I have invested five minutes of my life in this video, which is five minutes of my life that I will never get back.

Why are you, anybody, posting this here? So far as I can see, it is an LDS faith-promoting film for the already faithful, and I haven't heard a racist word yet.

What racism in the film overcomes the RfM prohibition against LDS faith-producing works here?

This is an agonizingly awful film, and I think it should be hidden.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2018 07:49PM by Tevai.

What would your sales pitch be if you wanted young, white middle class families to join your ooky kooky cult back then?


Underneath the religious stuff, the subtext is "come and join us in the all white world of Mormonism. This is a safe refuge from all of the turmoil and strife caused by those barely human animals that are causing all of the problems."

It's not like they are going to say "we want future tithe payers with revenue earning potentional who will give 10% of their income for life and give us their offspring."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2018 09:24PM by anybody.

anybody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What would your sales pitch be if you wanted
> young, white middle class families to join your
> ooky kooky cult back then?
>
>
> Underneath the religious stuff, the subtext is
> "come and join us in the all white world of
> Mormonism. This is a safe refuge from all of the
> turmoil and strive caused by those barely human
> animals that are causing all of the problems."
>
> It's not like they are going to say "we want
> future tithe payers with revenue earning
> potentional who will give 10% of their income for
> life and give us their offspring."

Okay, this makes a kind of sense. (Really poor scripting and directing throughout, though. ;) )

I am not sure your explanation overcomes the RfM rule against faith-promoting works, so this thread might still be hidden by any of the other mods, but (especially since I am nevermo), I defer to them.

It's racist just because they are white people? I guess with the sjw's being white is now considered a horrible crime?

And since there are men in it we can also say it's misogynistic. And since there is a women then it's feministic as well, and since it's narrated by Richard L. Evans then it's patriarticle.

I'm getting sooo triggered, how will this end!

I dunno, watching the old “cigarettes are healthy” ads make me want to take up smoking.

Hi Tevai!

Just curious...

You sound as if you've never seen "Man's Search For Happiness" before???

My companions and I showed that filmstrip along with other church produced tripe a million times on my mission during the 70's with heavy-duty filmstrip projectors that we carried on our bikes no less.

These filmstrips comprised our arsenal of ammo that we used to answer any questions our investigators had about Mo'ism.

They were also used to waste alot of time at an investigator's home so we didn't have to go out and tract (knock on doors) the rest of the day or night!

Again just curious!

Or so it seems to me...

BeenThereDunnThatExMo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Tevai!
>
> Just curious...
>
> You sound as if you've never seen "Man's Search
> For Happiness" before???

Nope, I never saw it before--which may be one of the blessings of being nevermo?


> My companions and I showed that filmstrip along
> with other church produced tripe a million times
> on my mission during the 70's with heavy-duty
> filmstrip projectors that we carried on our bikes
> no less.
>
> These filmstrips comprised our arsenal of ammo
> that we used to answer any questions our
> investigators had about Mo'ism.
>
> They were also used to waste alot of time at an
> investigator's home so we didn't have to go out
> and tract (knock on doors) the rest of the day or
> night!
>
> Again just curious!
>
> Or so it seems to me...

I am sorry you had to schlep this around, and I am very sorry for all those who felt socially obligated to see it--and I am sorry for you and your companion, too, who obviously had to endure this repeatedly.

My retroactive commiserations go out to the "you" that you once were. :)

I did the same on my mission! Boy those projecters were heavy! We also showed ,Christ in America. They were great at wasting time!

I saw this presented in Brazil once. The first comments I heard was where were the non white people.

Heartless Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I saw this presented in Brazil once. The first
> comments I heard was where were the non white
> people.


I just watched the whole damn thing. There’s a scene where a bunch of people in respective traditional dress walk in front of the camera. Not sure where they were going as I wasn’t paying attention. But lots of races were represented. Including black people. I thought “no priesthood in that family’s home.”

Don’t get how this is racist.

Ugh. That Utah voice narrating.
The ignorance and gullibility of the characters.

What a cult.

Oh, and yeah -- it was part of our missionary arsenal, too. I'm so ashamed.

I'm pretty sure they played this film at the visitors center at SLC temple square in the early 1980's.

I didn't see it in the 1980s. I saw it in the 1960s/1970s at the Visitor's Center.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2018 11:05PM by cl2.

Me too, saw it in the 60s and 70s at Temple Square.

I didn't move to Utah until the 1980's, so it was playing then for sure. Even at the time I thought "why are they playing this awful relic?"

Actually, for me that was fun to watch again. My parents converted in the 60's and I remember watching this a few times in our living room when the missionaries would visit. It brought back nice memories of a world that no longer exists.

Bamboozled Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It brought back nice
> memories of a world that no longer exists.

It's interesting how our experiences shape our perceptions.

For you, it's the above.

