The
biggest problem with BYU can be summarized in one word: stereotypes.
My whole
life I’ve been on the receiving end of misconceptions and stereotypes. I’ve lived in
Texas the vast majority of my life where I grew up going to school as one of three
LDS students in an environment dominated by Southern Baptist views. It wasn’t
uncommon to hear other students yelling derogatory remarks aimed at me and my religious beliefs. Some as
innocent as, “Hey Mormon boy! How many moms do you have?” While other students used excessive swearing and crude remarks to express their opinion about the church. And the only reason they did these things was
because they were uninformed and didn’t question the anti-Mormon material told to them by their church leaders, who truly knew nothing about the LDS
church.
These attacks
were really what made me decide to attend BYU because I wanted to get away from
such petty stereotypes and misconceptions. But not long into my first semester,
it became obvious that what I had hoped for was not the case. The “culture” of
BYU is littered with stereotype of all kinds, some based on which state you are
from, whether you’re a freshman, and even if you’re an RM or not. And the
reason I see this as BYU’s biggest problem is because stereotypes are a sign of
being close-minded and ignorant to the truth, much like the students who harassed
me back home. And until stereotypes see their last day, we can not grow and develop as a student body and community.
There is not one person or
group that is the source of misconception. It’s everyone’s fault. It’s promoted by a lack of desire among the
population to know the truth and a fear of questioning the everyday “norm” set
in place by society. But luckily there is hope! With a heavy dose of curiosity
and common sense, BYU can begin to break free from these stereotypes. So if there is something about someone's life that
you’re curious about, JUST ASK. And to hopefully start the process, I'll end a few stereotypes I encounter frequently . My name is Sam Brantley. I’m from the small town of Aledo, Texas (population of about 1500). I do not ride a horse to school, I do not say y’all, I do not wear boots and spurs and a cowboy hat, and just because I’m from a state other than Utah does not mean I’m from the “mission-field.”
Great post, although im a little sad that you dont come to school in a cowboy hat and spurs as that would brighten my mornings up a bit. I'll throw in a few of my own, im from Las Vegas born and raised, no i did not grow up on the strip, no i do not have a gambling addiction, and im ashamed to admit that i cant even shuffle cards.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, I went to a high school where I was the only mormon and I had to live with that stereotype. However, at my school at least, I never found that a difficult stereotype to deal with. But since coming to BYU I have been on the receiving end of every single Canadian joke people can think of. I don't really mind this, because I do happen to fit a lot of the Canadian stereotypes. But it is interesting how when I meet people, those stereotypes are the only thing that people think about me.
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