Note to internet dolts: This letter is not about modesty. (I believe women should be able to dress as they choose and men should grow up and learn to control themselves. You know, like adults.) The letter is about female objectification. If you don't know the difference, educate yourselves before you build your straw men.
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm  a decade late to the misogynist party.
This past month it has (finally) come to my attention that Carl's Jr. has long engaged in highly offensive advertising. According to Andrew Puzzler, the chief executive of Carl's Jr.'s parent company,:
We target hungry guys, and we get young kids that want to be young hungry guys.
In particular, these current and future hungry young men need to see scantily clad (if that), suggestively posed, writhing women — often with men ogling and panting from the sidelines — in order to be induced to buy the products. Which are hamburgers.
This type of advertising reduces women to mere slabs of flesh to be consumed by men and to be used as they see fit for personal enjoyment. It does not empower women nor treat them with basic human dignity and respect. It certainly does not conform to the standards of the church.
Apparently my family's television selections aren't in the Carl's Jr.'s target audience demographic, so this news was surprising to me. It was most surprising because we have patronized this establishment precisely because Carl's Jr. was promoted to us by BYU. As you know, for at least a couple of seasons, BYU football tickets have included Carl's Jr. coupons on the reverse side. And my tickets for the 2015 season are no exception.
Given that BYU is owned by the LDS church and the church's position is that women are children of God, equal in standing to men, the promotion of this company is inappropriate.
As the mother of four daughters, I am concerned about the environment in which they live and hope church-owned institutions will actively refuse association with companies that objectify women.
As a BYU graduate, I ask BYU administrators, promoters, and athletic department personnel to more carefully scrutinize the businesses with which it forms partnerships and from which it accepts advertising dollars to be sure they aren't actively engaged in promoting such a harmful culture.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Alison Moore Smith
Class of 1987
If we hide behind pretty language and genteel photographs — in the name of proper demeanor — when the opposite is being used against us, our sisters and daughters will continue to be pummeled with an onslaught of media and cultural harassment.
Years ago I moved all my domains and hosting away from GoDaddy for it's skanky advertising. This week I've boycotted Carl's Jr. for life.
This is the truth. It has been going on for nearly a decade. I hope you join me in the fight against such harmful corporate culture. Spread the word.
Update #1
I sent the letter to multiple people at BYU athletics the day I published this post. I have not received a single response from anyone.
A man in a social media group I'm part of wrote the following:
I thought I would let everyone know about my telephone conversation with the Sponsorship Group of BYU Athletics. The person I spoke with said they were comfortable with the Carl's Jr. people they worked with locally and so they weren't overly concerned about the national advertising. I asked him if he thought having Carl's Jr. as a sponsor condoned their sleazy national advertising. He said no. As a long time BYU sports fan I told him that lately the BYU Athletic Department seems to be more concerned about chasing the almighty dollar. He said thanks for your comments and that ended our conversation. I think unless many people (at least 100) contact the Sponsorship Group of the BYU Athletic Department nothing will ever change.
Below is the contact  information for the BYU Corporate Partnership staff. Please let your voice be heard.
Casey Stauffer General Manager casey.stauffer@img.com 801-422-9302 |
Jared Bell Associate General Manager jared.bell@img.com 801-422-2028 |
Jeff Hicks Account Executive jeff.hicks@img.com 801-422-8073 |
Brandon Alletto Senior Account Executive Radio Sales brandon.alletto@img.com 801-422-6663 |
Kyler Pilling Account Executive kyler.pilling@img.com 801-422-7130 |
Jake Murphy Account Executive Jake.Murphy@img.com 801-422-2364Â Â 248 SFH |
Update #2
My husband just noticed this article on…wait for it…The Daily Universe (BYU's student newspaper) site.
Carl's Jr. faces criticism for adds apparently objectifying women
My only responses are:
- Hello?
- Left hand talk to the right hand.
