"So... you're Mormon, what do you think about Mitt Romney?"

I have been asked this three times now. It doesn't annoy me, it only reminds me how Mormonism is still considered so different to other Christian denominations. I don't see other Evangelical Christians being asked what they think about Bush (is he Evangelical?) Although I might have not heard the prior question being asked, I have heard similar questions being asked in the context of minority identities.

The school I attend has a minority of Asian, African-American, and Latino students and as such, I have heard some pretty horrific questions. In a discussion about race (which happens frequently), students were discussing the way minorities were being referred to. Descriptors such as, "asian pacific islander" "black" "white" "south american" and the "n" word came up. The descriptors for African Americans provoked the strongest reaction, with some students preferring to use "african american" and others "black." However, later in the day I heard about a student who went to an african american friend and asked, "so what do you guys prefer to be called." Needless to say I was ashamed to have witnessed such a question. What is worse is that these happen often. I will not try and recapture how the student reacted to that question, suffice it to say that they did not appreciate being tokenized for their racial identity.

Although I can relate, I have not had to deal with questions that ignorant too often. I often do have people asking me to either verify or disprove stereotypes about asians or germans or foreigners or mormons, in general. They are amusing, and also alarming. It is alarming because I see how incomplete our understanding of other cultures is. Cultural sensitivity seems to be studied in classrooms, but rarely exercised.

Back to my experience...
I don't know what I think about Mitt Romney. Perhaps you should ask me whether I have been following U.S. politics first? Perhaps you should find out who I am rooting for? (Obama 2008!) Perhaps we can first hold a conversation about policies and platforms and then gradually you can introduce the topics of different candidates... and then drop the Mormon Bomb.

Perhaps because being Mormon is so unusual it must infiltrate my every preference. Perhaps stereotypes my friends have grown up with dictate that Mormons always vote along religious lines. Perhaps Mormons are known to be prejudiced. (Ok, I know, that's a little harsh...) Either way, it seems that belonging to any kind of minority identity leads people to believe it affects you as much as it affects their perception. Perhaps because people see me as an Asian/Mormon female, my personal choices and preferences must be equally affected. Perhaps it is unprecedented that an Asian Mormon Female would not be interested in U.S. politics... "but you're Mormon! And Mitt Romney's Mormon!"... Hence we must be best friends :-) I must know everything about him and every other Mormon.

I love the idea behind it, honestly. I love the idea that any group I identify with (be it religion, racial, or hobby) automatically makes me an expert for all of them. That would make learning about people so much more easy! I wish I could tell you how every single Mormon feels about Mitt Romney. It would be amazing if my opinion of him would automatically answer the question you were really meaning to ask. "What do you (and every other Mormon alive) think about Mitt Romney?"
:-)

By the way, I love my friends... and I love these discussions. And if you have asked or probably want to ask any question like the ones I ranted about, please feel free to. Without conversations, I cannot correct stereotypes. You are actually doing me a favor...

Peace.