The mail dropped through the slot in the door. Mr. Crankypants picked up the newest issue of UU World, the denominational magazine and mouthpiece, and opened it expecting to be delighted. UU World almost always has at least one article that annoys Mr. Crankypants, who delights in getting annoyed. And he was delightedly annoyed once again.
The first annoying article that caught his eye was titled “Not My Father’s Religion: Unitarian Universalism and the Working Class” by Doug Muder. (There may be other annoying articles in this issue, but Mr. C. is taking so much delight in being annoyed at this one that he hasn’t read any further.) Muder started off with one of Mr. Crankypants’s favorite critiques of Unitarian Universalism:– that we don’t welcome working class people. How true! But, annoyingly (delightfully annoyingly), Doug Muder places the blame on theology. Theology is a nice thing to write about, but to do so ignores a whole host of other, more than sufficient, reasons why working class people avoid Unitarian Universalist congregations like the plague.
What’s that you say? What are those other reasons?
You could start with social snobbery. Take, for an example, something Mr. Crankypants saw with his own eyes. The new Unitarian Universalist was talking with some long-time members at social hour one Sunday. The long-time members were talking about what their fathers did for work — lawyer, doctor, university professor, other professional high-status jobs. Wanting to include the newcomer, one of the long-time members turned to him and asked, “What does your father do for a living?” The newcomer replied, “He’s a janitor.” The conversation died abruptly and everyone drifted away from the newcomer. That newcomer lasted less than a year as a Unitarian Universalist.
You could add geography, demographics, and congregational lust for money. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, many Unitarian Universalist congregations decided to move their church buildings out of the downtown and into the suburbs. Mr. Crankypants has heard an apocryphal story that in January, 1953, the Board of Trustees of one Unitarian congregation was discussing selling its downtown building in order to move out to the suburbs. The minutes of that meeting supposedly record that the Board chair asked, “Why not go where the money is?” To which the minister (whose salary was dependent on contributions) replied, “Yes, why not?”
You could add the Unitarian Universalist obsession with college education, coupled with little support for helping people get a college education. In our snobbier congregations, one is simply assumed to have a college degree (preferably from a “good” college). But don’t bother to ask your typical Unitarian Universalist congregation for a scholarship, for tutoring, for moral support, or for any other help while you’re in college. They only want to see you when you get out of college, are married and in your thirties with children and a job. (Oh, and be warned:– if you want to be a non-traditional student, and finally go to college when you are middle-aged, expect even less support.)
You could also add denominational publications with articles aimed solely at the leisured middle class and upper middle class. Like articles that ask, “Why aren’t there any working class people in our congregations?” thus effectively ignoring the working class people who are already in Unitarian Universalist congregations. Yes, Virginia, there are plenty of working class and service class members of Unitarian Universalist congregations (remember that with the offshoring of manufacturing jobs, the service class is becoming the new working class in America) — Mr. Crankypants knows a Unitarian Universalist who is a retired meat cutter for a supermarket, a couple of Unitarian Universalists who drive trucks (one a semi, one a straight truck), a laborer in the building trades, and a clerk in a grocery store. Not surprisingly, working class, service class, and poor Unitarian Universalists are often ignored by their congregations. There is an apocryphal story that the January, 2007, minutes of the Board of Trustees of one suburban Unitarian Universalist congregation records that the Board chair stated, “Maybe if we ignore them, they will go away.”
Any of these reasons would be a sufficient reason for working class people to stay away from Unitarian Universalism in droves, without even bothering to look at theology. If you want to look at theology, you need look no further than the recent history of Unitarian Universalist theology. Since the 1980’s, Unitarian Universalist theology has been dominated by second-wave feminism. Thank Goddess for second-wave feminism, which forced Unitarian Universalism to confront its rampant sexism. Since then, third-wave feminism pointed out that second-wave feminism was designed by educated middle-class white folk, for educated middle-class white folk, but — oops! — Unitarian Universalists somehow missed the third wave of feminism. The Unitarian Universalist surfboard wasn’t waxed in time, or something.
So Mr. Crankypants is annoyed at Doug Muder, and delighted at having yet another thing about which to be annoyed. Thank you, Doug . And keep writing about classism in Unitarian Universalism. But let yourself be vicious, impolite, and less theological next time.
Can’t speak to a lot of that as, well, I’m not working class myself.
I will say that my current church offers lots of things to college students, and especially
those leaving the flock for college, that my Presby church did not. But the way we go about
it is interesting. We put together elaborate care packages for students from our congregation
who are in college, and we fund scholarships for a few low-income minority students from the
community, I think chosen by the folks at La Clinica, but I’m not sure.
I will confess that before I read your post it didn’t occur to me that we never ask the question
if our own youth might be having trouble paying for college. In a similar vein, I went to a UU church
that offered an elaborate tutoring program for low income kids, but I don’t recall anybody ever
asking if some of the congregation’s own children needed help.
