I'm rummagging through the archive.org, and came to an old video with Hinckley in it.
He's licking his lips all the time, like a lizard. Eeew.

https://archive.org/details/TheVistaGroup-RareMormonVHSGordonBHinckleyManofIntegrity15thPresidentoftheChurch

BTW, in the same archive, you can read the feminist Sonia Johnson's "From Housewife to Heretic".

Yes he was!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was one very nasty dude. I met him when he visited our Stake. He was second-in-command at that time.

I was a teacher in the Beehive group at that time, and I loved the girls I taught. They had worked together to create a beautiful card for him, to celebrate his visit. It had a combination of imagery from Mormonism, as well as imagery unique to New Mexico. It took more than one revision to get it just right, and my girls put their hearts into it.

I handed it to Himself at a dinner (prepared by the members, of course). I got there a few minutes late because I came directly from work (so I wasn't wearing a dress, either.) His security goons started to approach me.

Friends at one of the tables saw me and beckoned me over, clearing a place for me, so clearly, I was known and welcome, and the goons stood down. I had the precious card with me.

There was a sort of receiving line after supper, to meet Himself. I presented the card, explained that I worked in the Beehives, and that "my girls" had gone to a lot of work to make this card for him.

Without even glancing at the card, he tossed it onto a nearby table, and said, "I'm sure the Prophet will like it." I protested, "But sir, the girls made it for YOU!" He looked a bit put out, and drawled, "Well, I'll give it to him anyway."

I don't recall if either of us said anything after that, or if I just moved along. I was so royally pissed off that he didn't express one bit of appreciation for the card that my girls had put so much work into.

I have never forgiven him for that.

Kindness isn't on their menu, ask me I know.

and it's such an excruciating effort for them to say that they do.

Jesus. Kind of sounds like my experience with bednar. Yours actually sounds like a worse situation. Bednar wouldn't shake my hand or my friends hand because he was already in his car. His protective goon stopped us as well and i just said my friend really wanted to shake bednars hand and the guy said it was too late bednar had already got in the car. What a arrogant and robotic tool i thought of bednar that day. A true leader would have shaken the hand of a follower or member IMO.

Reptilian

All people in leadership positions are reptilian, duh. Haha

I suppose that all the pandering the church leaders receive, they become rather indifferent to the average kindness of the masses, such as your wonderful little girls' offered them.

In my opinion, such leaders have lost their touch with those they judge as being less than themselves.

A pity, because Jesus taught us to notice the humble people of the world we live in, not the "important" or "titled"--who are often not humble or worthy enough to receive such gifts of the heart.

I'm GLAD I never met him (or any other "leaders") face to face. Poor people that have to work with them.

You are lucky. Scott actually shook my hand and didn't seem that bad. This was in the late 90's before it seemed insanely corporate as it is now.

I couldn’t stand him, even before he was caught lying on national TV.
His granddaughter was dying from cancer and he wouldn’t even call her to show any compassion. She excused him, saying that he was so busy.
I loathed his lying little beady eyes.

One of the things that bugged me initially when I was a TBM (but of course repressed in the back of my mind) was that when attending a temple dedication he started cracking jokes. Like, when he was actually dedicating the temple, right before. Everyone thought it was lovely and wasn’t he sweet and funny. But I just felt it was weird, and he looked like he really couldn’t give a s***
I didn’t find out about the lying on tv thing until later. Via the internet of course, and not via the church. It was one of the validating points that defined my conclusion.
One thing I repressed quite heavily from early on in my conversion (brainwashing) was this horrible creepy feeling the church presidency photo gave me. They just didn’t genuinely look like nice guys (Hinckley, Monson and Faust). Monson especially gave me the creeps. I didn’t admit it to myself fully but it’s what I thought straight away the first time I saw it as a non member and it never went away.

In their exalted position, they tend to lack awareness of how they appear to the reg'lar folks.

And the Kimball-Tanner-Romney picture was far, far worse. It looked like three imprisoned criminals trying to act proud of their twentieth failed escape attempt.

as they sare they look EVIL


Third of Five Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the things that bugged me initially when I
> was a TBM (but of course repressed in the back of
> my mind) was that when attending a temple
> dedication he started cracking jokes. Like, when
> he was actually dedicating the temple, right
> before. Everyone thought it was lovely and
> wasn’t he sweet and funny. But I just felt it
> was weird, and he looked like he really couldn’t
> give a s***
> I didn’t find out about the lying on tv thing
> until later. Via the internet of course, and not
> via the church. It was one of the validating
> points that defined my conclusion.
> One thing I repressed quite heavily from early on
> in my conversion (brainwashing) was this horrible
> creepy feeling the church presidency photo gave
> me. They just didn’t genuinely look like nice
> guys (Hinckley, Monson and Faust). Monson
> especially gave me the creeps. I didn’t admit it
> to myself fully but it’s what I thought straight
> away the first time I saw it as a non member and
> it never went away.

I don't have the stomach to watch the whole thing, but, yeah, the tongue thing is disgusting.

He was only 40 something! He looked 80 already.

BTW, he was STINKY. ;)

When I was stationed in Naples Italy. GBH Came to Rome we all went to meet him. I thought I would be in the presence of a Man of God. I Walked up to him and extended my hand. He took my hand and shook it when I looked in his eye a feeling of death came with that look. I have never been able to forget that feeling. That was the beginning of me leaving the Church. It was such evil feeling.

Thanks for sharing.

The old adage is true: never meet your heros. Of course, some people truly aren't heros.

there's more to being 'church broke' than meets the eye...

I'm just curious if they picked it up from one of those modern business school's public speaking courses.

My other thought was that tongue licking was reinforced from the Dale Carnegie's course on How to Win Friends and Influence People.

I read the Dale Carnegie book & I'm certain lizard-tongue behavior was not in there.

Body-language experts say that tongue-licking or any other exposure of the tongue is essentially the same as a child sticking out his tongue at you. It is a marker of distain against you.

I’ve also read this is a sign of anxiety or a subconscious desire thing - probably why this is so creepy when an old man does it.

"When he is inspired by God, he speaks as a prophet, when inspired by Godzilla, he speaks as a lizard". Or words to that effect.

Maybe as TBM you had to censure thoughts about his appearance but Gordon Hinckley looked like a lizard in heat.

After watching him talk, it actually was the beginning of the end for me and got me switching to Geico.

I mean at least the gecko had more class and had me paying 15% less.

When GBH was responsible for east and se asia for the church and the Vietnam war was raging, missionaries were fearful that when released they would be called to the military to serve in Vietnam. In an attempt to qualm their fears, he told us that this war was opening up Vietnam to the church and going to Vietnam would be continuing their service for the Lord.

After the collapse of South Vietnam to the Viet Cong and Ho Chi Minh, I read in Dialogue an article by the Vietnamese man who had been branch president of the Saigon branch. The escape and abuse of the members to try and reach safety was terrible. Today, the LDS church has a small presence in Vietnam - through humanitarian activities. So LBH's prophecy did come true - not by war, but by peaceful means.

everyone talks in the style of warren jeffs in the video. I can't watch it anymore

Yikes! "Licking his lips" is an understatement.