For me, it brings back memories of a world that *never* existed, but that the ignorant, racist, misogynistic white dudes running TSCC WISHED existed. And it's a world I didn't want any part of then, or now.

I was born in SLC, and lived there until I was 6. Even that young, seeing on TV what was going on in the rest of the country (this was early civil rights struggle time), I could tell that SLC/Utah was an enclave of racist white people who denigrated "dark" people at every opportunity. People like Mark E. Peterson and E.T. Benson were on TV regularly, reminding us how perfectly white Utah was, and how those "darkies" in the rest of the country needed to learn their place, shut up, and stop pretending they were "equal." Even 6 year-old me felt the environment was oppressive, stunted, and stupid.

Moving to California was like a breath of fresh air. Not that there wasn't racial tension there as well -- there was. But in places like elementary school, the winds of change had already blown through. I went to school with all kinds of people, I learned to like all kinds of people, and I immediately loved the differences, the diversity, and openness. It was SO much better than white-and-delightsome Utah.

That fake, fantasy world in "Man's Search For Happiness" disgusted me. I wanted no part of it. I think, had we stayed in Utah, I might have gotten out of the church sooner than I did, because I so despised the Utah racism/misogyny. In California, mormons more easily co-existed with all sorts of people, and were less extreme. That easing of orthodoxy in California let me coexist with mormonism, too -- longer than if I'd stayed in Utah. :(

Well, I was pretty young. I lived in an extremely predominately white midwestern city and that stuff just wasn't on my radar yet. I don't remember my family or church members being particularly racist - not saying it wasn't there but I have no memory of it.

Growing up in the church in the 60's and 70's was fun. I enjoyed primary during the week. I loved cub scouts and later boy scouts. It was a different church then.

Of course as I grew up I started to see things I hadn't as a child. Bishops interviews starting at age 12 were a big eye opener for me. Attending BYU, going through the temple and going on a mission made me realize that the church I thought i'd been raised in was an illusion.

Still, Mans Search For Happiness still gives me a sentimental warm fuzzy. I just can't help it.

Just to be clear -- I wasn't pooh-poohing your reaction. It's your reaction, based on your life.

I was just relating that I have a very different reaction to it :)

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

My back still hurts (42 years later) from lugging around that film strip projector and the big stupid ass tape player to show investigators that film strip in Japan. And I can't believe how gullible I was to believe my companion who said that the junior companion was supposed to carry all that crap.

I'd never seen it before and so the Japanese language film didn't mean that much to me. I don't know that I've ever seen it in English.

I'm trying to imagine Japanese spoken in a Utah voice.

I showed it in France in 1970 to some teenagers. Afterwards, I heard one telling a friend, "It was a film about how babies are born." Hahahahahahaaaaa.

The most "memorable scene" to me was when the woman drops her doll and it breaks. I can still see her face.

Yeah, PapaKen, I remember that too. There was something about filling one’s life with fleeting treasures ... and ... splat ... there goes the doll’s head. The woman looks like she’s going to do more than give the stink eye to the boyfriend!

Howdy, Anybody. I’m probably quite a bit older than you, I remember the turbulent 1960s. MSfH was created for the Mormon pavilion at the New York World’s Fair (1964).

It seems hard to believe, but America was a very different country regarding diversity. Rarely were African-Americans, or any other minority, depicted in TV or the movies except with racial stereotyping. The two TV shows that first had black characters outside stereotypes were “I-Spy” (ironically with Bill Cosby as a co-star) around 1965 and “Julia” (1968] ith Diahann Caroll as a single-mom nurse. Julia was unique in that its star played an educated, black, working mom who was self-actualized. This was the first time an African-American starred in her own TV show.

After these two break throughs, many more TV programs and movies began including minorities in meaningful roles. As we know too well, there are still biases in the industry, but a lot of progress has been made.

1968 was probably the worst year for the US in my lifetime. There were the assignations of Dr. King, Robert Kennedy, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and severe race riots in every major American city.

I can’t tell you how much the country changed from 1966 to 1968. If you’re interested, watch a few classic movies from both years and you will see what I mean.

So, in 1964, the Morg was simply producing a missionary tool similar to demographics shown in American TV and movies. Toward the end of MSfH,, there are many diverse groups of people being reunited in heaven. Of course, until 1978, African-Americans almost never appeared in LDS movies, magazines, or missionary tools.

Unfortunately, before the Great Civil Rights Movement, many stereotypes and other racist views showed up in everything from popular media to school textbooks. Man’s Search for Happiness was remade by the Morg in the 1980s to reflect a more accurate picture of a diverse America (at least for racial minorities).

Very best wishes!

I watched it in the 60s and 70s too, at SLC temple square, and other visitors centers.

It isn't racist though. That's a stretch to say it is. There's nothing racist about it.

