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Though I’d agree that the political culture of Rexburg is characterized by a deplorable level of parochialism and insularity, I have to concede that many of the responses herein reflect an unfortunate level of narrow-minded intolerance of their own. Specifically, I’d argue that however pervasive the bigotry in Rexburg might be, it's a function of the cultural prejudices of an isolated, racially homogeneous small town, not its residents' Mormon faith.
On another note, it’s evident that the leading Mormon institution of higher learning is doing a singularly shitty job of educating its undergraduates. Greg Fetterman writes,
Conservativism is undoubtedly a prevailing way of life in Rexburg, but you'll rarely, if ever, see bigotry of any kind here. The fact that a Democrat Society even exists on campus should tell you different viewpoints are respected – even if no one follows them.
No, sorry; the mere existence of some desolate outpost of Democratic political ideology on campus, to which virtually no one among the faculty or student body subscribes, hardly constitutes evidence of respect for a diversity of viewpoints among the Mormon faithful. More irritatingly, Fetterman states,
I think it's irresponsible what you, Tim, did to Rick Davis' interview. You're like any other dirt-bag columnist – red or blue – that molds your information into something that supports your ideology. You've tarnished a respected professor's reputation by taking his words out of context, and in my mind owe him an apology and retraction.
This reflects the execrable trend in recent years of invoking the phrase “taken out of context” as some kind of magical incantation of moral absolution. Guess what: words taken out of context can be put back in context to convey their original meaning. If Davis’s reputation has, indeed, been tarnished – and I’d sure as hell agree that his statements make him sound like an ignorant, racist hack – feel free to tell us what he meant in the first place. Were his statements fabricated? Was he quoting someone else? Were they merely intended to illustrate the position of someone whose views he rejects? The accusation that words have been taken out of context means something; it’s not some all-purpose talisman.
