Re: [UUPoly-L] UUPA and independent affiliate status

["Laura Stewart" <mathlaura@gmail.com>]

On 6/1/07, Anita Wagner <imapolygirl@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi friends -
>
>   I've been getting into the blogosphere lately, and I thought I'd pass along one where things are being written about us.  There is a fellow who has a blog called "UU Enforcer" at
>   http://uuenforcer.blogspot.com/ who posted both yesterday and today on the independent affiliate status issue and who claims that it is all primarily about the UUA finding a way to get rid of us specifically.  I gather that this is also a commentary on what is brewing for GA.
>
>   His posts are entitled "The fan is being hit" and "More on the fan" and are pretty snide and not particularly friendly to either us or UUA.  Now, I realize that any smartass can have a blog, and that this is one anonymous person's take on things, but blogs are news sources these days, too.
>
>   If what enforcer claims is true, what are we going to do about it?
>
>   What are we able to do about it?
>
>   Is it possible that UUism has met its match in terms of social justice issues that it just doesn't have the stomach for?
>
>   Are stronger efforts for understanding and acceptance now called for?
>
>   If enforcer is right, are we just going to roll over and let the most liberal, ostensibly egalitarian religious organization in the country kick us to the curb?
>
>   It makes me kind of sick - not to mention seriously disappointed - to think that this is the reality of the situation.
>
>   Anita

I realize other people's experiences have been different, but I would
like to share an experience from GA in Long Beach.

On the last full day of GA, a newsletter entitled "The New UU Voice"
was distributed by being placed on all of the chairs in the various
rooms being used for workshops and lectures.  This newsletter
contained SEVERAL articles slamming poly people, pointing the the UUPA
as an example that UUs could be "hijacked by any crazy fringe group",
and about how we would never gain converts or be considered mainstream
when we embrace such deviant non-socially-acceptable groups and ideas,
among other things.  The main article can be found here:
http://www.uuvoice.org/summer04/editor.htm

By midmorning, nearly everyone I came across was abuzz with discussion
of this newsletter.  The website now lists the editors, but the paper
version had all contributors anonymous, IIRC.  Everything I heard was
shock at the hatefulness, outrage that the writers did not reveal
themselves, and general horror at the newsletter.  (I'm sure there was
some dissenting opinion, as of course the people who distributed it
were there.)

The closing sermon given at that GA dwelt heavily upon how UUism was
not about being mainstream, or about being palatable, but about love
and acceptance and diversity and people following their own paths.  I
have no information indicating that this was in any sort of specific
response, but it was very powerful to the various poly people of my
acquainted who attended that year.

Unitarians and Universalists have often been far ahead of the time in
social issues and true acceptance, but we need to remember that our
firm stand on gay rights (among other things) didn't start with
instant universal acceptance by every U and U or UU.

My observation of the events surrounding the New UU Voice at GA are
what keep me from having a totally rosy opinion of the position of
poly UU people (as it happens that I have never encountered anything
other than 100% support and acceptance to any UU that it has come up
for, nor have I heard any negative experiences from anyone off this
list.)  However, the reactions that I saw made me feel more than
anything else I can remember how perfect and happy I was to have found
UUism for myself.

-Laura
I"m sure others on this list were at this GA.  I would be interested
in any more negative-towards-poly experiences that anyone had
revolving around the incident with the New UU Voice.