Why do they hate us?

It's a long and boring story, but one of the privileges/curses I have is to catalog many of the books that arrive in the Johns Hopkins University Library. There's some weird stuff out there. Anyway, I was browsing though a book on underground cinema, wondering whether there would be anything about Mormons in it, and hey presto I stumbled upon a review of the film Byromania, which, among other things, features stoned Mormon missionaries in compromising situations with transvestites. Ah yes, we have here the wonderful literary-cinematic motif of the Mormon. If, as an artist you need an up-tight, guilt-ridden hypocrite (who inevitably falls from grace), but can't be bothered to write a three-dimensional character, reach into the drawer marked "Mormon" and you're done (for detailed instructions, see Latter Days and Angels in America). When asked why he chose Mormons, the writer/director/star of Byromania said that "Mormons are an acceptable target". Why? Because, apparently, we are a) intolerant of others (women, blacks, gays), and b) openly proselytize said intolerance. I've often wondered why Mormon-bashing is acceptable, and there you have it folks - we deserve it. Speaking of which (and further to a previous post), here's another example of how the internet changes everything: Google Search: "mormonism" - 8 out of the first 10 hits are anti-Mormon sites.