Michael Otterson, the Church's Chief Spokesperson, says "yes"...
The bulk of European coverage, by contrast, remains cynical if not outright mocking, says Otterson. “Lots of Europeans, especially the British—and I can say this because I’m British—have smug, condescending attitudes toward Americans anyway. So do many French and Germans. Mix into that this idea of religion and the fact that many of them come from a completely secular background, and it’s really hard for them to understand the depths of American pluralism.”
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.” Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric
"One, two, three...let's go shopping!" Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love...you make. PMcC
bcuzbcuz wrote:That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
case in point.
Seek freedom and become captive of your desires...seek discipline and find your liberty I can tell if a person is judgmental just by looking at them what is chaos to the fly is normal to the spider - morticia addams If you're not upsetting idiots, you might be an idiot. - Ted Nugent
bcuzbcuz wrote:That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
case in point.
That does sound smug, but leaving out the subjective personal preference "better looking," and the unmeasurable "smarter" (better educated, yes; smarter, unlikely), I don't see anything in that list that isn't demonstrably true.
And on the other hand, I don't think there is anything in the world that matches the smugness inherent in the jingoistic drumbeat of "American Exceptionalism."
"The DNA of fictional populations appears to be the most susceptible to extinction." - Simon Southerton
He sounds like those middle-aged men you see in bars complaining to younger women way out of their league that their wives don't understand them. Usually, what they mean is that their wives see right through them.
Look here, Otterson: normal, educated people all over the world don't buy into the Mormon magical mindset. Boohoo. It's called rational thinking, not condescension.
From the article: With foreign and domestic media alike, a key church goal is to drive home “the fact of our political neutrality,” says Otterson.
Sure. No matter how much they insist that the church is officially neutral regarding parties and candidates, the fact remains that Mormons have voted for Romney at a nearly 90% rate.
"The DNA of fictional populations appears to be the most susceptible to extinction." - Simon Southerton
Americans are supposed to have an obesity problem. An interesting book to read is Why French Women Don't Get Fat. Refillable drink and popcorn won't help. How many Americans read philosophy? Did the see the series The Consolations of Philosophy? A friend of mine went to America and was suprised how much food was on her plate. It was enough for two people.
Hilary Clinton " I won the places that represent two-thirds of America's GDP.I won in places are optimistic diverse, dynamic, moving forward"
