Small Talk: Utah-king To Me?

[Meredith Quill]

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[RedDelicious]

I went to Salt Lake City a couple of summers ago for a friend's wedding.  It was hot as blazes when we were there.  What stood out to me the most was the homeless population, for the most part young, what would have been relatively attractive people.  Strung out on drugs, wearing huge parkas and sleeping in sleeping bags in the 100+ degree heat.  Every time we got out of the car, whether it was at the gas station or at our hotel, we would be approached by people asking for money.  I asked my friend what was up with all the young homeless people and she said the majority of them are former Mormons ex-communicated from their families 😞  It was a real eye opener.

[itsadryheat]

58 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

It was a real eye opener

I recently relocated to a what I found out was a heavily mormon town. Had no preconceptions one way or another about all things mormon. Quickly found out the culture was 100% not for me. Moved back. Real eye opener for me as well.

[geauxaway]

Many years ago I watched the PBS documentary “The Mormons.”  It was fascinating (to me).  I mean my whole life I knew about them but only really that they go door to door, don’t drink coffee and all live in Utah (and the polygamy, of course).  I knew nothing about their doctrine and wow.  Highly recommend.

[itsadryheat]

4 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

I mean my whole life I knew about them but only really that they go door to door, don’t drink coffee and all live in Utah (and the polygamy, of course). 

That was me. In retrospect, I should have done a very deeper dive, but had visited the area many times previous and never thought anything about it. I now have a very strong opinion of that culture. 

[RedDelicious]

My friend who got married is a former Mormon. She never, ever talks about it and I never ask. I don’t think her family is Mormon anymore either. She had alcohol at her reception but it was definitely not a booze fest and I noticed probably about half of the guests didn’t drink. 

[connieinnc]

Where I grew up is not too far from Hill Cumorah, where Joseph Smith supposedly found the tablets. I remember every year, there would be commercials for the pageant where the 'finding' was celebrated. same commercial, year after year 😞

 

[producerchick]

On 11/12/2020 at 6:15 PM, itsadryheat said:

I recently relocated to a what I found out was a heavily mormon town. Had no preconceptions one way or another about all things mormon. Quickly found out the culture was 100% not for me. Moved back. Real eye opener for me as well.

Can you elaborate on what was eye opening? What was it about the culture of the town that turned you off? Lack of coffee shops and bars or deeper than that? I'm genuinely interested, having never traveled to that part of the US. 

[producerchick]

If anyone is interested in mormon history and/or culture, I highly recommend "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" by John Krakauer (author of Into Thin Air and Into the Wild). This book was fascinating and shocking. I already knew about the Mormon faith (I went to a Christian school and we were taught the basics of all religions) but the origin story is just...wow. Apparently it's in development to become a movie as well. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Banner_of_Heaven

https://www.amazon.com/Under-Banner-Heaven-Story-Violent-ebook/dp/B000FC1R2S

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by producerchick
added wiki link

[bloomlover]

As someone who is a non mormon who was born and raised here as long as you stick to the Salt Lake area you will be fine.

[Fruitless]

Yeah SLC proper and Park City are fairly liberal and non-LDS

 

as for the homeless population being all excommunicated kids—that seems a bit sensationalist. They’re homeless for the same reason people are homeless other places. There are a lot of homeless people here because the church dumps a bunch of money into them as outreach, which has some unintended consequences.  It’s a good place to be homeless, I guess. (Except for the weather) SLC did a big operation last year where they tried to remove them from a large park downtown, but they just scattered to other parts of town. 

[GrammyPammy]

So...I grew up in Brigham City, Utah...as a Baptist! (“Gentiles”, the Mormons affectionately call us).

THIS is the book you want. THIS is the book the Mormon church does not want you to read. THIS is the book whose author was dragged through the mud and ex-communicated. It is very eye-opening and you won’t be able to put it down. I swear on Brigham Young’s grave!

[Baltimore Betty]

We are three episodes in and we can check off some boxes already. Over blown birthday party, check. Roaring Twenties party, check. White party, check.  Glam Squad, check.  

