Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

A substantive article in the City Journal (ht:T&S), “Child-Man in the Promised Land”, documents what we have all observed:

Not so long ago, the average mid-twentysomething had achieved most of adulthood’s milestones—high school degree, financial independence, marriage, and children. These days, he lingers—happily—in a new hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance.

It is hard not to agree with the sentiment of the article: that we should be very afraid of what the new child-man will make of our society. Perhaps LDS men who were married with kids by 26 can chime in here. And wasn’t Brigham Young saying something about this 150 years ago? I doubt that Kay S. Hymowitz reads the Journal of Discourses though.

In the article, Hymowitz notes that

Not only is no one asking that today’s twenty- or thirtysomething become a responsible husband and father—that is, grow up—but a freewheeling marketplace gives him everything that he needs to settle down in pig’s heaven indefinitely.

To this I would only say “Have you heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?”

Would I be correct in assuming that the Mormon Church isn’t exactly the solution that Hymowitz is pining for in this article?

Bemused Observations

The shoe shiner at my firm today explained to me that Americans really like getting their shoes shined whereas the British don’t have it done. The reason for this, she explained, can be found in British public (i.e. private) schools where only “fags”, as she put it, shine their shoes and then all the other rich boys beat them up.

Americans, by contrast, she explained, love getting their shoes shined because they are “fond of animals” what with all that killing and beef and skins. Also all the horse riding out and about in the free. “We don’t do all that in England.”

A Tale of Labor Terrorism in Salt Lake City

I just noticed a Salt Lake Tribune article about a fascinating episode of labor terrorism in Utah history by Utah historian and Times and Seasons blogger Ardis Parshall. (ht: T&S sidebar)

Some Still Talk of the Old Gifts, Part II

Brother I.C. was baptized last Saturday. Yesterday during Fast and Testimony meeting, he stood to share his most recent miracle — that of finding the Gospel.