jews wear all kinds of sacred clothing, as to people from other religions, yet I’ve never seen the press ask them about it. After all, it is sacred to them and it is not politically correct to make fun of things that are sacred to others. Yet somehow it is OK to make fun of Mormons because Mormons are just so darned funny. I mean, they’re nice and polite and direct and have clean shiny teeth and they go to these nice clean temples and have all kinds of secret meetings and oaths. Boy, they sure are peculiar! Not that there’s anything wrong with that (but let’s ask the question so we can make fun of them anyway)!!!
During the Salt Lake City Olympics, the Washington Post wrote an extremely nasty article on temple garments. The article was so inappropriate that one of the Marriotts in Washington DC complained to the editors and raised the issue of double standards regarding sacred issues. I’m not sure if the Post ever apologized.
I suppose we’ll see a lot more of this in the coming years. I’m pretty sure Mitt will run for president, and sacred things will be trashed repeatedly. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
NOTE: THE ATLANTIC ARTICLE ABOVE WILL EXPIRE IN THREE DAYS, BY JULY 28, SO IF YOU DON’T READ THE ARTICLE BEFORE THAT, YOU NEED TO EITHER BUY THE MAGAZINE OR GET AN ON-LINE SUBSCRIPTION.