Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeWaters
by the way, I deleted my harsher statements before you posted your reply.
Your most cogent thought in this thread is that I wasw demeaning you in my last post.
That's batting under the Mendoza line, my friend.
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Well let's look at the suggestion that LDS culture some how contributes to a supposed increased rate of suicide among young adult LDS males. The postulate would be that the emphasis on not pursuing gay relationships would force those conflicted with their internal instincts with the philosophy which they seek to adhere to, into a miserable state of cognitive dissonance, thus contributing to more suicides.
I may be a lousy scientist, in that I concur, but I understand meaning and rhetoric. So I understand your inferences.
But as I understand analysis of mental aspects as they interact with congenital impulses, it seems too linear to infer a causal relationship. It would be interesting to see if a meaningful reliable study could be constructed. The problem I see would be controls and definitions. Again I'm no researcher but some of this doesn't require being a scientist, just understanding the process.
Relying upon urban myths bother me.
I remember years ago on Utefans when the statement of Utah's morals contributing to "one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies". I quickly turned to the CDC to discover that the myth, not only was false, but dead wrong. Utah may have a teen pregnancy problem as does our entire union, but at that time the data showed, the myth was wrong.
So when some playwright opines Utah has some suicide problem in excess of others I can imagine finding similar contradictory evidence. Heck, I seem to remember black male suicide rates to be astronomical in certain urban centers. Now to be fair, I recognize the suggestion that LDS gays may have higher suicide rate than other gays, but suicide is certainly a much bigger problem in other segments of the population.