The film was a depiction of life with TSCC, and life without it.

How people strive after empty longings unless they find true happiness TSCC way.

Not a stitch about racism in it.

It didn't seem horrible when we watched it as kids. It was part of our indoctrination, and we bought the farm.

See IICHTK's comments above.

I stand by my statement.


At least the original "Battlestar Galactica" did a better job

http://www.kethinov.com/images/bsg/BSG%20TOS%201978%201x16.png


"Pure" energy beings rather than physical corporeal humanoids aren't racist but the Mormon pre-existence/mortal existence/afterlife certainly is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2018 06:21PM by anybody.

It has been 8 or 10 years since I have been on this website, and it will probably be another 10 years before I make another appearance based on the overall content represented here today. I used to be a regular here and enjoyed reading and commenting on intelligent posts made by many.

This is not one of them.

This post is indicative of the shallow content that this site has evolved in to.

Don't get me wrong, The LDS church is not what it claims to be and I began losing my faith in the church almost 40 years ago. It was a terribly painful experience in my life, an experience that has caused me to grieve for that loss over many years.

Like many, I had served a mission, married in the temple and began raising my family in the faith. I was very happy in my life and found true meaning in my life.

Then it all began to fall apart while I was in my mid twenties as I made new discoveries about the church.

I would classify myself as an agnostic today.

For those who don't know the background behind the 1964 version of Man's Search for Happiness, I will explain. The movie was produced and premiered at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

It was beautifully done and in my opinion is very moving. I recall showing the filmstrip version while serving as a missionary in the Canada Toronto Mission in 1975 to a recently widowed gentlemen who I believe was in his 80's. It brought him to tears, and he thanked us for sharing it with him. He hoped that it was true. I'll never forget it.

There is no evidence that what is portrayed in the movie is factual, yet many like myself have hope that some of the basic elements are true, and that when our lives end we will be reunited with loved ones.

I am only expressing my opinion.

So now let the harsh criticism of my own personal feelings be attacked by most who lurk on this website.

This site is made up of many people with many views. It's not monolithic. If you don't like the content, or don't think it's broad enough, feel free to add something. But don't expect all heads to nod in agreement. That's too much to expect here in the wilds of the internet.

No one is going to attack your personal feelings, although your conclusions are open to argument.

So far as the content of this site goes, it is usually a mix of different (and sometimes conflicting) subjects and perspectives, because those of us here come from often highly disparate backgrounds and life experiences--which is one of the highlights here.

In my case, I have spent most of my life (minus the first three years) in and around the entertainment industry, and my professional credits are largely entertainment industry-oriented. When I describe a film project as "agonizingly awful," these are the same words I would use were I critiquing the film for a published review. On this film, I stand behind my opinion--this film IS (in my professional opinion) "agonizingly awful."

So far as the board being "shallow," this characterization is ludicrous. Some of the most deep-thinking people I have ever "known" are on this board, and the discussions here are frequently near what would be considered the apex of intellectual discussions among world-established "names," when those people are sitting in a congenial group of trusted friends, and are blue-skying, based on their professional and academic achievements.

If this board no longer fits well with the person you have become, then we wish you well in all of your endeavors as your life continues to unfold.

https://e-watchman.com/spiritual-paradise-come/

The JWs are running the same scam but with different iconography.

Mormonism is a fraud and racism plays an important part in it.

The two go hand in hand. You can't separate them.

Sounds all good and well, except for those who "know how the sausage is made"

90% of this film seems fine and dandy to me, which is funny because with the actual church it's 90% the opposite IMHO

Not really racist, although at the time the theology was. Then again, Heavenly Father is always changing his mind. Why can't he just make up his mind and stick with it?

The Devil* is in the details

*AKA - Brother of Jesus

In 1964 there were fewer than 3 million Mormons, and most of them were in Mormon Corridor, the UK and Scandinavia. It was a very white church. Therefore Man's Search for Happiness was extremely representative of LDS demographics.

It was only a decade since Brown v. Board of Education. Nine years since Rosa Parks. Seven years since Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act. It was the year after the March on Washington. It was the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and a lot of Americans were either against it or undecided.

Always being the last in line for social change, and never wanting to stick their necks out, the brethren were pro-status quo rather than speaking up for what was right.

It was originally shown at the NYC World Fair in 196?

It was part of McKay's program of modernizing the church's image. "See, we aren't polygamist yahoos stuck in the 19th century."

I saw this as a teenage Mormon on temple square in the '60s. It
just so clearly showed how only Mormonism could be true.

Of course, back then you didn't see black people on TV. They
only played "black" roles in movies (servants mostly). So the
fact that Heaven was 100% white didn't strike me as unusual at
the time. Of course, if they had wanted to reflect really
accurately the LDS teachings at the time they should have had a
few black servants waiting on all the white people in the CK.