Years ago when I attended BYU, there was some sort of controversy on campus about something being offensive, beards or something similar. Yes, I know this is still a daily occurrence at BYU. Somebody is always finding something offensive there.
In addition to the usual drivel in the school newspaper, I remember someone writing a satirical piece arguing that Miss Piggy was offensive and any paraphernalia using her was being removed from the BYU Bookstore. It was funny and I remember laughing about it and dismissing it from my mind.
Fast forward a few years. A fellow graduate student who was a BYU-Hawaii graduate told me that he worked in the BYU-Hawaii Bookstore when this Miss Piggy farce piece ran in the newspaper. Not realizing that it was satire, they took it seriously and removed all Miss Piggy kitsch from the bookstore. My friend told me that they reasoned that if BYU was doing it then they should follow suit. It wasn't until he attended BYU himself that he realized it was satire.
If this action strikes you as odd, consider something I learned when I attended BYU-Hawaii. Sarcasm doesn't exist in all cultures. It does not exist in Polynesian and some Asian cultures. I learned this the hard way. No, I'm not going into any more detail.
In addition, even if sarcasm does exist in their culture a language barrier can often confuse it rendering people unable to recognize it.
If you Google "Miss Piggy" and BYU now you will find postings on Ex-Mormon sites where people claim that when BYU removed Miss Piggy they knew they had to leave the Church. Some other postings also relate this historical anecdote as fact. A few postings correctly identify it as a "farce."
I'm wondering how many other misunderstandings, misinterpretations, intentional obfuscations, outright lies and other similar instances have also morphed into fact over the years.
It makes one wonder . . .
In addition to the usual drivel in the school newspaper, I remember someone writing a satirical piece arguing that Miss Piggy was offensive and any paraphernalia using her was being removed from the BYU Bookstore. It was funny and I remember laughing about it and dismissing it from my mind.
Fast forward a few years. A fellow graduate student who was a BYU-Hawaii graduate told me that he worked in the BYU-Hawaii Bookstore when this Miss Piggy farce piece ran in the newspaper. Not realizing that it was satire, they took it seriously and removed all Miss Piggy kitsch from the bookstore. My friend told me that they reasoned that if BYU was doing it then they should follow suit. It wasn't until he attended BYU himself that he realized it was satire.
If this action strikes you as odd, consider something I learned when I attended BYU-Hawaii. Sarcasm doesn't exist in all cultures. It does not exist in Polynesian and some Asian cultures. I learned this the hard way. No, I'm not going into any more detail.
In addition, even if sarcasm does exist in their culture a language barrier can often confuse it rendering people unable to recognize it.
If you Google "Miss Piggy" and BYU now you will find postings on Ex-Mormon sites where people claim that when BYU removed Miss Piggy they knew they had to leave the Church. Some other postings also relate this historical anecdote as fact. A few postings correctly identify it as a "farce."
I'm wondering how many other misunderstandings, misinterpretations, intentional obfuscations, outright lies and other similar instances have also morphed into fact over the years.
It makes one wonder . . .
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