Blue Boutique - Just what the neighborhood needs
The absurd controversy over the BB’s new location has all the hallmarks of a budding moral panic - there’s sex, an imagined threat to a morally vulnerable population, a public outcry, hysterical fears and mismanagement by elected official (I’m looking at you JT Martin!). All that’s missing in a feedback loop wherein false and inflated information about the harmful effects of shopping at the Blue Boutique feed into the unfounded fears of the town’s moral crusaders.
There are, however, sane voices are speaking. Rebecca Walsh’s column in today’s Trib rightly calls both the public and the elected official on their misbehavior:
All that’s missing from the neighborhood campaign to banish Blue Boutique to a warehouse district are the pitchforks and torches - and a big red “A” on the door at 1400 E. 2100 South . . . when the neighborhood’s grandparents and soccer moms got wind of the move, they organized a mob in grand American tradition. And fire and brimstone crashed down last week . . . Casting off his progressive costume, Councilman-elect J.T. Martin gave the angry townsfolk a forum - his back room at Emigration Market - and whipped them into an even greater frenzy with talk of “rubber penises.”
Every so often, a puritanical Utahn will pull his neighbors headlong into moral outrage over something or other - Bikini Cuts, brewpubs, Movie Buffs, a nude painting at the Anderson-Foothill Library - with the tried-and-true goal of “protecting the children.” . . .”For all of us, it’s very emotional because it’s an attack on our homes and neighbors and family members,” said Leslie Keddington at an organizing meeting at Highland High School on Tuesday night.
I’m sure Leslie Keddington is a nice person, but it’s evident she’s not to be taken seriously. In what pathetic, sheltered universe is the Blue Boutique an attack on anything? Who does she think she kidding?
Let’s be honest, Blue Boutique is hardly a demon sneaking into the village to eat babies. It’s a legitimate business selling products that are clearly in demand.
November 29th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
If the Blue Boutique gets run out of town, where are people going to get their “screens?”
November 29th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
As if Blue Boutique was not just as accessible when it was 4 blocks to the west. The most interesting part was the threat by one of the moralist to take picture of those exiting the store to post on the web. I’d love to see that happen just so they could get sued for defamation.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:35 am
Reminds me of the Rodin fiasco at the Lord’s University a few years back when the powers at be thought “The Thinker” a bit too morally disruptive for the local junior and senior high school students, in addition to the college students, alums and faculty members of BYU. Gotta love fucking Utah, heh?
November 30th, 2007 at 8:18 am
We went to the Tori Amos concert last night and we thought about stopping in but then we saw the 10 or so money train places around it and thought better of it. Evidently ripping people off for 400%+ interest obviously doesn’t hit the moral compass for people like Leslie Keddington.