Thom Hartmann: An Atheist in the hidden world of Mormon polygamy?

[thomhartmann]

Run time: 07:09 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewHS_lmBWo   Posted on YouTube: May 06, 2011 By YouTube Member: TheBigPictureRT Views on YouTube: 145   Posted on DU: May 06, 2011 By DU Member: thomhartmann Views on DU: 1174

 
The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[AtheistCrusader]

1. I don't see what this has to do with Mitt Romney directly.

No longer a tenet of his church, and I doubt he has any hidden wives lurking anywhere.

I do wonder why:

A) Mormons that still practice this don't wait till age 18 to shuck off some of the consent/creepy factor involved, and
B) Why polyandry hasn't arisen in response to the artificial gender imbalance in their insular societies.

[Capitalocracy]

2. No idea on question A, but I can answer question B.

They look for ideological impurities in the boys and then use them as an excuse to kick them out of the community. They use them as slaves until then. Only a few make it to the point of beginning to collect wives.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. I might have been misunderstood.

Polyandry is the opposite of Polygamy. A woman with multiple husbands. If there is a gender imbalance, I wonder why this 'solution' does not arise naturally, in response to the artifically imposed polygamy/gender imbalance in the local population.

I also wonder how the unmarried men are 'forced out'?

[Capitalocracy]

5. That's what I'm saying, they avoid polyandry by kicking men out

thus making up for the gender imbalance. It maintains ideological purity, provides a very real threat for keeping people in line, provides cheap labor that makes them rich (the FLDS cult got rich having these kids do construction work without paying them), and it reserves having these multiple wives (and therefore, according to their ideology, being able to get into heaven) to a select elite.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Ah, the misunderstanding was mine.

I wonder by what mechanism they are 'kicked out'? Is this at a very early age, or mid-late teen?

I didn't grow up in this sort of society, so I don't understand what powers the church, or church members have, socially.

[Capitalocracy]

8. Well, I'm basing this on news reports from the FLDS compound

so I don't know first-hand either, although I knew someone who had a similar "shunning" situation with the Jehovah's Witnesses (after she was date-raped by another member of the church, who was forgiven because he said he repented, but she was considered a slut... sad story).

But it's basically in their late teens, after they've provided some useful labor and when the rebellious streak kicks in... if they question things in any way, or if they're caught doing the kinds of things that really all of them probably do at that age, then they get kicked out of the community. In these closed, cult-like communities, the religious authorities have autocratic levels of power. Also, the boys are pretty much treated like workmules and rather abused, so a number of them voluntarily escape. Still, it's probably better than being one of the girls in these places!

[IronicNews]

3. New to D.U.

I am a big fan Thom. Glad I found you on here-

[Capitalocracy]

6. Welcome to DU

:hi: