An interactive computer app meant to raise cultural awareness and help visitors discover their roots at the LDS Family History Library is drawing fire from some critics as being culturally insensitive.
Here's how it works: Upon arriving at the new "Discovery Experiences" exhibit at the library in downtown Salt Lake City, patrons can check out a tablet, input their LDS account number and dock it into one of the stations. That pulls up the users' family histories. If they want, they then can take photos of themselves and superimpose them on figures dressed in native clothes from various cultures.
That may mean putting white faces on black and brown bodies, some of whom are wearing attire that would be considered sacred by various societies: a bare-chested Samoan or an American Indian in a feathered, fringed shirt. Guests can also insert their faces onto the body of, say, a Chickasaw princess, a Roman gladiator, a mariachi musician or a British man decked out in a top hat and tails.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
O_K wrote:If you can't imagine how you would feel with other ethnic groups dressing up in your distinctive religious garments for fun it begs to have some videos on YouTube perhaps. Imagine all the fun of groups around the world dressing up for washings and anointings then going on to full garb for simulated temple wedding ceremonies so they can appreciate Mormon culture. The similarities are there even if the Mormons seem oblivious when they sponsor groups to do that kind of stereotyping against others. Sometimes things people think are just good fun are also deeply hurtful to some of those targeted.
I can't say if it's racial stereotyping, but it sounds weird as heck. Like would I take a vintage photo of one of my relatives in a kilt or their beautiful silk dresses and put my face on it?
Um, no.
We do have a kilt in the family that many of the children have been photographed in though. Does that sound weird, too? I don't think so.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
O_K wrote:If you can't imagine how you would feel with other ethnic groups dressing up in your distinctive religious garments for fun it begs to have some videos on YouTube perhaps. Imagine all the fun of groups around the world dressing up for washings and anointings then going on to full garb for simulated temple wedding ceremonies so they can appreciate Mormon culture. The similarities are there even if the Mormons seem oblivious when they sponsor groups to do that kind of stereotyping against others. Sometimes things people think are just good fun are also deeply hurtful to some of those targeted.
Calling NewNameNoah?!
Joke's on them. Back in my day, we didn't dress up for washings and anointings. We dressed down!
Trimble, you ignorant sack of rhinoceros puss. The only thing more obvious than your lack of education is the foul stench that surrounds you.