- Is “apparently” kind of like “allegedly”? Is anyone unsure about this?
Update #3
Adweek noticed the pattern. I'm über shocked. You, too?
Carl's Jr.'s Super Bowl Ad Is Here, and What a Surprise, It Stars an Almost-Naked Woman
Those pictures above weren’t actually included on the BYU game ticket/program, were they?! (It’s still not OK either way.)
Amen, sister!
Thank you for using your public forum for such an important issue!
About a decade ago I was absolutely horrified by a Carls Jr. Paris Hilton ad that was so strongly sexual I couldn’t believe it was on network tv. I sent the company an email saying I would not spend a cent of my money at their restaurants unless something changed, and I’ve stuck by it. (They never responded in any way.) And I’m not easily offended or a petition happy sort of person. It was just beyond the pale of decency.
Funny, BYU basketball has been played in the Mariott Center for decades, and the Marriotts benefited from pornographic films made available to their guests–a practice that they only dropped in 2011. As well as they serve alcohol.
I am not disagreeing with the OP particularly, but where does one draw a line?
If you are going to be consistent, you should urge BYU to get out of the semi-professional sports racket altogether. It is odd that you complain about the sexualization of hamburger sales, but happily look aside as non-students are promoted as “student athletes” and as coaches and administrators get rich off the labor of others who receive no compensation for their work.
Thank you. Well said. I draw the line here!
Katie, no. The coupon mentioned in the OP was photographed for the right side of the image. We’ve used a number of the ticket/coupons over the years and was pretty disgusted to find I’ve been patronizing this smutty company.
Thanks, Brooke. Gina, good for you for taking a stand. 🙂
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…6th Grade Reading List: Teen Pregnancy, Rape, and Gangs
Naismith:
Obviously it’s an individual choice. But the fuzzy nature of lines doesn’t prevent us from making them. (Why “one modest pair of earrings”? Why not just two? Why not one slightly flashy pair?)
I’m not a basketball fan, but I’ve been inside the Marriott Center a gazillion times. (Hard to avoid if you’re a student.) However, I don’t think going inside a building built from a donation from a particular company is on par with financially supporting said company.
I actually knew about the Marriott porn deal and chose not to stay in Marriott hotels when given a choice in the matter. Of course, back in the day, most all hotels offered porn, but of all people, the Marriott’s should have known better than to contribute to the industry.
I was glad to hear they stopped offering the PPV movies, but to be honest it didn’t seem like a moral decision. It happened about the same time most upper-end hotels were moving to a pay-for-high-speed-internet model so people could stream off the internet rather than through an in-house system.
Mark B.:
A couple of points about your odd complaint:
As for the student athlete issue, I’ve actually long promoted the idea that universities should get out of the intercollegiate athletic business. Colleges should get back to real education rather than being set up as some kind of inefficient and corrupt farm system. College sports — if they exist — should be intramural in nature and for the physical/social benefit of real students.
That said, I don’t feel sorry for either the hamburger “models” nor for the “student” athletes. They are free to NOT participate at any time. If they don’t want the coach to “get rich off the labor” they can go get a job in the cafeteria to pay their way through school or go hang out on the quad for fun. (Incidentally, I did work in food service my first two years in college. And I even had the “honor” of serving the football training table in the Cannon Center one year. More than a few punks.)
No compensation? Scholarships, room, board, better food than we ate until after grad school (and even then…), travel, playing a game they really like, status, notoriety, future opportunity. If that’s not enough compensation, they don’t have to do it. That’s the amazing thing about not living in a slave state.
I was in A Cappella Choir at BYU. At the time, it was the premier touring choir. And guess what? NO ONE PAID ME!!! The injustice of it all! What was I thinking to let those horrid administrators take advantage of poor little freshman me???!!!
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Slow Cooker Enchilada Lasagne
Exactly. If you lower the bar for men, they will lower themselves to meet it.
I’ve been boycotting Carl’s Jr. for quite some time, primarily because I took offense at their television advertising. I absolutely detested their ad showing female posteriors when describing their hamburger “buns.”
Women are equal to men in the Mormon Church? What planet are you living on?
I have refused to eat at Carl’s Jr. for several years based on their advertising policies. I also refuse to eat at Burger King, and I also have quit purchasing domain names through godaddy. I am only one, but I will not support businesses that blatantly go against my moral values. Thank you for sending this letter to the BYU athletic department. I had no idea they were supporting Carl’s Jr. in any way!
Thank you Mrs. Smith for bringing me to the realization of the disgusting way in which Carl’s Jr. advertises their products. I personally have always despised what these kinds of advertisements do to women. It is disturbing to realize just how far some people will go to sell a hamburger.
Thank you for speaking up. I am a BYU graduate, too. The school needs to be more careful about how they raise money. Promoting this trashy company is irresponsible.
Do we really need to convince anyone to boycott? Carl’s Jr. food is disgusting.
Maybe you should stop shopping at grocery stores, too, since they also sell alcohol and tobacco products. Better not shop at gas stations for fuel, since they also sell both products. And you’ll definitely want to avoid sending your children to school, since many teachers there will expose them to things with which you may disagree.
Or you could just go enjoy your burger. BYU doesn’t control Carl’s Jr’s advertising, and if we refuse to do business with anyone who has different standards than us, how will we ever do business?
I stopped eating at Carl’s Jr. for this exact reason four years ago. I was stunned to see the images you posted. They make the commercial I saw years ago look innocent! I am very curious to hear if you receive a response from BYU. I may only be one person (really though, I represent six people) and I like to vote with my dollars. They say they are targeting hungry men, but then why do they have play places?
Chris:
I find that careful reading is a good skill to employ before critiquing another’s writing. Just a handy communitcation tip.
I did not say women in the LDS church are equal to men. (And if you take the time to browse through just a few posts on this site, it’s easy to see ample examples where I discuss precisely the opposite position.) I will quote myself:
The church’s publicly stated position is that women are equal to men. You merely have to do a search on the church website to find myriad examples of that claim. Given that they make that claim, promoting companies that egregiously objectify women should be something they guard against.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…6th Grade Reading List: Teen Pregnancy, Rape, and Gangs
Thank you for the comments, everyone.
Marie, I don’t believe women control “the bar” for men. They control themselves (or do not, as the case may be). 🙂
Parker, that’s what we call the beard fallacy.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Clean One-Pan Pasta
Yawn. Much ado about nothing. Don’t make Carls Jr responsible for raising your girls.
Al B, spoken like a true porn lover. Yawn. Get thee back to the closet with your magazines.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Simple FHE Ideas: Spiritual Habits
Alison, spoken like a true self-righteous Utah Mormon. Nice retort. Judge not lest ye be judged.
Quoting scripture accurately makes a difference. To be clear, you judged, I judged, we all judge. Duh.
Now, here’s some more reading for you.
Judging the Judgemental
Brava! I join the boycott!
When Mc Donalds came out with advertising that promoted the acceptance of LGBT lifestyles, I pledged to no longer eat there. It was sad for me because I was always so proud to say my relative invented the Big Mac.
When Burger King came out with its LGBT pride burger, I pledged to stop supporting them too. Not too long ago, I was in a Carls Jr, and saw some really sleazy advertising on their TV ads displayed in the restaurant. I guess my choices of fast food are narrowing.
Still, Wendy’s and Jack in The Box are on my list – but that could change. Slowly I’m eating healthier and healthier as I choose to support restaurants that push products rather than immoral lifestyles. My choices have blessed my life in unexpected ways.
Joseph recently posted…Among Best-Qualified 2016 Republicans, Mitt Romney Still Wins
Al,
As an outsider myself, I do see the differences between “Utah Mormons” and the rest of us (though I choose to keep my mouth closed because it is generally a sensitive topic) However I fail to see how Alison’s point has anything to do with self-righteousness.
I am pretty sure it is common knowledge that Utah has the highest number of porn subscribers in the country, yet its residents tend to be socially and politically conservative. Believe it or not, Alison’s feminist stance is considered liberal and your apparent underground love of porn reeks of “Typical Utah Man” (However correct or incorrect that generalization may be).
So really, you are the party behaving more like the stereotypical Utahn.
Nice try though.
I agree with the written content of your site mad this article, but please take take off the pictures of the soft porn. Please. Where do we sign the petition? On Facebook?
It’s kind of funny that on a post condemning sleaziness, I get to see shirtless women holding their breasts and other provocatively dressed women. Classic.
Be sure to boycott BYU sports as well. If you do not that would make you such a hypocrite. Carls Jr. did not give you that coupon…Your church owned school did and got a lot of money for peddling it to you as well.
Are you going to boycott the church based off of their sleezy ad campaign that they use with the City Creek Mall?
Just found this–looks like you’re not the only local Mormon angry about Carl’s Jr’s ads. I rarely watch network TV (pretty much PBS) so am only faintly aware of their ads, except that I know that every last one of them that I’ve seen seems to appeal to an entitled frat boy demographic that I find repulsive. Adding that to the fact that I am not much of a fast food eater means I’ve eaten there twice in my life. And now that I’ve seen more of their advertising techniques, never again. BYU should be ashamed. I’ve always thought the college sports situation was idiotic, but had liked to think that my alma mater was at least trying to take the highest road available within the existing system. Apparently not.
Movement to boycott Carl’s Jr. over racy ads gains momentum in Utah
–you’ll need to Google this as I can’t figure out how to make it a hyperlink. The story is on the KUTV website.
“It certainly does not conform to the standards of the church.”
That’s absolutely right! The church wants their “mere slabs of flesh” (women) to be dehumanized in an entirely different way.
The fact that I have now found out that you copied and pasted the soft porn images onto a BYU home ticket for the pursuit of a personal agenda, in a dishonest attempt to try to get more people involved in a petition to influence BYU’s sports department to drop any association with Carl’s Jr. is every bit as disgusting and as low as any Clinton-esque tactic of using any means to achieve an end. Shame on you. Deception, lies, distortions; where do YOU draw the line? Your integrity is shot. I suggest you remove your lying campaign and falsely shrouded vendetta from LinkedIn Groups and not show your face again.
I watched the whole LinkedIn shakedown from afar with Stuart McHardy making a total ass of himself. Come on, you have to admit it was amusing!
Must admit, however, it’s not the first time I’ve heard a luddite go off half-cocked about something because he doesn’t understand the venue. Most people have the sense to shut their mouths until they know what’s going on. But not our buddy Stu!
Stuart, are you attacking a fellow Mormon? She clarified that these pics weren’t on the back of the BYU football tickets, but that they were Sample pics of the TV ads to make a point in her blog. Time to apologize publicly for attacking her.
I’ve enjoyed reading the blog and (most of) the comments. I have personally boycotted CJr’s since the Paris Hilton adds. I let my family/friend circle know my feelings, and let them decide for themselves if this is an issue to them. For some it is, but not for all. That’s ok, they have agendas I don’t adhere to and we still get along.
As far as BYU athletics… I guess I’m not as concerned that CJr is a paying sponsor. I know dirt on other businesses that sponsor them too, as well as individuals who donate. In fact, if they want money from nearly perfect sources, they’ll have to send my donations back as well.
I do not mean to trivialize anything about what Alison is saying, because I agree with her about CJr and find their approach disgusting. However, in the past I have been involved with fundraising for BYU Athletics and for BYU academics and know the things that cannot be done in both due to lack of funding. The men and women involved there are really good people, and I simply do not know what discussions lie behind the decisions, nor do I need to know. I’m going to make decisions on what businesses I support based on my criteria, but will not judge them for their decisions nor expect them to only consider the issues important to me when they make their decisions.
