Chad Burton
Some call it an excuse for out-of-staters to look down their noses at Mormons born and raised in Utah. Others say it's a sad reality. Regardless of personal opinions, a commonly held belief amongst members of the church separates the "Utah Mormons" and Mormons who live in "the mission field."
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| Nerdy - This meme shows a stereotypical night for a "Utah Mormon" |
While Utahns share a mostly homogenous racial demographic, personalities range as wide as those from other states. But a single story is being told, which portrays Mormons from Utah as being naive or overly Mormony.
"I was surprised moving here. I had heard horror stories of what people from here are like. But really, most are pretty cool." BYU Sophomore Eben Hinton said.
Utah Mormons are considered to be overly judgmental. Their swear words include: "flip," or "gosh darn." Anyone that crosses any church standard in the slightest is considered to be condemned socially in the beehive state.
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| Hello Elder - The Book of Mormon musical portrayed mormons as being naive and overly childlike. Some Mormons dismiss this as representing only those from Utah. |
Despite false stereotypes, many Mormons from out of state fear even moving to Utah. Some feel their very way of life is threatened.
"I was afraid when I moved here during high school. I thought I was going to be living with nerds in long socks and sandals. But I found friends just like me," Stephen Johnson from Kentucky said.
In the end, the stereotypical "Utah Mormon" does exist. In any area where a lot of a single religion lives, there are bound to be those that at least slightly fit the stereotype. But these "Utah Mormons" may not be from the place you think.
As a Utah-mormon who is often told isn't like other utah mormons, I can relate. We all fit certain parts of the sterotype and not others. Also, some of the best people I know fit the "Utah-Mormon" sterotype and I love them. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this! You can pretty much find what you're looking for wherever you go.
ReplyDeleteWell said. As a Utah Mormon myself, I often get frustrated at the biases and stereotypes that are thrown at the Utah Mormon.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it's important to find the positives in every kind of people. Everyone has their little negative or annoying eccentricities, but the real virtue is in finding everyone's unique good qualities -- the positive part of their one-of-a-kind-ness. Thanks!
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