Mormons are a peculiar people. We've always been told that and, the truth is, we kind of like it that way. But, living in Utah, amidst the greatest concentration of Mormons in the world, I didn't realize how recognizable a Mormon is -- at least to another one. In Disneyland, I picked up the unintentional habit of Mormon spotting. At Disneyland, Mormons are EVERYWHERE! I'm not really even sure what it is, that makes them stand out from the crowd. There are certain tell tale signs (without getting too mysterious) that are dead giveaways (CTR rings etc...) but you generally have to get pretty close to see those things. I was spotting Mormons from across the park. Every line I was in, for rides, food or shopping, I was shoulder to shoulder with Mormons. Mormons just look different. Not weird, just not the same as everyone else. Actually, I suspect it was probably not noticeable to
non Mormons in the park. I can't tell you if it's in their faces or the way they dress - they are slightly more modestly dressed than your average Disneyland goer. But, it's very subtle. (Okay, maybe they have a few more kids orbiting them than your typical park attendee and much to my brother's disgust, there was a lot of BYU apparel). It was mostly the Mormon mothers that really stood out -- maybe that comes from being married to one of them -- and I mean that as a compliment. It seems cheesy to say, but I thought it was neat that they stood out from the crowd.
By the end of the first day, my Mormon radar was fully in tune. I was truly astonished at how prevalent they were. It was almost distracting.
Incidentally, by way of comparison, after Disneyland, we spent the next two days at Universal Studios and Sea World, and I saw not one identifiable Mormon. Truth be told, we spend a lot more time at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah, and the Mormons were easier to spot at Disneyland.
The pictures I've included with this post are not of the random Mormons we saw, but just us. We're Mormons too.
2 comments:
NO WAY!!!!!
I thought my father in law and I were the only ones that did that in Disneyland! I never told anyone because it is kinda weird but we do it every time we go. We look at the beach, (harder to identify without the same 'modesty'), Disneyland, Universal, Sea World and you are right, there are TONS of them in Disneyland.
It is actually quite a fun and entertaining game. You do get better and better at it as the day(s) roll on.
They were, literally, everywhere I looked. It wasn't even intentional, I just couldn't help it.
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