A-E* Pants on Fire # 3: The View

(*A-E = After Election)    

Dear Madame L,

Here's one more example of a media bias against Mitt Romney and his religious beliefs. It's not that I object to the "soft"  interview the women of "The View" gave to First Lady Michelle Obama, but I do object to the questions asked of Ann Romney and the way they were asked.

For example, Barbara Walters's first question to Michelle Obama was: "In an interview just recently, you said, and I quote, that you are sometimes unsure if you are a classic First Lady and if the things you do are okay. So why do you feel this way and who is your idea of a classic First Lady?

In contrast, Barbara Walters's first question to Ann Romney was: "So we have been talking primarily about the women's issues and one of the thigns your husband said was that when he was a governor, he was pro-choice and now is against abortions except in the case of rape and incest and the life of the mother. I wonder where your views are. Were you the same way when he was governor? Have you changed?

Whoopi Goldberg's first question to Michelle Obama was "Does he [your husband] tease you?"

In contrast, Whoopi's first question to Ann Romney was: "As First Lady if you get the job, it's going to entail a lot of things, and one of those things is going to be talking to the mothers whose children are coming home in bags, you know, from wars. Now, I know, I believe, that your religion doesn't allow you to go fight?"

Ann Romney replied, "No, that's not correct."

Whoopi said, "Okay. So---"

Ann Romney said, "We have many, many members of our faith that are serving in the armed services."

Whoopi said, "Okay. Well, I say that because when I read about your husband, what I had read, and maybe you can correct this, is that the reason he didn't serve in Vietnam was because it was against the religion. That's what we--that's what I read."

And so on.

Madame L, I'm not writing you all this to be accusatory toward you or toward anyone, but just to point out that there IS a bias against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and there IS an amazing ignorance about the religion and its teachings. I don't think anyone on TV news or commentary or talk shows would dare to make such incorrect and unresearched "talking points" about any other major religious belief, but they don't hesitate to state their false assumptions and prejudices toward the LDS Church (and then ignore the interviewees' attempts to answer their questions).

Sincerely,

Bothered

Dear Bothered,

Madame L thanks you for raising these points to make all her Dear and Gentle Readers, whether they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not, aware of the prevalence of this ignorance and hypocrisy in approaching the church's beliefs and its members.

Madame L hopes that you and other members of the church will continue to be active in your communities, reaching out to people of other faiths, so they will know who the "Mormons" really are and what we believe.

Remember --- no, you don't remember this, as you weren't born then --- but Madame L remembers when Jack Kennedy was running for president, and the lies and stupid things that were being said at that time about him because of his religion. And he changed that, so now even some of those ignorant commentators who blather on about the LDS Church are Catholics themselves, and apparently oblivious of their hypocrisy.

Hang in there,

Madame L