Even if we did ask that question, we would likely decide to continue giving the
scholarships/tutoring to youth whom we don’t know who have had comparitively fewer advantages. But it’s interesting that
we don’t ask the question…
CC
Mr Crankypants might ponder the question of whether the “vicious,” strictly sociological, anti-middle-class screed he’s longing for would have opened up a useful conversation or simply stuck a pin in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of the magazine’s readers. Does Mr Crankypants think there’s not a theological component to our class narrowness? Has he somehow failed to notice the statistics that show UU congregational members to be overwhelmingly college-educated (and even graduate-degreed)?
Muder’s piece isn’t the last word on UUism and class. But it is something.
When Dan gets back, maybe he’d ask Mr Crankypants about his objections and write a letter to the editor — cranky, constructive, or some combination of the two.
Unitarian Universalists somehow missed the third wave of feminism. The Unitarian Universalist surfboard wasn’t waxed in time, or something.
This is hilarious.
I think Doug started a great conversation – and hopefully it will spark some conversations in actual congregations, and maybe (!) people will start making some changes.
I would be interested in hearing more about Mr. Crankypants’ opinion on the theological argument and exactly where he thinks it fails. I’m still trying to get my head around that.
My spouse’s father is a janitor. And my spouse didn’t graduate from college. Hm.
Oh, Mr. Crankypants is so pleased that he stired people up enough to comment. Love you all, but two of you deserve extra special notice….
My dear Philocrites, of course Mr. Crankypants is glad UU World ran the article on class bias. Aside from the fact that it gives him something to complain about, it is a topic that must be addressed. But really, you should know better than to offer the choice of “useful conversation or simply sticking a pin in the eyes of the readers,” because Mr. C. will choose pin-sticking every time. Useful conversation is what Dan tries to do.
Ms. Theologian, Mr. Crankypants doesn’t have opinions, Mr. Crankypants has pronouncements. Doug Muder makes wonderfully complete and unassailable theological arguments. It’s not a matter of Doug’s arguments failing, it’s a matter of Mr. Crankypants making pronouncements. You are probably operating under the mistaken assumption that this post is a carefully reasoned argument, but it is really something far more beautiful than that — it is a polemic. Hope this answers your question!
In their churches, a lifetime of obedience and toil is rewarded with eternal bliss. In ours, a lifetime of Costco lasagna is rewarded with an eternal dirt nap. Why are they ignoring us? Whyyyyyyyy?
M. Crankypants, Je t’adore!
ton ami, M. Merde-Merde.
Sorry Dan, M. MM insisted he write a note. He is such a fan of Mr. Crankypants. Oh, and you’ll love this: the new hatchet chancellor at our little local university has decreed that they should stop trying to attract non traditional students (read local working class) and start trying to attract high school students (read local middle and upper middle class). And, no one is allowed to wear blue jeans to campus anymore (read: it looks too working class).
Hmmm…smells a little like a whiff of classism to me.
Alors, Mme. Merde-Merde
“…no one is allowed to wear blue jeans to campus anymore…”
Enforced? Enforceable? Your students will sneer at you. Oh, wait, does this refer to the employees only? So the janitorial staff needs to wear chinos now?
I would like to point out if I may, there are quite a few working class people (myself included) who really have no inclination to go to college.. whether or not my congregation supports such a move is irrevalant.
To make the case that the best way to welcome and support working class people is assure they have support to go back to school is actually part of the problem.. believe it or not.. many working class people are quite happy and fulfilled.
Why can we not hold up the myriad of abilities, talents, and uniqueness working class people bring to our congregations without our next thought be the assumption that the only reason they are “working class” is because they could not afford college or because we do not have the ability or support to handle college?
In my honest opinion what UUism desperatly needs is some working class attention to detail, work ethic, and frankness.
For my opinons on the theology argument please read here
Jamie — Thanks for the link to your take on the theology argument (which Mr. C. didn’t address at all, really). Beyond that, while I don’t want to speak for Mr. Crankypants, when you say, “To make the case that the best way to welcome and support working class people is assure they have support to go back to school is actually part of the problem,” I think Mr. C. might agree with you. Certainly I would agree with you. However, since Unitarian Universalists have historically supported full access to education for all who desire it, it would make sense for us to support full access to education for anyone in our congregations who desire it — not to try to push everyone into college, but to support those who want or need it. Here at First Unitarian in New Bedford (where we have homeless, working poor, working class, middle class, and upper middle class members and friends), the congregation has been very supportive of members and friends of any age who choose to go to college, providing everything from moral support to financial assistance — so while we have a good percentage of members and friends who have no need and/or interest in college (about 50%), the congregation will support you if you chose to go. And when you write, “In my honest opinion what UUism desperatly needs is some working class attention to detail, work ethic, and frankness,” I agree. Diversity could be our biggest strength, if we would let it be.
DAN:
“You could also add denominational publications with articles aimed solely at the leisured middle class and upper middle class. Like articles that ask, “Why aren’t there any working class people in our congregations?†thus effectively ignoring the working class people who are already in Unitarian Universalist congregations. ”
….
I couldn’t agree more! Good observations across the board, Dan. And i enjoyed reading all the comments, folks.
This post blunts the years of warm, fuzzy feelings I’ve carried for UUs since childhood;
however, it confirms my underlying belief that no organization or group is without its own bed
of prejudice.
It does remind me, though, to continue communing with the world from an “eyes wide open” stance.