http://abcnews.go.com/WN/mormons-present-face-ad-campaign/story?id=11407317

Way to go Johnny boy. Since the ABC folks were clearly looking for a Mormon-bashing troll, I suppose you were as good of a choice to play that role as anyone right?

Memo to John Dehlin: Next time a major news organization asks you to give an interview, JUST SAY NO. You aren’t helping dude.

Note: Yes, this post is a hastily written knee jerk reaction to the story. Feel free to set me straight if you think I am wrong for not being thrilled with this fiasco (or with anything Dehlin produces or touches for that matter).

I have a very poor memory and I really don’t recall many specifics about the events, so I’m not a good source of information. There is one record that I must set straight, though. To whatever small extent I may have been characterized as a clear-eyed Cassandra whose warnings went unheeded by the Trojans—-that’s just not how it happened.

I agreed to join the group because friends were involved and my vanity was flattered to have been invited. I did begin to have misgivings about the implications of the project, but I ultimately backed out only because I worried that my participation would damage the reputation of T&S when it was revealed, and that my co-bloggers at T&S would then be upset with me.

I didn’t really try to persuade the other BoH participants to abandon the project—in fact I felt terribly guilty that I had left them in the lurch at the eleventh hour. My motivation was craven people-pleasing and reputation-mongering, not moral insight or courage, I am chagrined to say.

In fact, I really did not foresee what would turn out to be the biggest pitfall with the whole enterprise—comments and commenters. I didn’t recognize that if commenters shared personal offerings in the spirit of authentic exchange, they would be hurt and violated to learn that their conversants were fictional sock-puppets. I thought the main moral problem was simply the identity deception. So there was really no special insight on my part.

Finally, it is true that I am much less in involved in the bloggernacle than I once was, but that has nothing to do with BoH. It’s much more to do with gradual and involuntary creep in habits, interests and frame of mind. Phases of the moon.

Special Black Bannergate T-Shirt - Front

Special Black Bannergate T-Shirt - Back

Special White Bannergate T-Shirt - Front

Special White Bannergate T-Shirt - Back

DKL's Vision for Mari Collier

DKL's Vision for Greg Fox

DKL's Vision for SeptimusH

SeptimusH Photo 1

SeptimusH Photo 2

DKL's Vision for Aaron B. Cox

Picture for Miranda PJ

Monkey Steals the Peach!

For the uninitiated, MSTP was introduced by Kurt in response to Jenn’s boob-shelving incident. The relevant comment can be seen here.

There isn’t any assigned reading this for this podcast, as the relevant posts have already been linked to copiously in previous entries.

——————
Subscribe to the BCC Zeitcast in iTunes here. (Also, by way of shameless self-promotion, please write a brief review in iTunes if you feel so inspired.)