As one of only two Mormon undergrads here at Brandeis, I've gotten used to fielding the questions that inevitably arise whenever someone finds out my religion. My answers usually consist of saying that I am not from Utah, I obviously do not go to Brigham Young University, I will not try to "save" you and I do not plan on sharing my future husband with any other woman. I don't like to share. I don't like to break laws. And I don't like the idea of being excommunicated, which is what happens in my church if you're polygamous. The polygamy question is my least favorite and, naturally, the most frequently asked, which led me to write in my Facebook profile, "If you ask me how many husbands I have, I'll punch you in the face."Oh yes, Facebook... I'll admit it, I'm an addict. So naturally it's no surprise that I stumbled across a Mormon group very early on. Since it's titled "Mormons Are The Shit," I was slightly suspicious at first-Mormons don't generally swear, Though I have been known to disregard that rule when my finger is caught in a car door. But who knows-perhaps the group's title was a weak attempt at irony. I quickly learned otherwise when I saw that the group's two members are "Mitt Romney" and Mitt's "wife," named "So Many Women." So Many Women has the screen-name "SaltLakeMormonHo69" and has the interests of "cooking, massive feasts, group breast-feeding kids, laundry, cleaning and motherly shit."

Well, that's just wonderful. If I started a group mocking the Jewish religion, I don't think too many people at Brandeis would find it amusing.
I guess I could take some consolation in the thought that maybe whoever's behind "Mitt Romney" might get his comeuppance. Cameron Walker, a student at Fisher College, was expelled for joining an offensive Facebook group, for instance. And The Boston Globe even suggested that Brandeis administrators use Facebook to screen potential employees and graduate students.

I guess there is no clear line as far as what's appropriate-on Facebook, or even in everyday conversation. Implying that Mormon women only exist as Stepford Wives to please their obsessively conservative husbands in polygamous marriages offends me. It hurts to see something indescribably important to you brought down as material for someone's warped sense of humor. But hey, whoever thought up that group didn't see it as nearly as big a deal as I did. "Offensive" is now relative. Right and wrong are now relative. I'm sure someone who is later reprimanded for the contents of a Facebook profile will sue and claim that freedom of speech has been violated. This might even be warranted. The banner of free speech exists for a reason, and in order to enjoy its benefits, we have to deal with the jerks who use it to hurt other people. That's life.

Now I might be a crazy Mormon conservative, but I am a big fan of free speech. I'll settle for just wishing that the stereotypical Mormon existed so he could "force" Mitt Romney to be "saved." I agree-he needs it.