Steve, the photo’s a nice touch–don’t take it down because of what I’m about to say. But I have to say it took my breath away–as much as I know that the church is run by a male hierarchy, as much as my entire life has involved getting used to that reality, as much as I believe that these are good and kindly-intentioned men, it is still painful EVERY TIME to be confronted with visual proof of the total absence of women in decision-making in the church.
(I take it as a proof of God’s sense of humor that I was created both so uppity and so thoroughly Mormon.)
March 29, 2004 at 4:07 pm
Aaron, good to hear that the name no longer makes you nauseous. Now if only you could say the same for the quality of my posts…
March 29, 2004 at 5:08 pm
AB, you may also notice that I’ve changed everybody’s links on the left. All a part of our continuing quest for perfection.
March 29, 2004 at 6:55 am
Ann — We’re talking about the photo behind the site title, “BCC: By Common Consent.” You’ll notice that it didn’t used to be there.
Steve — In all seriousness, I quite like the photo. In fact, it almost makes me like the blog name better (almost).
Aaron B
March 31, 2004 at 10:27 pm
Hey all, I’m back.
Steve wants my thoughts on GC? I love it. I look forward to it for six months. I feel the day after Christmas let down at the end of the Sunday session. I love it like a warm and fuzzy blanket. In fact, I find it so much like a fuzzy blanket that it, at times, lulls me to sleep, but in a peaceful and contented way. But mostly I’m awake, and engaged, and crocheting. (Yup. I said crocheting. I defy feminist stereotyping. I’m a proud crocheting feminist.) My warm feelings about general conference dulls the annoyance at some things that are said, and I’m generally not as fussed as others at the occasional odd talk.
Oh, and FYI, here in No.Va. we get conference on public access cable, meaning pajamas, snack food, and crocheting. Hurray for the fact that the Mormons are apparently taking over the federal government as evidenced by our mass population out here in the greater D.C. area. (So Steve, FYI, the “east” is more than just NYC, and we have some amazing restaurants here….)
March 29, 2004 at 5:30 am
I hate general conference. Neal Maxwell’s talk last session did me in. I’m never going again.
I’ll miss the choir. But not enough to go. If I want to hear the choir, I can buy a CD.
March 29, 2004 at 5:32 am
I repeat (shouting): WHAT PHOTO?
March 30, 2004 at 2:54 pm
If the photo is from a GC, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to have a panoramic picture which includes the audience? Or a T&S version with lots of other little photos from all over the world with wards also raising their hands? Women & men?
March 28, 2004 at 5:12 am
Kristine,
Thank goodness there are a few uppity women that can manage to stick with the church! I worry…. And thanks for pointing it out. I am occasionally lulled into believing it’s normal when it’s so absolutely bizarre.
March 28, 2004 at 5:14 am
Kristine, I was going to put up a photo including women…. but couldn’t find any. That’s not a political statement, just a measure of me not trying very hard. The photo is strangely appropriate, though, representing in many ways what our church is (and isn’t) about. I’ll take it down if the rest of y’all so deem.
March 28, 2004 at 7:45 am
Maybe we could cut and paste little photos of Kristine and Ann (with cheesy grins and hands raised) over in the photo’s far right corner!
Aaron B
March 29, 2004 at 3:52 am
No fair! It’s the current issue of Dialogue, not Sunstone…
I wish they had a TV broadcast out here that I could pick up on. You guys in CA have it easy. Out East, we need to have real devotion if we want to see the new spring G.A. fashions. It’s of course a measure of our devotion that so many of us show up to watch conference at the stake center. Like attending the temple, I guess, the level of inconvenience involved in watching General Conference is proportional to the level of enjoyment from the conference itself…. ah, who am I kidding?!
March 28, 2004 at 12:57 pm
Steve (E.), I don’t think it would have mattered how hard you tried! I have written to the editors of the Ensign at least once a year since I was 14 to ask why they don’t include pictures of the Auxiliary Presidencies and General Boards in the conference issue centerfolds. So far I have not received a response.
What’s good about this picture is that it is so representative of the real situation. If you found (or created) one with women, it would be artificially inclusive.
March 30, 2004 at 3:09 pm
The photo is from a G.C., right out of the Ensign. It’s been cropped, but only to exclude more of the general authorities… no audience was in it. So you tell me: wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for the Ensign to have a panoramic picture which includes the audience?
March 30, 2004 at 3:36 pm
touche. sure, i would prefer such also…but am not put off by the lack.
March 28, 2004 at 10:13 pm
Um…
The choir has been sounding SOOOO much better since Craig Jessup took over.
I’m afraid that’s about it for General Conference warm fuzzies from me. Sorry to disappoint.
March 28, 2004 at 8:28 pm
Well, it certainly is representative. I think that for some it will raise issues of concern for the Church, but at the same time it does convey the sense of history and cultural ethos of the LDS community.
For myself, I find the pictures and themes of General Conference to be very soothing, very relaxing — it feels like coming home in a good way. That feeling sometimes fades, to be replaced by boredom or frustration at what’s said, but deep down I love the Church and General Conference and the long prayers and all the guys in their best suits. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the love/hate post Karen did not too long ago on Utah. But ultimately, I love it.
K, any similar feelings? I can’t imagine that you’re nothing but bile when it comes to G.C….
March 28, 2004 at 10:35 pm
Well, MoTab is a good start, I guess.
This reminds me of a question I was going to ask in a post: how much general conference do you watch? All of Sunday? Any Saturday? Do you go to the Stake Center to watch, or will you stream it in over the Internet?
Growing up, we had to go to the Stake Center for it, so we did all of Sunday session. That was one long, long day. This time, for me, I’ll listen over the ‘Net to Sunday, probably all of it, from the comfort of the couch.
March 28, 2004 at 5:00 am
What photo?
March 28, 2004 at 11:08 pm
Yeah, right Steve. More like you’ll be sitting on the couch, perusing the latest issue of Sunstone, with Conference on in the background but turned way down.
Don’t think you’re fooling us. We’re on to you!
Aaron B
March 29, 2004 at 6:25 pm
Yowch. I didn’t really look at it closely before – it was a just a brown background pattern. Thanks for the pointer to the obvious. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson: Doh!