King Henry and Gramps, thanks for sticking up for me!
Stuart and I are in an LDS LinkedIn group together where his accusations were even more unintelligible. There he used the word “overlaid” — as in he said I “overlaid” the smutty photos onto the the ticket.
He needs to look up the words “overlaid” as well as “onto” in order to understand. And then maybe the words “beside.”
I am, however, still waiting with bated breath to see the tickets he has that have both the front AND back on the same side. It’s like a möbius strip ticket or something. Fascinating!
Either that or, yeah, that reading problem again…
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Slow Cooker Enchilada Lasagne
That Stuart is a case. Sheesh. What does he do for a living? I bet it does not involve working with actual humans…
I agree completely with the sentiment of this article. And in fact think it should be taken a step further. The LDS church funded City Creek Center serves alcohol in many of its restaurants. Due to this fact I say we not only boycott BYU, but we boycott the LDS church itself, since it fails to support the standards and practices of the LDS church. Anything even tangentially related to BYU or the LDS church needs to adhere to any and all of its standards, otherwise there should be absolutely no association.
Another one jumps the shark.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Videos of Jesus Christ – More to Life Than Now
So far you have addressed everything EXCEPT the fact that the pictures you were so offended by are the same ones you chose to post for anyone to see. Many people have expressed their feelings that they were extremely offended by your choice to do so and yet you have offered no response. I can only assume that posting pornography is OK with you if you’re trying to make a point…it’s not!
Ann, I addressed it in the OP itself. But ya gotta read to see it.
I’ll be happy to address it at greater length.
When partial birth abortion was being voted on a number of years ago, most of my Mormon friends did not want to address the actual procedure. It was distressing, uncomfortable, icky, and unpleasant. It wasn’t “nice.”
So they covered their eyes and ears and continued on smiling and singing hymns. And the most horrendous evil was allowed to continue in our country. But don’t worry, while babies are being slaughtered, we’re making values bracelets and scrapbooks. No worries!
The fact that the images are offensive is the point. These were stills taken out of video, greatly reduced in size, partially covered, and contrast was removed to a high degree to fade them out. In other words, I went to great lengths to communicate what the problem is — which is highly offensive visual marketing — without actually showing the exent to which they are offensive.
If we can’t address what is actually happening, it will never change. If you don’t have an actual sense of the offense in question (every image is from a real CJ ad), it’s impossible to make inroads into the problem. Telling you , “Hey, folks, CJ has smutty ads, let’s tell BYU” results in nothing. Only when people get a sense, an indication, a portion of the actual offense do they clue in.
This is what is happening, the utter objectification of women with support from BYU athletics. Now you have a tiny sense of just how bad it is. If you can’t handle even the extremely toned down versions of this company’s real advertising — because a sanitized post is your priority — you won’t ever be part of the solution to the real world problems. Hopefully there are others who are willing to step up and do the job to keep you and your kids and grandkids safe.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Videos of Jesus Christ – More to Life Than Now
Sorry, but I’m going to have to side with Ann on this one. You’re totally using pictures of scantily clad and provokative/innappropriate pictures to sell your article. And that’s opportuning. Sure, porn can be disgusting – it can also drive a man wild because it’s so alluring, which is why it’s so bad. It’s disgusting because it turns men’s minds typically elsewhere from the loving arms of their non-airbrushed wives and towards carnality. Seriously, if Playboy had posted pictures of a Mormon woman, would you post those too in retort? Or is it just because it’s more softish porn that it’s ok to use on your blog?
I could care less about the hypocracy because it’s so common and creates a lame excuse for people to not accept good advice that hurts their feelings. But at least acknowledge the reasoning behind why those images are innappropriate in the first place and then decide for yourself if they can possibly avoid serving that purpose here.
Those chicks are hot and totally in appropriate for me to see them on this blog or on a CJ ad.
