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June 05, 2006
ne vous allez pas au media
inspired by stryo i had to use a quote from one of my favorite movies above. (bein' brain candy).
at any rate, my apologies for being gone for so long, as i am 100% certain that many of you may have become quite suicidal in this dry spell, but never fear! i am going to be better about it.
i suppose i've been a bit down in general recently, although that doesn't necessarily mean that there have been no bright spots at all, and here are some of them are in no particular order....
1. deval patrick won the democratic convention endorsement with a fantastic 58%. all three candidates for governor got the requisite 15% and will be appearing on the ballot, but they are most definitely not as inspiring in their public speaking, nor as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as mr. patrick. being at the convention was quite an experience, given that i was able to see both george mcgovern and the great senator ted kennedy speak. kennedy has been such an amazing public servant, despite any foibles he might have, and it's pretty exciting to think that he represents me now.
2. recently finished watching the 11 episodes available on demand of big love whilst house/petsitting for our friends. growing up a mormon in idaho (though, le DUH, not a polygamist) the show brings out a large array of emotions for me. both sides of my family, with the exception of my paternal grandfather's parents who were immigrants from the basque country, descended from mormon pioneers who crossed the plains with brigham young or in the the couple of decades after the initial pioneers crossed. it's interesting, then, to see the aspects of the religion and it's history played out on the small screen in the form of a modern day polygamist family living in the metro salt lake city area. although i haven't been to services at a mormon church since i was about 11 years old, the whole concept of the mormon faith really leaves a bad taste in my mouth (as does most any organized religion), and seeing certain things on this television show really reinforces to me how glad i am not to be involved anymore. only people my father's side of the family (though not my father) are still actively mormon, and i have more or less completely lost touch with them over the last few years..mostly because it's just too much work to maintain a relationship with them...other then a couple of people with whom i exchange letters, i wasn't close to many of them, and given that they are ultra-conservative and ultra-mormon in a small idaho town, it just isn't worth my effort to maintain the connection. but watching this show makes me think of my childhood because, although the family involved is polygamist, they are still a contemporary family living very much in a similar manner to other LDS familes and i miss some of the people i used to see. but, you know, i don't know if i miss them enough to get in touch...we'll see, maybe by the end of season one.
3. still have not gotten registration or financial aid materials from the university. very pissed off about this. the school keeps saying they will be coming shortly.
that's all. have a pleasant and productive monday.
Posted by Zach at June 5, 2006 11:40 AM
Comments
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the Mormon church has strenuously objected to any depiction of polygamy practiced by its members, as polygamy was outlawed by church practice/teachings in the 1800s. I learned this in law school. Do you think this show is an accurate portrayal of the average mormon family?
I confess I've had no urge to ever watch it. I personally hate shows where lots of women are fighting over one man.
Posted by: teahouseblossom at June 6, 2006 05:17 PM
well, the polygamy part is obviously not an accurate representation and polygamy has nothing to do with the current mormon church. but in many ways the family goes about it's daily life, yes, it is very mormon.
polygamy was outlawed by the church/state of utah in the 1890's because utah wanted to join the union (and they had been trying to join the union for decades) but the US wouldn't grant them statehood while they were still practicing polygamy, so there was a "revelation" from god which made polygamy illegal, and utah became a state in 1896.
the women aren't really fighting over one man, and there is a part of it that is repulisive, don't get me wrong...but on the whole, it's a really unique show and i am still addicted to it...although the most recent show was intense.
Posted by: zach at June 8, 2006 10:36 AM