Without getting into everything in your post (which strikes me as an extreme overreaction to something that hasn't even been written yet and that, AGAIN, we have no clue whether it indeed has anything to do about Mormons), why are Mormons above being made fun of? I've seen nearly episode of South Park and they have repeatedly made fun of gays, Jews, blacks, Asians, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Native Americans, Canadians, Ethiopians, Catholics, Protestants, the handicapped, the mentally-challenged, the elderly and major figures from Christopher Reeve to the Pope to Barbra Streisand to JFK, Jr. (a week after he died) to various Presidents. They are equal opportunity offenders and NO ONE and NO GROUP is off limits.
The thing about Parker and Stone is that while superficially it may seem that they are simply mean-spirited (and once in a while they cross that line) the undercurrent and subtext -- the "moral" of the story" -- in most instances is that all those labels and stereotypes that we as a society assign to people aren't nearly as important as who the individual is inside. There's a reason they've won the GLAAD media award for presenting gay positive images for characters like Big Gay Al -- on the surface, he's an effeminate stereotype, but underneath the show celebrates him for who and what he is and the other characters accept him without apologies. The same with Jimmy and Timmy, two of the handicapped characters -- yeah there are some running jokes that come as a result of their disabilities, but they are as equally accepted and embraced as any of the other characters on the show. Is there some reason Mormons should be in a special excluded category when Stone and Parker have used every single other religious and ethnic group as the subject of humor.
And what about the "Avenue Q" guys? Do you encourage a boycott of that show because there is an Asian character who speaks stereotypically or because of some of the polically incorrect jokes against various groups in "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"? Or is the show OK with you since it doesn't say anything about Mormon people?
And no, I don't see any need whatsoever for the creative team to meet with church representatives before embarking on the project. Sorry, but they're not doing a documentary and one silly little musical, no matter how popular it may or may not become could ever be powerful enough to harm the reputation, respect and standing of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or its members. You might have a point if this were a segment to be aired on "60 minutes" or CNN or a story in the New York Times -- sources the public does use to help them form opinions on various subject matter -- but I wouldn't be too concerned about messages being disseminated from Broadway theatres.
I can't speak for anyone else and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but not only will I not boycott the show, I plan on being among the first in line to buy a ticket...... and I promise not to think any less of Mormons after I see it, since I'm not in the habit of forming my opinions about social, ethnic, religious or political groups based on what I see in a Broadway musical (and I think that's also the case for the vast majority of the theatre-going audience).
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 6/22/04 at 02:04 AM
). It's very equal-opportunity satire: just check out 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' (sung by a multicultural cast to boot). It's just as goodwilled-teasing as the Producers. And as an Asian, I LOVED Christmas Eve! It's not playing into a stereotype, but mocking the stereotype! It's like The Simpsons and all the characters of Springfield: they're not making fun of certain groups, but making fun of the common _perception_ of those groups!