I can see what you are talking about in the adds. Maybe you think it is too adult for your kids or you don’t want your teen boys knowing that girls have boobs. But then again you do because you don’t necessarily what a gay son unless you are a progressive Mormon and I assume you are ultra conservative since you wait for your church leaders to tell you what to do or BYU to influence your decision. If you would have told me I wouldn’t have gone to Carl Juniors. Every item you use has a provocative side. Even panty liners can be a factor of arousal for some guys. So just turn off the TV and you won’t have any of those problems and you can continue using the products you like and going to the places you like to eat. Because I guarantee you that the people you deal deal with everyday have weird ideas, fetishes you wouldn’t approve of.
Lighten up a little and think for yourself.
I just have had enough of people having no thought of their own.
I emailed Carl’s Jr about 10 years ago, about their women-demeaning advertising, and actually did get a response. They told me it was just entertainment, and wasn’t meant to demean women. I told them that as long as their idea of “entertainment” WAS demeaning to women, I would not be eating there.
So I’ve just barely discovered this blog (I know, where have I been for the past decade?) so I’m not aware of all of your views on things, Alison. I saw this at the top of the article and was curious about it:
Do you really believe this? Do you think modesty of girls is unimportant and the effect of immodesty on teenage boys and even men is not something to consider? I’m a little taken aback by this and am looking for further clarification.
Thanks for your posts.
Does it affect you at all how depressed you must make your husband?
Thanks for sharing this information…I have been so shocked at the brazen trash that Carl Jr’s has been using in the companies advertising . For the last 10 weeks I have also been campaigning against this advertising. I have spoken to the Main Office of Carl Jr’s, have written them letters/emails and I have personally gone to my local CJ’s that I have patronized for 15 years and spoken to the manager. I’m appalled that BYU would continue to use them in it’s advertising…I feel certain is has to do with $$$! BYU carries enough weight that I think if they pulled out it would make National news in a heartbeat and we’d quickly see some big changes!! Come on BYU trustees…lets stand for “Truth and Righteousness in all things, at all times and in all places!!! I CAN’T believe that Pres. Monson would be okay with this advertising …SO WHY ARE YOU BYU!!! As a member of the Alumni I’m totally ashamed of your stance in this IMMORAL SITUATION!
James, that comment is completely inappropriate, immature, and disrespectful. It also displays the type of underlying cultural misogyny that the original post is concerned about.
And don’t tell me that you meant it as a joke or to “lighten up”—it is not funny in this discussion to imply that someone is an unfit spouse, or that they cause the physical or psychological pain of depression.
Allison, thank you for your post..
JennyW recently posted…CFP: AAR-PNW 2015
Of all the google searches related to this topic, your website is the only one with these photos on it. If they are so offensive why are they on your website?
concern, I suggest you read the post if you really want to know. Or the comments. Or something.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Carl’s Jr.’s Sleaze Tithe – Sponsored by BYU Athletics
BYU isn’t using those images on the tickets. They are just accepting sponsorship from local franchisees who have no control over the national ad campaigns. Don’t be so self-serious.
“BYU isn’t using those images on the tickets. They are just accepting sponsorship from local franchisees who have no control over the national ad campaigns.”
Sounds like “affiliated with [a company] whose teachings are not in harmony with the church” to me.
They are just accepting sponsorship from local franchisees who pay into the national ads with their revenue.
You know how franchises work, right? Don’t be so self-stupid.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Videos of Jesus Christ – One Day at a Time
Paula, why do you hate yourself so much?
James, Paula “hates herself” because you are ugly and stupid. Please stop both so we can all breathe better.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…You Never Know: Why the Mormon Message Might Not Mean What You Think It Means
***Thank you Mrs. Smith for bringing me to the realization of the disgusting way in which Carl’s Jr. advertises their products.***
For those who keep snarking about the pictures, THIS is exactly why they are needed. Like Richard, I had heard a few things about Carls Jrs ads, but didn’t really pay attention. It wasn’t until I saw part of the ads that I realized how bad it is.
