This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sunday's episode of "House of Lies" (11 p.m., Showtime) is titled "Utah," and one of the primary storylines revolves around a racist Mormon businessman.
Here's Showtime's description of the episode:
"On a consulting gig in Utah, Jeannie is put in charge when it becomes clear that the racist CEO of a no-frills motel chain won't take Marty seriously; Clyde tries to make inroads with a virginal Mormon woman."
Showtime also describes the racist character as "a Mormon CEO in Utah."
"House of Lies," by the way, is the new comedy about management consultant Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) and his team. They jet from city to city to close big deals by any means necessary.
Cheadle is, of course, African American. And Kristin Bell, who co-stars as Jeannie, is white.
It's interesting to note that Showtime has no problem making a racist character specifically Mormon. Which is not to say that there aren't Mormons who are racist, just as there are racist Catholics and Jews and Muslims.
But it's worth wondering if they'd be so specific about a racist character's religion if he was Catholic or Jewish or Muslim.