I become a little concerned when I hear people talking about traditions of a particular ward or LDS family as being part of "Mormon folklore" rather than Church-approved practice. Is it acceptable to call any tradition carried on by members of the LDS faith "Mormon folklore"? I think not. I am specifically referring here to examples such as missionary farewell parties, long, travel-log type testimonies, and disturbingly irreverent songs sung in a church setting, but I suppose this could also be applied to more positive, yet unofficial areas (roadshows... YW camp... the Blue and Gold Banquet...). The lables given to these activities ought to represent only the individuals who practice them. Of course, this brings up other problematic questions: How can we talk about "American" folklore without consulting every American? Do we create what we call our folklore or were we created by it? Where do we draw the line in separating our traditions with those of other people in our same folk group? Why? I am willing to make allowances for the sake of those who have a genuine interest in the subject, but I do hope that the day will come when we can stop hearing people characterize Mormon folklore in terms of funeral potatoes, green Jell-O, and movies like "The Singles Ward."
1 comment:
I agree with you on this issue. I wonder if "Mormon culture" might more properly be defined as "Utah Mormon culture" or "Children of the Mormon Pioneers Culture". I do like the food storage, bread-making, homemaking parties side of it though.
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