We have got some really great nominations so far for the Brodies!!
In order to help give you some ideas, here are some of the categories that have been suggested:
- Best humor piece
- Funniest person or site
- Longest discussion about obscure philosophical concepts
- Randomest threadjack
- Best historical post
- Best response to apologetics
- Best book/movie/play/music review
- Best new blog or site
- Best deconversion story
- Best exit/excommunication story
- Best “dealing with family religious differences” piece
- Best “happy where I’m at now” post
- Best intrepid/”gonzo” reporting
- Best discussion about political or human rights issues (prop. 8, womens rights, race, open religious accounting/transparency, etc.)
- Best post title
- Best Seth R. comment/exchange
- Most poignant story
- Best interview
- Favorite Mormons-in-the-news story
- Best X-Mo Twitter feed
- Best X-Mo Facebook group or page
- Best X-Mo YouTube channel
If any of these make you go “Oh, I remember a great one of those” — please post the nomination (with link)! Feel free to nominate your own posts and posts by your friends!
Now, let’s check on how the other awards are going! What is up with those Niblets? Boy do they bring on the drama every year!
Here’s the latest scoop on the X-Mormon of the Year: we’re still voting, but there have been some interesting developments! Mr. Deity pulled way out in front early, with Dustin Lance Black holding a distant but pretty solid second (see here, here, here, and here for this week’s videos of various candidates). Over the first few days, Christine Johnson slowly inched her way ahead Dustin Lance Black (while Brian Keith “Mr. Deity” Dalton maintained his amazing lead with three times as many votes as any other contender). Then — out of nowhere! after hovering in the less-than-ten-votes range nearly all week — Walter Kirn suddenly pulled into the lead!!! (I guess that Kirn or one of his fans must have linked to the post.) Whatever happened, it’s certainly an exciting race! We’ll have the results for you this week. 😀
Last week’s discussions of relationships are still going strong!! People have been posting a lot of fascinating stories and advice on the Reddit feed. The Girl with Kaleidoscope eyes (and her husband) are picking up the pieces of their relationship with his parents. In interfaith marriages, Ms. Jack wrote about the sacrifice her LDS husband made for her. By contrast, G does not appreciate the pressure that the “forever family” places on the here-and-now family.
There are some new items on the mixed-orientation front as well. And, hey, what’s wrong with staying single?
And what about that sticky Mormons-and-race problem? How do you respond to people inside and outside of Mormonism when it comes up?
Then the reaching-across-faith-lines started getting a little more philosophical. Simply Sarah talks about trusting your own perceptions (even when others disagree). If you’re an atheist, how do you respond to friends praying for you? Andrew asks why stay LDS?, and compares the various X-Mormons with third-culture-kids, who are trapped between cultures. Molly muses about people who just want to be offended. Whew, after all that, Derek is tired of religious food fights.
In political theology, we have fond thoughts of the United Order. Then there’s the battle between Joseph Smith’s views on blind obedience and Bruce Hafen’s. Plus we got some interesting and funny updates from the Prop-8 trial. And don’t miss the Buttars meltdown!
And let’s close with a positive political-philosophical message from the faithful: We’ve got some good reasons to become an environmentalist and make a sustainable choice today!
-Best discussion about political or human rights issues (prop. 8, womens rights, race, open religious accounting/transparency, etc.)
I’m nominating this discussion (A brave new definition of free speech) for discussion of political/human rights
I’m nominating Tom’s explanation about why gays and lesbians were upset about prop. 8 here “The lowest form of humanity”. Note: Tom’s blog is great but has some NSFW images.
MoHo’s question about the couple at Main street plaza in Who would Jesus handcuff?
Runtu’s post Men, Women and Cows”.
Holly’s post about The priesthood is Magic. (Holly has some great posts about the priesthood and the temple in general).
Aerin — excellent, thanks!!!
Your link to Tom’s post didn’t show up, though.
-Longest discussion about obscure philosophical concepts like truth or paradigms?
Okay, so this (“On the church’s uniqueness”) had more to do with beliefs, bias and narratives…but still, 95 comments.
-Best description of growing up mormon/poignant story about being in the LDS church.
I really liked bel’s post about Johnny Lingo here.
This isn’t really about growing up mormon but I still thought it was poignant Emil is it you? h/t Hellmut.
Runtu’s posts: I am a child of God
Chosen among the Jewish Gentiles” and the follow up postscript.
Julie Ann’s post about The World View about growing up mormon and leaving the faith.
Steve Benson’s post (on rfm) about Hugh B. Brown, Hero: Conscientious Objector and Whistle Blower against LDS White Supremacist Doctrine
Humorous comment or threadjack:
I nominate Matt’s comment here for humorous about chanson’s wrath…
Believing blog nominations (I don’t know that this is even a category, but still – not like I ever paid attention to the rules ):
There was a post by Jeff Lindsay (this is his blog – about former mormons and how they don’t leave just to sin – I can’t find it at the moment, but I appreciated it when I read it.
This is a great (guest) post on FMH about whether or not church can be a hostile place here.
Kevin Barney’s post here about the priesthood ban on blacks and on giving women the priesthood.
Caroline’s post here on the Exponent about what makes a good mormon feminist vs. a bad mormon feminist.
Eve’s post here about “Going nowhere Fast” – struggling with faith and community.
