Posted on 03/21/2011 2:13:54 PM PDT by delacoert
Let me state from the outset that my purpose here is not to argue that Mormons are meaner than anyone else. I don’t think that. What I am going to argue though is that Mormons aren’t nicer than anyone else either. I’d say if you could get into the heads of Mormons you’d discover that they are thoroughly human, no nicer or meaner than any other large group of people.
Now if you don’t know about Mormonism, the above might seem trivial to you, but consider this, when people talk about knowing Mormons, what is one of the things they are bound to share? Probably something like: oh, they are so nice! Now this was my reaction when I first got involved with the Mormon community, first as an investigator then as a new member. It wasn’t the primary reason I got involved, but I thought they were some of the nicest people on the planet. So what changed my mind? Experience, that’s all, and not even bad, traumatic experience or anything like that. Just everyday experience with lots of Mormons all over. This is my discovery: what I call nicety niceness is a cultural element. It’s like saying please and thank you if you are a polite person. Mormon culture obligates people to avoid conflict (because, contention is of the devil, after all), and just be nice. The Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints take this to an extreme with their women whose motto is “keep sweet”, a phrase which helps illuminate the larger Mormon culture. So, smiling, avoiding contentious topics, a sense of eagerness, all of that are a part of what it is to be polite in Mormonism, and doesn’t necessarily reflect the inner attitudes of those speaking. Why would I say this, you might ask. The reason is because I’ve seen people be nicety nice to someone, and whether male or female, turn around and immediately gossip about them. Actually this happened, well, a lot. At first it was discouraging to me to realize that Mormons weren’t as nice as I thought, but then it was something of a relief to know that they weren’t robots after all. Another thing I observed is that if one Mormon wanted to get someone else to do something, or find out why they are inactive, or cover some other potentially contentious ground, they tend to go round and round but never actually touch the topic they wanted to get to or only get there after ten minutes of nicety. As you can imagine, this tends to lead to plenty of passive aggressiveness. Mormons who have a problem bottle it up and take it out in bizarre ways, such as the cold shoulder.
In short, if you are going to become a Mormon, one of the best things you can do is be someone not afraid of a little conflict because then you can get away with doing whatever you want. Chances are, no one will quite know how to deal with that. I much prefer just coming out and saying whatever it is you mean, even if it isn’t nicety. I’m certain that this is one of the major reasons Mormons think everyone else is so darned mean because in other Christian cultures (especially the reformed, I’ve noticed) it isn’t considered rude at all to “state things as you see them”. So you’ll see Mormons and some kind of other Christian apologists going back and forth, the Mormons aghast that someone would be so darned mean, and why are they trying to pull other people down and and… while the Christian apologist starts to accuse the Mormon of being brainwashed because why else would they avoid the topic? and both sides don’t get it. In Mormon culture you have to be nicety nice to have effective communication, no matter how distasteful or simply annoying you may personally find it. If you don’t, the other person assumes you are a rude brute, that doesn’t mean that they are brainwashed or anything else, it means that you are ineffectively communicating with Mormonism.
How did this all come about? A few things: Mormons are supposed to be really, really happy. It’s part of the gospel in Mormonism, man is that he might have joy. If you are not happy, then you aren’t doing something right. Hence, act happy, all of the time (and plenty of Mormons are not afraid of taking anti depressants either, however you want to interpret the fact, Utah is the anti depressant capital of the country– I don’t think Mormons are any more, or less happy than the average outside person either). For example, take the saying that goes something like ”no outside success can compensate for failure at home”- family harmony and happiness is considered in the complete control of the parents, particularly the father and so if it lacking it is all his fault, so darn it, act happy. Another element is that there ought to be total harmony amongst the Saints, after all, they are part of the one true church on the face of the planet led by a living prophet. Contention, any contention, is from Satan.
hmm, if I think of anymore background elements I will add them, feel free to add your input too.
I don’t believe in the whole nicety nice thing.
I am and to an extreme for the most part but once someone has taken my kindness for granted and presumed it to be weakness, I let them know where I stand and we done tolerating their behavior.
From there we are either at an understanding, escalation or no longer communicating except every time they return to their presumptuous imprimatur, which I assure they don’t have with my anymore than they have with anyone else.
“in other Christian cultures (especially the reformed, I’ve noticed) it isn’t considered rude at all to “state things as you see them””
True, the reformed have quite a bit of Scottish highlander in them, quite rough and ready.
You want us on your side in a war, though. And we are faithful friends.
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but profuse are the kisses of the enemy.” - Proverbs
Someone mention Scottish Highlanders? Come over here and I’ll give you what for!
I understand that in Nice there is a nude beach. That’s nice.
Ach and begorn ‘ys, I tell you God is sovereign and I’ll conk the crown of any man who denies it!
Nice! I even hear the brogue as I read it.
“Mormons are supposed to be really, really happy. It’s part of the gospel in Mormonism, man is that he might have joy. If you are not happy, then you aren’t doing something right. Hence, act happy, all of the time ...”
Hiya, Delacort.
That is very sad. We all get sad from time to time (I do a lot) ... and even with having a close relationship with Jesus. Jesus got sad, no? And if a person is not allowed to show it and share it, then there would be no comfort for the person from those supposedly their best friends, family, etc. to help in overcoming whatever is causing the sadness.
Very sorry for the misspelling of your screen name.
Won’t happen again.
Many difficulties.
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