The Salt Lake Tribune
Monday, July 14, 2008
Playing out a familiar script
You have to wonder who's playing who in this scenario.

Step 1: Las Vegas entrepreneur Chad Hardy creates calendar showing beefcake photos of men purporting to be Mormon missionaries.

Step 2: Leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (you know, the Mormons) get in high dudgeon, and call Hardy - a non-attending church member - for a disciplinary hearing.

Step 3: Hardy goes public before the disciplinary hearing, guaranteeing plenty of news coverage.

Step 4: Church leaders excommunicate Hardy.

Hardy gets what he wants: Reams of publicity for his calendar, and status as a rebel fighting for the First Amendment. And the church gets what it wants: A clear signal to its membership that you can't mess with one of its beloved symbols - the innocent white-shirted missionary - and not suffer the consequences.

Did anybody think it was going to go down any differently?

(Photo: AP)

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posted by Sean P. Means @ 7:34 AM |

1 Comments:

At July 15, 2008 11:56 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nope. How long before the Tribune stops falling into this publicity trap?

BTW, I'm really enjoying reading you as the new "Vulture."

 

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