a peculiar people

My brother sent me a link to a guide separating reality from myth regarding Utah.

Utah is number one in Jello consumption, anti-depressant use (both twice the national average), piano ownership, (five times the national average), birth rate, personal bankruptcies, literacy, computers per capita and household size.

Utah is dead last in families headed by a single parent, births to unwed mothers, spending per student in public schools and alcohol consumption per capita.

Perhaps the low alcohol consumption is the cause of the high anti-depressant use. The high literacy level and low spending on students was surprising, but it’s hard to make any conclusions from such generic data.

Also, Brigham Young never said single men over the age of 25 were a menace to society. He said he wanted every man in the land older than 18 to take a wife. The closest thing they found to the aforementioned quote is Elder George Q. Cannon, an LDS Church apostle, who said, “I am firmly of the opinion that a large number of unmarried men, over the age of 24 years, is a dangerous element in any community.”

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  1. Cool, I’m dangerous. Now all the women will want me (even more than now).

    Actually, in regards to the data pointed out here, I think it’s a perfect example of the importance of a complete family — something that alcohol hurts, and which jello (with carrots) enhances.

    Comment by Cameron on July 28, 2003 @ 8:41 am
  2. I suspect strong families mean less money needs to be spent on students. Technology (pcs) and music (pianos) in the homes help prepare students, too.

    In Nebraska, our school boards comes begging for more money every year. I have lots of friends and family employed by the local school board. They say that a great deal of children show up unprepared. Our schools watch kids before and after school, feed them breakfast and lunch if they are “poor”, and provide supplies like paper and crayons and pencils. We’ve got a slew of special tutors for students with behavior problems, English as a second language, etc. Oh, if uninvolved parents aren’t problem enough, the school board needs to keep a slew of lawyers on hand for parents who sue for things lack of playing time for their little soccer princess, and parents who physically assault teachers’ aides.

    These things should be addressed at home. Because they are not, and these kids are going to be unleashed in our society, the school board feels compelled to try to compensate for the lack of parenting. I understand the schools’ reasoning but at the same time, it is not fixing the underlying problem… sort of like welfare.

    Comment by Renee on July 28, 2003 @ 11:45 am
  3. Hey, I just went back and reread this post. I’m curious as to why Utah would be so high in personal bankruptcies. Your thoughts, Utah residents?

    Comment by Renee on September 27, 2003 @ 8:45 am
  4. The main thing it is attributed to is that kids graduate and want everything their parents have: a nice car and a nice house. They fill up on credit, and then it eventually hits them.

    What I don’t realize is why this is more prevalent in Utah. Is it because families are closer and see more of each other? I don’t know.

    Comment by Cameron on September 27, 2003 @ 1:49 pm
  5. I agree with you, Cameron, on the kids wanting everything adults have. It just strikes me as ironic that it’s happening in a state where the predominate religion is promoting provident living and avoiding debt. One of my friends here didn’t grow up in Utah but he went to BYU for his undergrad and Masters degrees. He said that residents of Provo had a major “keep up with the Joneses” mentality – building bigger and bigger houses, trading in cars frequently, boats, resort memberships, etc. He graduated 10 years ago so I don’t know if it’s the same or worse now.

    On a related note, I subscribed for the last year to a new magazine “LDS Living” and I opted not to renew for a few reasons but one thing that really bothered me was the numerous ads for “exclusive communities” in the foothills and “great second homes” in Arizona. Exclusive communities and second homes that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars are pretty much in direct conflict with being a responsible steward of resources and as such, in conflict with the gospel. IMHO, of course.

    Anyway, if this magazine is an indication of the target crowd and their desires, then I guess that’s another red flag for the bankruptcies.

    Comment by Renee on September 27, 2003 @ 4:05 pm
  6. I heard that Utah, although spending less on students, has one of the highest rates of high school graduation, and those who go on to college. Don’t quote me on that though.

    The church pushes education really hard, so no surprise there. But the bankruptcy thing is a bit of a conundrum.

    Comment by Stu on April 3, 2006 @ 10:59 am
  7. One of the reasons Utah has a high graduation rate is because they are soft on attendance. I knew a girl from Utah who missed more than half of her senior year because she didn’t want to go to school. She made it up through community service, and she graduated on time. The high school I went to in Nevada said that if you missed ten days of school excused or unexcused, you fail all classes that semester. They’re just trying to pad the stats there.

    Comment by goblazers on August 24, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
  8. Do you have references for those stats? I really want to see them.

    Comment by Jim on November 10, 2008 @ 6:07 am
  9. @Jim I don’t. You could try contacting Deseret News.

    Comment by Dan on November 10, 2008 @ 1:26 pm

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