Utah Mormons vs Mormons Everywhere Else
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:34 pm
An interesting post today on Cougarboard.com about Utah’s Mormon culture. It’s from a guy who moved back to Utah after living in Missouri for 15 years, and about the culture shock he’s getting in Utah Mormon culture.
It really hits a chord and reminds me of how different it is to be a Mormon in the Church in Utah vs. other places in the world.
It really hits a chord and reminds me of how different it is to be a Mormon in the Church in Utah vs. other places in the world.
BYUMizzou wrote:
Are people this weird everywhere?
So I recently moved back to Utah and have noticed how strange some of the people are here. I grew up here, and I, for the most part, thought most of the people in my ward were fairly normal. I guess that's what happens when you're young - you don't notice how strange some of the people are. After spending the last 15 years in Missouri, I have to say, some of the stereotypes about "Utah Mormons" are spot on.
For example, in the past few months, I've realized that church is not only for worshiping, but for "networking" and expanding your "downline." In the 15 years I lived in Missouri, I was never once hit up to join a multi-level marketing scheme, but since I've moved back, I've have people extol the virtues of tupperware, skin products, leadership training, and half a dozen other things sold in a pyramid scheme, and that's just during Sunday School. I've tried to be polite, but I've learned you CAN NOT show any interest at all, or they'll hound you to death.
For example, one of my friends I grew up with recently started selling some exotic berry juice in some multi-level marketing program. She was one of the girls in my ward growing up, and she also recently moved back to the area. Apparently she's hot stuff within this "company" (and I use that term "company" loosely), and moved back to Utah to be closer to the mothership. I made the mistake of being polite once and letting her come over to practice her sales technique, and now she won't leave me alone. She's constantly showing up with the bottle of snake juice in hand, claiming it'll cure everything and anything under the sun. I'm constantly getting emails, text messages, instant messages, and voice mails from her practically begging me to become financially independent through her berry juice. She's even started asking to jog with me, but even then is busy spurting out blurbs about MonaVie between breaths.
Another example - last night I was working with the Teachers quorum at mutual. We were doing a standards night and going over the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. The YM president had asked a member to come in and talk about the dating section to the Teachers. This is also a guy who I grew up, and who I thought was mostly normal other than carting around a D&D set with him where ever he went. Obviously I was mistaken. When the YM President turned the time over to him, he started off by reading the section on dating, then progressively got more and more animated about how important the standards were to live, even as you grew older. By the end of his speech, he was standing on his chair, one hand holding onto the back of the chair, and the other hand clutching the FSOY pamphlet, with spittle flying from his lips screaming about fidelity and moral worthiness. He was sitting in the chair right in front of me, so it was almost like he was screaming right at me the whole time. I kept looking for an opening to sneak out, but because I was right next to him, there was never an opening. Needless to say, I had to shower when I got home to recover from the shower he gave me at church.
I don't know if it's something in the water or what, but Utah is . . . well, it's weird.