Public Display of Affection= PDA
Utah According to the Ivins'....
Apparently, Utah middle schools and high schools have way less PDA.
"There is, like....NO PDA at school" High school student
"Yeah, there isn't any in Middle school either." Middle school student
New Mexico-way more PDA. Hand holding, sharing soda...etc.
New Jersey- everyone was back together or found new love after summer. Just seeing who was with who was part of the first day back to school.
Utah...no PDA. Things that make you say...hmmm?
According to 2 random high school students that are NOT mormon, "Mormon girls are weird. They, like, don't talk to you if your not Mormon. Whatever, the guys are cool, it's just the girls."
What I am amazed at is that the kids knew who was Mormon the first day and who wasn't. It was like part of the everyday conversation of, What religion are you? How did religion come up? Mormonism is such a part of Utah, that it just came up. Some were more "active" than others, some had left the church because a husband left the wife, others went because their mom made them. It is the same everywhere, there are just more Mormons here, so we get to know who the "inactive" are, where as, in another state, we may never know that Sally used to be Mormon. Odds are Sally isn't though.
So, there is a term I would like to address here, "Utah Mormon". There are many ideas and everyone I have asked knows what I am talking about.
LDS Living- a magazine- recently had an article, "What is a Utah Mormon."
click here to see the article
http://ldsliving.com/story/68795-ldsl-blog-what-is-a-utah-mormon
Here is a list from the article:
* A Utah Mormon has an ignorance or naiveté about the world around them.
(eehh...I am not so sure about this one. Maybe they are referring to the Homeschool Mormons?)
* Utah Mormons are nice and well-meaning but not able to comfortably hack it outside of heavily LDS-populated areas.
(I think they think they can, but do not totally agree.)
* They tend to stick to their own and are critical of people or situations that are different; they tend to cling tightly to Mormon culture (as they understand it).
(TRUE)
* Utah Mormons feel more educated on Church procedure and culture and can’t help but share such knowledge with those in other areas.
(True)
* Utah Mormons take the Church for granted and are not able to develop as tested or strong a testimony as those who are laboring in the “mission field.”
May be true for some, but is true for any person in any part of the world.
(Side note: Using the term “mission field” to describe anywhere outside of Utah is a huge pet peeve of mine. It is time we all realized – everyone lives in the mission field.)
Here is my observation and conclusion after talking with numerous people and observing:
* Judgmental-Mormons do not let their children hang out with just anyone, they have to be a member, and a good one. Therefore, this is part of the second and third one from the LDS living list, they are uncomfortable around those who are not Mormon and cling tightly to Mormon culture
Two types of Mormon Culture:
1.(shorts to the knees, modest, no body piercings, no tattoos, no pre-marital sex, or foreplay -there is nothing wrong with Mormon Culture
2. Mormon culture to the extreme (shorts to the knees, modest- nothing tight, no body piercings,no tattoos, no tank tops, gasp when some one wears shorts too short, looks at the shoulders of one who wears a tank top, snickers at their piercings, and can't help but put their input as to why Pre-marital sex is wrong, and wonders why in the world someone would get a tattoo of that there (referring to the "tramp stamp")of course
I said two, but there is a third, unfortunatly. This type of Mormon can be called the rebound effect. They are live in fear of being the #2 type of Mormon. In the fear, they actually become everything a Mormon is not, or a Jack Mormon. There are few #1 type, one mostly sees #2 and #3.
So There you have it. What a Utah Mormon is and what it is like living in Utah. So far, so good. The neighborhood is great. Not everyone is Mormon, as I expected. The one's that are not Mormon have already said, "Well, what ever the sisters can't do for you in the ward, we are here for you." Thanks...I think. That leads to another question? Who would I ask first for help, a friend or sister in the ward? Another blog post. As for my good ol' friend in New Jersey... I would have always asked her. BFF's are the BEST!
As for our "Utah" ward, they are wonderful. I would have to ask though, What is the deal with the "rat tail"? I had to explain to my 10 year old what that piece of hair was hanging in the back. There was every kind of "rat tail" in the ward ie.... side, back middle, upper right, and braided rat tail. Ugh...every time I look at it I can't help but think that a rat tail is so out of place in the twenty first century, like a BYU fan at a University of Utah Fan Fest. So, out of place.
Here's to living in Utah. We will see what will come, but as for me and my house.....oh.. you know the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment