Gettin' Our Swagger Back

"Tell them [haters] I say put my name on the wall
I speak the Truth, but I guess that's a foreign language to y'all."
 - Lil Wayne in "Six Foot Seven Foot"

The truth can hurt at times. But if we are honest with ourselves and have a sincere desire to be the best we can be, we will learn to love the truth regardless of how sharp and pointed it may be. Yet, regardless of our attitude towards the value of truth, whenever the truth is spoken, someone runs the risk of being injured.

With that in mind, you can always expect some fallout after the close of each General Conference--a worldwide gathering of Mormons to hear sermons from Church leadership. Someone will always take issue with something that has been said during the Conference.

This time around, I've seen some backlash among men regarding some a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson, entitled "Priesthood Power," in which he encouraged men to play a more active role in getting married.

After receiving this counsel, some of our more prolific writers (from CougarBoard) hit the internets to chime in on the topic, suggesting that the same counsel should be given to women. There was also a Reciprocity Resolution launched which proposed something along the same lines i.e. that the responsibility for marriage falls upon both men and women rather than solely upon the shoulders of men.

This type of response to gentle correction and encouragement is so old school that it probably pre-dates old school, dating all the way back to the original man.

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12).

In other words, I know I messed up. But, as you can see, I'm not the only one messed up around here. In fact, I think you could be more involved in the solution than I can be at the moment. To err is human. But to blame someone else is even more so.

I know asking a girl out can cause some anxiety. Rejection can be a terrible experience. On the other hand, acceptance may be 10x more nerve racking if you don't normally enjoy the company of other humans. I think the key is obviously to change the type of music you listen to. You've gotta get yourself psyched into it, man. Seriously. We just talked about how music affects you here.

Instead of listening to "Creep" by Radiohead and telling yourself you're a loser...

...you gotta get your swagger back by listening to Lil Wayne or something.

"Your boyfriend is lame
I make it rain on ya
He never make it rain
Like Southern California"
- Lil Wayne in "Make It Rain (Remix)"

That's the kinda swagger our guys need! Now if we can only figure out what to do with the rest of Lil Wayne's lifestyle pursuit that may not be consistent with the aspirations of Mormonism.

America's Best Dance Crew: Season 6

ABDC: Season 6 is here!

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6) - MTV Shows

I'll admit, I was afraid the show had been canceled--especially since the last episode of season 5 was an idea that I'd had for a final season of the show. But I'm really glad we're doing season 6. Personally, I think IaMmE had the best performance of the night. What can I say? I love tutting and isolations.

I love hip hop and ABDC, baby!

Did you know Mormons dance too?

Here's some info about music and dance from the legendary For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, a pamphlet to help young people make decisions about standards they will uphold for the rest of their lives. The pamphlet is sometimes lovingly referred to as FSOY.

"Music and Dancing

Music can help you draw closer to your Heavenly Father. It can be used to educate, edify, inspire, and unite. However, music may be used for wicked purposes. Music can, by its tempo, beat, intensity, and lyrics, dull your spiritual sensitivity. You cannot afford to fill your minds with unworthy music. Music is an important and powerful part of life. You must consider your listening habits thoughtfully and prayerfully. You should be willing to control your listening habits and shun music that is spiritually harmful. Don't listen to music that contains ideas that contradict principles of the gospel. Don't listen to music that promotes Satanism or other evil practices, encourages immorality, uses foul and offensive language, or drives away the Spirit. Use careful judgment and maturity to choose the music you listen to and the level of its volume.

Dancing can be enjoyable and provide an opportunity to meet new people and strengthen friendships. However, it too can be misused. When you are dancing, avoid full body contact or intimate positions with your partner. Plan and attend dances where dress, grooming, lighting, dancing styles, lyrics, and music contribute to an atmosphere in which the Spirit of the Lord may be present."

Warning: This is a personal interpretation of a Mormon standards and is not an official statement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Basically, the counsel given in FSOY is to avoid music or dancing that may potentially lead you to make poor choices or commit sins. Let's be clear, these standards are not declaring it is a sin to listen to certain types of music or dance in a certain way. The standards are warning you that being careless about your music or dance choices may lead to sin.

This is confirmed on the front page of the pamphlet.

"You can avoid the burden of guilt and sin and all of the attending heartaches if you will but heed the standards provided you through the teachings of the Lord and His servants" (emphasis mine).


Yes. This means that you can still run into "good" Mormons (those who are trying not to sin) in the strangest and perhaps even the most compromising of circumstances. I'm not a perfect example of Mormonism, but I'm trying. But I still went to Summer Jam when Sean Paul, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z came in concert. My point is, there are still good people (I'm not going to count myself as a "good" person) who consume media that is generally not considered spiritual in nature...or at least you won't find this media in the "Gospel" or "Religious" section of your local store.


Even the Mormons of the olden days struggled to reconcile mainstream media with their solemn understanding of their beliefs.


"The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children" (Matthew 11:19).

And it is this that we Mormons often need work on: separating actual sin from situations that are questionable at best. It is one thing to try to avoid sin altogether. It is another thing to claim that failure to avoid and prevent sin completely is sin in itself. That's just called "looking beyond the mark." And when we look beyond the mark, we might miss seeing the Light altogether.

"When Thugz Cry" - 2Pac

"When Thugz Cry" - 2Pac
Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics




2Pac may not have realized it, but he was describing some of the precursors to the collapse of civilization in many of his songs. Then again, considering that his "last" album was called "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory," he probably knew exactly what he was talking about.

Most Mormons will probably steer clear of 2Pac's music, but I love it because I can see such clear ties to issues I've learned about while studying the gospel. In the interest of time and space, I'll just include the first verse and the chorus.

Lyrics:

"Born thuggin'
And lovin' the way I came up--big money clutchin'
Buzzin' while evadin' cocaine busts
My pulse rushin'
Semi-clutchin' into insanity
They shot at my cousin, now we bustin' at they whole family

Cowards wanna see me buried
I ain't worried
I got a line on the DA 'cuz I'm [buds with] his secretary
I black out and start cussin'
Bust 'em and touch 'em all
They panickin', [people] duckin'; I rush 'em and [bust] 'em all
Probably be an old man before I understand
Why I had to live my life with pistols closed in hand
Kidnapped my homie's sister--cut her face up bad
They even raped her; so we blazed they pad
Automatic shots rang out on every block
They puttin' hits out on politicians, even cops
I ain't lyin'! They got me sleepin' with my infrared beams
And in my dreams
I hear [all these people] screamin',
'WHAT IS THE MEANIN'!?!?'

When thugz cry
Battle scars and closed caskets are multiplied
[All these people] die
Don't ask why
When thugz cry
We don't shed tears; we shed blood
Do you still wanna be a thug?"

Commentary:

I love this song so much because, to me, it captures the feel of what it's like to watch your society crumble. Meanwhile, you're continually hoping the situation will improve, but you don't know how to fix it. All you know is where everything went wrong--at home.

Each time I hear this song, I am reminded of the conditions of society that preceded collapses of entire civilizations documented within The Book of Mormon aka The BOM. I hope our society doesn't fall apart so drastically and I hope to be part of the solution rather than the problem.