“I can’t, I’m Mormon” – The Unconscious Response to Social and Cultural Issues

     Not sure how many of you know about the controversy behind the “I can’t, I’m Mormon” t-shirt. Let me simply explain as the follows: an Ad was pulled in the BYU student newspaper on promoting the “I can’t, I’m Mormon” t-shirt. People at the campus felt uncomfortable about this Ad and complaints were filed. Opposite opinions were found: people from Utah found this slogan metaphorically implied that Mormon are lured for committing sin at the first place, verse people from outside Utah found this slogan useful in putting away temptation from the sinful world.

     I am not intended to give comments to on either opinion, instead, to discuss the many “Mormon Can’t” issues. However, don’t you think we have too much “I can’t, I’m Mormon” moment? It is a bit fuzzy when we say “I can’t” when actually we don’t know the reason behind we say “I can’t”. Have you been in situation that you feel you should not talk about certain issues because it seems like a taboo in the Church? Let’s say, when your friends talk about gay/lesbian issues. How was you feeling?

     Not sure about you folks in the US, but for Chinese, and as Mormons, it seems like we can’t talk about or do the following things: We can’t talk about sex education (talking about sex? No, you will know what to do when it happens). We can’t talk about gay/lesbian issues (Chinese give you a disgusting face and think that you are evil when you talk about gay/lesbian, it’s a taboo here). We can’t talk about depression (You are supposed to be the happiest/blessed Mormon on earth). We can’t openly talk about problems in a marriage (you married in the temple, it’s supposed to be a perfect marriage).

     At first, it is about being a Mormon and can’t do certain things because it might cause us to sin. Now it is about issues and topics we should talk about but we just think that “we can’t” because we are Mormon. My guess is, members think that if we talk about gay/lesbian issue, church members might have the tendency to be gay/lesbian. Or if we talk about sex education, it may cause members to commit sexual sins. Does it make sense? No, not at all.

     The less we talk about issues such as sex/gay/lesbian/depression and many other topics, the more mystical they become. Instead of saying, “I can’t, I’m Mormon”, members of the Church we should be more liberal in learning these social issues. 

G.K.