The Roaring Twenties party was the usual, a few guests that just do not get the concept as in that one who wore a suit but that jewelry...OMG, it was stunning art deco or would that have been Belle Epoch?  The HW Shah had to have her GS do a trial hair and makeup (for a party that she was not even hosting), only to put on a dress that did not fit the time period and it looked as though she cut up her bedspread to make it.

The baby shower was strange, The Beefy Blonde HW makes a speech about how young the mothers to be are? In a culture where marrying young is the norm why even mention how young they are?  What was the point of starting shower games if you were just going to walk away?  I know, it is all for show.  White parties are a bit "done," aren't they?

That squeaky voiced blonde HW going to the holy roller church with her father, I could have watched it on mute, the father's hair and facial expressions were nuts.  The Preacher Woman HW has the worst wigs, bad condition, bad colors, worse than Kim Zolciak's first season wigs.

Oh and that Tequilla HW, her son is hella annoying, nobody put their V in your face (is doing high kicks a thing at parties?), he rules the roost but not with his fabulousness but with his holier than thou shitty attitude.  The daughter seemed normal. 

Wait, she is not the Tequilla HW, it is the other one that looks just like her but you know who I mean.

 

Edited November 26, 2020 by Baltimore Betty
Don't know their names and don't care to learn them.

[J80134]

My sister-in-law grew up in a large Mormon family. Her mother was excommunicated when her last child was born and it came out that her husband wasn't the father. Some of her adult children remained in the faith and married in the temple (you know, the special marriage Lisa bragged about). She wasn't allowed to attend the ceremonies or any activities taking place on church grounds. The church treated her like crap for a decade and then, her husband (yup. He stayed and raised the kid as his own) came into an inheritance and was able to make large donation that made them rethink her status. Now she's back in the fold and putting all her energy into church stuff and people. She's so thrilled to have all of her "friends" back. It makes me sad for her.

[JenE4]

So my mom might not be on Jen Shah’s “vulnerable and gullible” lead list, but she’s certainly on someone’s “vulnerable and gullible” lead list ever since she first fell for a scam of having someone “clean viruses off her computer”—costing 3 times more than the computer is worth! She’s constantly being contacted by scammers, and just today emotionally fell for the “your grandson is in jail” scam. The only reason she didn’t send the $9800 “bail money” was because she didn’t know how to do a wire transfer! But she came rushing over convinced he ran someone over with his car—despite his car being in the driveway. And said she even talked to him—and was “certain” it was him, when I questioned her about his voice. She was about to drive straight to the courthouse when I was like, uh, let’s just knock on his door—and of course he was in his room. Anyway, just made me think of Jen Shah’s scam—someone just like her (slight possibility even her??) selling my mom’s contact info over and over again because this 72-year-old computer illiterate (aside from Facebook) woman falls for every spoof, spam, and phishing scam in existence. No matter how many times we tell her ALWAYS assume it’s a scam and then take the time to investigate that it’s not.

Edited January 25, 2022 by JenE4

[JonnieUniteUs]

On 1/25/2022 at 4:22 PM, JenE4 said:

So my mom might not be on Jen Shah’s “vulnerable and gullible” lead list, but she’s certainly on someone’s “vulnerable and gullible” lead list ever since she first fell for a scam of having someone “clean viruses off her computer”—costing 3 times more than the computer is worth! She’s constantly being contacted by scammers, and just today emotionally fell for the “your grandson is in jail” scam. The only reason she didn’t send the $9800 “bail money” was because she didn’t know how to do a wire transfer! But she came rushing over convinced he ran someone over with his car—despite his car being in the driveway. And said she even talked to him—and was “certain” it was him, when I questioned her about his voice. She was about to drive straight to the courthouse when I was like, uh, let’s just knock on his door—and of course he was in his room. Anyway, just made me think of Jen Shah’s scam—someone just like her (slight possibility even her??) selling my mom’s contact info over and over again because this 72-year-old computer illiterate (aside from Facebook) woman falls for every spoof, spam, and phishing scam in existence. No matter how many times we tell her ALWAYS assume it’s a scam and then take the time to investigate that it’s not.

Infuriating 😡

and I’m sure quite frustrating 😞