I’m a guy in my 20s (the target audience from what they say) and I worry about how my future wife and daughters will be treated. All I have to do is think about my sisters along with this kind of culture to get really angry.
Thanks for having the guts to take the abuse from people who don’t understand. This is an important message.
Jonah,
Your future wife and daughters probably wish you weren’t so beta. But good luck with that beta-male, apologist shtick. Hope it lands you some dates with these warm, fun-loving women.
Josh Ferguson, welcome to MM. Glad to have your input.
Scriptural modesty has about zero to do with covering female body parts to prevent the sexual proclivities of males.
I have written about this before (quite a bit in this post, for example: A Mormon Mother of Daughters Talks to a YSA Bishop About Intimacy). In a nutshell, I’m half a century over hearing rules made for girls to keep boys in line.
Girls are responsible for themselves. They are not responsible for boys thoughts, inclinations, tendencies, desires, or actions. It is not their job to keep the boys minds pure or the boys hands to themselves. It is their job to keep their OWN minds pure and their OWN hands to themselves.
Do you think men in countries with women shrouded in burkas don’t have dirty thoughts? On the flip side, do you think men in countries where women are all bare-chested and scantily-bottomed do nothing but grab and clutch all day?
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…6th Grade Reading List: Teen Pregnancy, Rape, and Gangs
James, may I extend my most sincere condolences to your present/future daughters. They will need it in order to overcome your chauvinism. (I have little sympathy for adult women who choose to hook up with idiots. So if you have ever been married, the poor fool’s pain was self-inflicted.)
Idea: how about learning to deal with women as fellow humans. I mean on the aggregate they obviously have more brains than you do, so you could learn a thing or two.
James, let me be clear. (I know it’s hard. Stop yanking for just a minute and try to focus on the words.) You are an idiot. If you have something substantive to add to the discussion, you are welcome. If not, I have this little magic button that shuts you off. The power is tremendous.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Best Gifts: College Finals Survival Kits
Here’s some substance: this post and much of the others (aside from your recipes which seem really simple and delicious) is all faux battles with straw men. You and your unhappy followers love to create boogeymen that you can slay for the adulation of each other.
How about some concern for compelling and urgent problems: like, for example, the 11k people who die of starvation every day, or the Ebola epidemic threatening millions, or homelessness? Nah, none of those come with the rush of moral superiority that comes with blasting BYU for its football fundraising decisions. Damn that must feel good. This evil over which you’ve ginned up hysterics can be dealt with by parenting. So please consider turning the volume down on the moral crusade you fight under the banner of the lds church. It’s of little use and many find it off putting. Your talents may be better applied elsewhere.
^^^Standing ovation Alison
alliegator recently posted…The Other Victim Blaming
James, I’m always amused by comments like yours. You tell me to stop worrying about “bogeymen” like female objectification, while you spend your time trolling websites to give content advice. Is telling other people what to worry about your moral stand?
To be clear: I don’t care if you find it off putting.
I 100% agree the everyone is responsible for their own actions and thoughts. Girls are not responsible for the thoughts boys have. That being said, there is an element of biology involved here. If someone knows that certain actions could cause a certain negative effect, isn’t it wise, at the very least, to behave in a way that doesn’t lead to that negative effect? Isn’t everyone better off? Isn’t that in the best interest of the girl as well as the boys around her?
I simply see it as practical and important as defensive driving.
I’ll have to take a look at your other post to get more depth in your view here.
Alison are you concerned that speaking out against church and BYU leaders may land you in hot water with the Brethren? I’m just a super big fan of the blog and would hate to see you become the next Kate Kelley. Your blog is becoming really popular. I hope you don’t stop speaking out, but I’d totally understand if you did. Excommunication scares me.
Gisele, thank you.
