Provo Vice

Women to Blame for Moral Decline?

By John Yewell, 4-06-05

Deseret Morning News reporter Tad Walch has two stories today, reporting from the morals beat in Utah County. For auslanders, Utah County is south of Salt Lake County, and is home to the city of Provo and Brigham Young University. Utah Valley State University, where Michael Moore caused such controversy last year by -- heavens to Betsy! -- speaking, is in the Utah County city of Orem. The Sundance Institute is also in Utah County. Go figure.

Folks in that tidy, Prozac-fueled community just don’t much care for lewd and immoral behavior. Like wearing bikinis. The hairstyling chain Bikini Cuts wants to open a branch in Provo, and the city council is flummoxed to the point of apoplexy that there seems to be nothing they can do to stop it. Oh my heck.

But that wasn’t the big news.

Walch's second story concerns the keynote speech at BYU's Family Expo Tuesday by Deseret Book president and chief executive officer Sheri Dew. Dew said that immoral television shows are destroying families. Okay, we’ve heard that before. But here’s the kicker. It’s all women’s fault. Catch the quote:

"We talk often about how women have unusual power to build families," said Dew. "What we don't often talk about is that women have unusual power to destroy families." She goes on: "I think the reason we are having such a moral decay is because more and more women have abandoned living the law of chastity."

Notice a theme? Since it is self-evident that America is in moral decline, and women have the power to stop it, then the decline itself must be women’s fault -- because of the way they dress, and in the telling of the stories about their lives.

Yes, women, IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT. If this doesn’t get a few people riled up, I’m going into a different line of work. [End of article]

Comment By Montana Resident, 4-06-05

This article is worth less than a pickup load full of garbage. Women, the reason for the moral decline in this country, give me a break!

Comment By Lost in the East, 4-06-05

Uh...Montana, I hope you're talking about the article Mr. Yewell is referencing, not his commentary; if not, I suggest you read a bit closer....

Good stuff, Mr. Y. Hilarious.

Comment By Lost in the East, 4-06-05

Let me correct myself: if you're referencing either article and not the speech (as bullcrap), take a closer look.

Comment By Courtney Lowery, 4-06-05

If morality is defined as Dew (and most right-wingers) would like it to be, I'd be proud to be a woman who is at the helm of the nation's demoralization. And, if she thinks chastity is the way to maintain families the logic is a bit flawed ... last time I checked, no one ever got pregnant being chaste ...

Comment By Bridget Cavanaugh, 4-06-05

An absurb comment like Dew's makes me want to learn more about her. So, I read a radio interview (KSL) on http://www.dessertbooks.com (see below). How's that saying go? Something like... "those who can, do. Those who can't, preach and pass judgement on others"... yeah...yeah... that's it. When it comes to building strong families, I'm glad I'm busy "doing" and not passing judgement.

Quote from radio interview with Sheri Dew (Nov. 2004): "You know, because I haven't had the privilege of getting married and have not born children--and it seems highly unlikely that that will ever happen to me now--it wouldn't surprise you that because of those circumstances I have thought long and hard about this, about this whole topic. I have thought long and hard about it on an emotional level. When you start getting old and you're not having children on cue like all of your friends, you have to deal with it, and it is painful. And it's hard. And I've also thought long and hard about it on a doctrinal level. And what I said earlier, "Eve was called the Mother of All Living before she ever came to earth," I really, our ability to nurture and to mother both those we bear and also the children we bear with, or the people we bear with, that is, I believe, part of a woman's divine nature and part of what she comes to this earth with."

Comment By charlie, 4-06-05

Is she speaking about herself? I do not fall into that catagory as a women living in Utah county and it pisses me off. At least I can say I have not had to depend on man for a living. My professional degree allows me to make a very comfortable living. Sex is not something I use as a tool like the rest of the Utah Valley students, ex students aka LSD's church members preaching BABIES BABIES. They are part of the reason for the decay in America. For after all if they controlled their hormones and crossed thier legs to men, maybe we would not be in this era.

Comment By J.Gordon, 4-07-05

If you ever visit southern Utah, don't drink the water.

Comment By Carol, 4-08-05

Ever since Adam blamed Eve for his inability to resist temptation men have been trying to blame women for their own faults and flaws. The fact that Sherri Dew is female simply makes her a female misogynist, one who has "drunk the Kool-Aid".

This article was printed from www.newwest.net at the following URL: http://www.newwest.net/main/article/women_to_blame_for_moral_decline/