I thought this story might engender a long string of posts. At first, I was a little frustrated at how many pages of post I was going to have to read before I posted, but by the end of it all, I was glad I hadn't posted earlier.
After all that I've read, though, I am struggling with knowing how to respond, but feel compelled to post something. So I'm just gonna try to take the ideas as they come (which is difficult, as they're all tumbling around at once).
I, too, am a Christian. When I heard Steve's intro, I was really glad that he was going to give this author and her views a chance.
When I heard the story, I had to keep reminding myself that these were her characters' voice, and not necessarily her voice. Plenty in the story made me angry. It was especially the gay pastor that was described in a "you know how they are" way that made me cringe the most. Please know that not all Christians are racists, homophobes or "everybody-else-haters." I do understand how this stereotype was developed, though. The only thing I can say about that is there is a lot of ignorance on the part of the people who fostered this stereotype, and that they had/have a very incomplete knowledge/understanding of the Bible and have taken a lot out of context. The same can be said of nonbelievers, though (like those who believe Paul was a "sexist and racist asshole" (Sorry, DVG, I really don't like to point people out, but this makes no sense in context of what Paul wrote, and, because of your eloquence (<- that's not sarcasm) and background, I don't want people who don't know for themselves to take what you say on this matter as fact)).
Oh, I'm also a Mississippian. The views expressed by the people in this story seem antiquated to me, but maybe I'm just naive (and i really, honestly, suspect that there is some validity to this). Generally speaking, people seem to keep wanting to keep us (the South in general, and Mississippi specifically) in the 1950s and 1960s, but the South has progressed in their stupid and intolerant views on race (I know this story was set in Wyoming, but even someone said they felt like the author had just turned the country on it's side to find the "dividing line" (that's a pathetic paraphrase on my part–my apologies to whoever posted that, but I don't want to look for the quote)). Honestly, it feels like I've read in the news about more racial violence and hatred in NY and LA. I'm speaking for the entire South, here, and unfairly so, perhaps, but, doggone it, we're tired of being pointed at as the standard of racial intolerance and bigotry when it seems like there's as much or more in some of the other 37 states. It was indeed fair to point at us for those reasons 50 years ago... even 25-30 years ago, but it feels like a lot has happened in the last quarter century in the way of mind-sets.
Ah.... I probably shouldn't have even posted. Most of what I've done is try to defend my beliefs and my region. So my apologies.
But as for the story, the characters were really confusing to me. I couldn't figure out what they believed or what their motivations were (except for the moms). And I had a hard time visualizing the setting (the cafe, not the two cultures). Mainly, though, it wasn't what I would consider sci-fi. Oookay, yeah, I guess social science is still science, it's just not what I watch/listen to/read SF for. But I'm fine with getting something like this from Escape Pod every once in a while. It's unexpected, but not abhorred.