Should I be Offended? (Latter-Day Saints, Earth, beliefs, hell, attend)

[nutshell]

My Chaucer professor is Catholic and likes to visit the bars. He's not a drunk, he just likes going out for beers as do many people.

Yesterday, during class, he told of a funny T-shirt he saw the other day at a bar while he was in Idaho. The T-shirt said, "Polygamy Porter - No guy can have just one," or something to this effect. Smirking, he said he thought the T-shirt was funny and that Polygamy Porter is brewed in Salt Lake City. He went on to say next Spring the annual Medieval Literature conference he usually attends was being help in Salt Lake City and so he would probably have to "evade this one."

He never said the Church's name, but I felt the implications were there. I'm kicking myself for not speaking up. I left the class upset mostly at myself for not saying something, but also wondering if I should be offended by the professor. What do you think? (And I welcome all opinions on this...not just LDS.)

[Darkdale]

I'm not sure why you would be offended... maybe I don't understand.

[DeepShadow]

Of course I wasn't there, but going strictly by what you've provided, I think it was a good thing you didn't say anything. There wasn't anything said directly against the church, and if you go chasing oblique references (no matter how deliberate they may have been!) you just end up looking paranoid. Be on the alert for more such references, and if they persist, I suggest talking to your teacher personally.

[Aqualung]

I'm definitely with darkdale on this one . . . maybe we're just dense.

[jonny]

I don't think its anything to get too offended about regarding the beer. Polygamy Porter is actually pretty well known around here. There is also a beer called Provo Girl or something. I think the ads are funny and actually kind of clever - but I am a marketer. When they started putting up billboards a lot of people started freaking out around here, but that's Utah. If the Mormons and Non-mormons aren't fighting it just isn't home.

The comment about not going to Utah for a conference is pretty ignorant though. SLC has a lot of Mormons, but it isn't as Mormon as the rest of the state. It's actually a pretty diverse city with lots of different kinds of people. You can't be offended by your professor's ignorance, but if it makes you feel better you might want to go talk with him.

On the other hand, I got through college by nodding and agreeing with my professors. Tell them what they want to hear and they'll give you the grades that you want IMO. Telling your professor that you were offended might make you a target in the class later on.

Like Brigham Young said - if you're offended when no offense was intended you're a fool, and if you're offended when offense was intended you are probably also a fool. Don't be a fool!

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by nutshell

My Chaucer professor is Catholic and likes to visit the bars. He's not a drunk, he just likes going out for beers as do many people.

Yesterday, during class, he told of a funny T-shirt he saw the other day at a bar while he was in Idaho. The T-shirt said, "Polygamy Porter - No guy can have just one," or something to this effect. Smirking, he said he thought the T-shirt was funny and that Polygamy Porter is brewed in Salt Lake City. He went on to say next Spring the annual Medieval Literature conference he usually attends was being help in Salt Lake City and so he would probably have to "evade this one."

He never said the Church's name, but I felt the implications were there. I'm kicking myself for not speaking up. I left the class upset mostly at myself for not saying something, but also wondering if I should be offended by the professor. What do you think? (And I welcome all opinions on this...not just LDS.)

I think your prof sounds like he's pretty anti-Mormon. If he doesn't know your religion (and I'm guessing he doesn't), it probably wasn't his intention to insult you personally. However, it obviously was his intention to slam the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints. And any time anybody slams my beliefs, I'm offended by it. Should you have spoken up? Probably not. If he's the kind of person who would make the kind of comment he did, he's probably also the kind of a person who would use your religious beliefs against you.

As to how difficult it is to get a drink in Salt Lake City, he is evidently just plain stupid. As anyone who came here during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games could tell him, we may not be the Big Easy, but anybody who wants to have a drink with his dinner or get totally sloshed or anything in between can do so here just as easily as anywhere else.

I was on business once when a guy I met said something about Salt Lake City being the "armpit of the earth." Without even thinking, I said, "Oh, so you've never been to Salt Lake?" He looked surprised and said, "Well... No! But how did you know that?" I answered, "Because no one who has ever been to Salt Lake would refer to it as the armpit of the earth." Personally, I hope your prof stays home.

[nutshell]

Well, he did it again. During class there was a discussion about whether or not this woman in a story we had read was intending to marry two guys or just marry one and have sex with the other. The professor said it had to be the latter because, "It's not like we're in Salt Lake City or something." He went on to say something about Mormonism and retold his story about the Polygamy Porter T-shirt. He says he bets that t-shirt gets a lot of funny looks in SLC.

I'd be interested to know the thoughts of this forum regarding this latest episode with this professor. Thank you.

[Bishka]

There is also something known as Provo Girl beer. LOL. I find that interesting.