If speaking out against BYU Athletics’ sleazy advertising partnerships is synonymous with “speaking out against the church” I’m the least of their problems.
That said, I don’t think I have the capacity to stop speaking out. 🙂
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Carl’s Jr.’s Sleaze Tithe – Sponsored by BYU Athletics
Josh, I do think there is an element of influence to consider in all things, not just modesty. We have, however, taken such a hard line on “men are visual” and “male biology is too strong” and “cover your parts to keep the boys’ minds out of the gutter” for so long, we have no cogent way to teach modesty left. Practically speaking, that is ALL we teach about modesty.
Given that we agree that people are responsible for their own choices, shouldn’t we be spending about 99% of the teaching time on self-mastery and 1% on “think about how others might perceive what you do”?
Here’s a related post: Don’t Let Your Boys Get Their Skanky On
To be clear, I haven’t formulated a clear message about modesty either. I think our typical ideology (if boys see your shoulders or knees they will lose control) is simply bogus. And I can’t find anything authoritative that makes sense.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…7 Christmas Advent Calendars
I am very uncomfortable boycotting business. As a family devastated, and I mean devastated by the recession, I find it difficult jeopardizing the jobs of good men and women. I am also very good friends who were fired from jobs because of the Church’s stand on marriage in California. I am friend with people who donated to the marriage cause in California, didn’t live in California, and were “called on the carpet” when their names were published as contributors. I don’t buy Carl’s Jr. But that is my choice, this is a church run by agency….if you feel, as I do, that their commercials are over the line…by all means go to another fast food place. I live in Las Vegas and I did everything I could to discourage the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from performing at the Arena connected with a casino. People had to go through the casino to gain entrance….but I was laughed at, even by the man in Salt Lake I eventually was able to talk to. And then the tickets came out with a 2 for 1 drink printed on the back. Not soda….a drink. Irony
Choose your harm. Yes, if the local Carl’s Jr. went out of business (hah!) then some might be harmed. But guess what? If I put a pimp out of business, some people will lose their jobs, too.
Great story about the ticket. I’d love a picture if anyone has it. Priceless.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…Carl’s Jr.’s Sleaze Tithe – Sponsored by BYU Athletics
Gisele, I don’t think there’s any risk of Alison facing discipline for this. The points she is making are squarely in line with Church policy. Yes, BYU is Church-owned, but that doesn’t mean you can be punished for criticising it (especially its business practices).
My $0.02 on modesty and self-control: yes, self-control is an individual responsibility and comes first. That said, in my experience, women do men a big favor (and probably vice versa) when you don’t have to worry about where you let yourself look. Have you ever tried to sit in front of a TV, facing something nearby, without looking at it even once?
I agree that men surrounded by underclad women don’t necessarily grab and clutch all day. But it sure would be a lot harder to avoid “look[ing] on a woman, to lust after her”. Paul suggested that if eating meat would lead to others sinning, then he would be vegetarian for life. May I recommend that in a similar vein, we don’t expose too much meat in public, for the sake of our brothers (or sisters) who might be weak?
Jeff Ward, it’s true that some people are turned on by mere objects. The whole problem here is that living, human, daughters of God are being *treated* as mere objects designed to turn men on.
James, if you have no problem with a human buffet, then I would worry less about Alison’s husband getting depressed, and more about your own relationship(s).
I apologize if someone already noted this; I wanted to make sure it got here as well. An important note to Carl’s Jr. non-fans, and Alison Moore Smith fans, in the South and the Midwest of the US: Hardee’s Restaurants is a sister company, owned by the same holding company and with the same CEO (and sinister smiling star logo) as Carl’s Jr. So if you live in Minnesota, as I do, and you oppose the sleaze tithe, stick to Burger King.
I just contacted the university as well. I am not going to let this issue go. What can I do to help? I just skimmed through this post/blog…have you organized a petition? Any further information that you have would be great. Thank you for your post!