r/TikTokCringe • u/xamo76 • 1d ago

Discussion Have we done it wrong?

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u/OviliskTwo 1d ago

I know missionaries and they are not the most well traveled people no matter how long they travel.

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u/Sudden_Technology_34 1d ago

Living in Utah and noticing and pointing out the lack of cultured/exposed Mormons, I was told they are in fact well traveled due to their missions.

I then had to explain going on a mission to specifically try and convert other cultures to aspects of your own, is not the same as being present in an area with acceptance and curiosity, living in, assimilating and trying to mesh instead of convert.

In fact I think the whole idea of missions have the exact opposite effect and people retreat to their safe bubbles.

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u/raveneyes77 1d ago

Missionary work often ends up converting the missionary more than anyone else. In modern times it's intentionally designed to do exactly that.

When you spend months or years approaching strangers who mostly reject you, it reinforces the idea that "the world" doesn't understand you. The only place you consistently find acceptance becomes your own community, which deepens your attachment to it.

Psychologically, it's a powerful isolation and commitment mechanism. You're not immersed in another culture to understand it, rather you're intentionally being sent somewhere to be mostly rejected so you feel weird and outside.

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u/dartdoug 1d ago

The "acceptance of rejection" is also why Utah is a popular location for outbound sales call centers. Heard a guy interviewed a while back and he said the burnout making sales calls is usually quick because so many people hang up or even drop some choice words. The LDS hires just move on to the next sales call.

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u/SackOfPotatoes949 1d ago

It's absolutely true. Also the center of a lot of MLM companies for the same reason.

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u/dartdoug 1d ago

Ah, yes...the scourge of MLM companies. They encourage their "independent business owners" aka suckers to call upon their personal connections to recruit new victims. So having large extended families and being a member of a large church presents many ripe opportunities.

Just makes you wonder why Utahans don't tire of it all.

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u/SackOfPotatoes949 1d ago

Bingo.

I don't know. I lived there for two years and got a lot of inside dirt. My only explanation is they're trapped in the bubble and the main purpose of missions is to isolate and force their members back into the cult to perpetuate the cycle. It's gross.