**NOTE: I found so many good posts from believing blogs, there were simply too many to count. I’m completely serious – so for next year, I’ll have to start creating a list early this year.
here “The lowest form of humanity”.
Most incredibly controversial topic ever – anything about Hugh Nibley and the accusations of his daughter, Martha Nibley Beck. Every time this subject is brought up, it can be very emotional for people and the threads or comments go on for days. Steve Benson’s post about halfway down.
Okay, well first of all, I nominate Richard Packham here for an honorary Brodie award. His website has been up forever, has a ton of great information, and he uses his real name! Which apparently not many exmormons do (sorry Hellmut, couldn’t resist).
This past year we lost Deenie The Dreaded Single Adult from rfm. Hope it’s okay to link to the Mormon Curtain – here is a post from her.
Susie Q has a great post about What recovery means to her – it’s at the bottom.
book review – No Going Back review…
I found an interesting BotD discussion on MSP- but it was from 2008! C’est la vie.
Then there was this post from Natalie of Trapped by the Mormons but it’s from 2006!! Anti-Ex-mormons are mean!.
Also – chanson? How do you do this every week? You deserve an honorary award for Sunday in Outer Blogness. I know it was nominated for a niblet – but seriously.
Thanks for the link, chanson.
I have a nomination for Best X-Mo YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MorMenLikeMe . With the goal of preventing suicide in gay Mormon youth, this YouTube channel has interviews with people who survived growing up gay and Mormon. (Many are in the performing arts in NYC.)
That Nibletology thread over at Nine Moons is ridiculous. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, chanson!
More Brodie nominations:
Most poignant story: Dear John by Utah Cog. Cog decides that Utah is no longer a safe place for his family.
Best doctrinal topic:
Unconditional Love by BiV. BiV critiques the growing LDS tendency to put bounds on God’s love.
Best book review:
It’s Time to Play: Anti-Mormon… Or Not?. Chanson review asks the question: “Anti- or Not?”
Best post on religious differences: Andrew S on the difference between Internet Mormons and chapel Mormons.
Best discussion of political issues:
Holly Noelle on why the Church’s PR about the Main Street Plaza kiss wasn’t credible.
Best polite call to repentance: D. Michael Quinn on Marriage Equality.
Best total freak out: The Faithful Dissident on commercial hunting reserves owned by the LDS Church.
Funniest: Emily Pearson’s Mormon light bulb joke.
Best response to apologetics: profxm’s discussion of Bruce Hafen’s intemperate anti-gay rhetoric
Most poignant story: Lorian’s post-Prop. 8 guest post on Feminist Mormon Housewives
Best deconversion post: Evolving Lesbian on why gay Mormons leave the Church
Most poignant story:
Scott’s examination of a mixed-orientation marriage from the inside.
Overall ass-kicker of the year:
Chino Blanco.
Best investigative journalism: Chanson visits the polygamists!
I can assure you that there are no Brodies to be handed out to Jeff Lindsay or Kevin Barney.
On second thought, I disavow my previous comment re Jeff L. and Kevin B.
Rather than mimic the nattering Nibletologists over at Nine Moons, I will try to emulate the spirit of compromise shown by the organizers of this year’s Niblet Awards.
Mormon Matters was gracious enough to allow us atheists to compete in their Interfaith category. To return the favor, I’d have no problem allowing believing bloggers to compete here at MSP in the category of Best Mennonite Writing of 2009.
By the way, there’s still time to follow the MM link and vote for FMH. With the voting this close this late in the game between BCC and FMH for the Big Kahuna, well, beware the love bomb, and take any last-minute tokens of affection from BCC permabloggers with a big grain of salt.
Thanks for the fantastic nominations, everyone!
If I’m feeling ambitious, maybe I’ll go back through all of my “Sunday in Outer Blogness” link lists to see if I can find some more posts to nominate.
Thank you very much for the nomination, Aerin!
Chanson, there are so many nominations of great posts, I cannot possibly read them all and do them justice.
I am wondering if we should post each price separately. That way, readers have enough time to enjoy each entry and the quality diligently.
Hellmut — I’ll gather all of the nominations, sort them by category, and post the list when it’s time to vote. I’m actually planning to go back through my “Sunday in Outer Blogness” columns from the past year and look for other posts that deserve to be nominated (especially in categories where there were only a few nominations).
I don’t think we can re-post all of the nominations in full, though. First of all, most of them are on other blogs (and we don’t have permission to repost them), hence the ones we do have permission to repost would have an unfair advantage. Second of all, I think it would be confusing to suddenly repost fifty old pieces — people would have difficulty tracking down the new/current material to figure out what’s going on.
Unless you just mean that each category (with links to its nominations) should be given a separate posts. That might be doable…
Aw, MoHoHawaii, thanks! I thought the only nomination I’d get would be my own, lol.
Also, I have a question. Is there a way to get listed on the blogroll?
Holly — you mean the blogroll here at Main Street Plaza? You’re already on it.
If you know of another former-Mormon blog that you think we should add to the blogroll, just leave a comment here with the link.
I’d like to nominate USU SHAFT for best new blog. But hey, I’m biased–I write there. Ha ha.
http://usu-shaft.com/
Thanks Jon!
I’d also like to add one more category that we’ve somehow missed:
Best Podcast:
Mormon Expression
Irreligiosophy
Mormon Stories
Are there any others?