Final Summary/ Reaction

I couldn't have been happier with my topic. Not only did I realize what a polygamy is, but I know understand how the media can warp things to make them appear like something they aren't. As a Catholic, I am not suggesting that I am in favor of polygamy, but I now understand what it is and what it isn't.

Revised Summary/ Plan/ Update

I have researched the ideology of a polygamy and  what it is and I have to say that my research went really well. I now have a better understanding of what a polygamy is as opposed to what media and society has made it to be.

Strategy & Plan

I didn't realize that this hadn't posted, but for my project I am going to research polygamys: what modern society thinks they are and what they are. I think it is best to understand myself what a polygamy is.

Research

For my topic of polygamy, I am going to utilize case studies in order to better understand why polygamys the way they are and also to learn more about its association with sects and cults.

The Reasons

The United States sees polygamy as an action of disgust and is usually given negative sanctions for their actions, but what does the rest of the world think of polygamy? In this article, a psychologist discusses the three reasons for why polygamists are hated by the developed modern world.
1. In the modern world, there is an excess of men instead of women
2. Cold winters make it impossible for a woman to raise a child independently
3. Developed countries, which are highly urbanized, make it difficult for people to raise larger families.

Its not to say that these reasons aren't valid, but I think the writer needs to look at this from a holistic point of view. He needs to consider the personalities and the cultures of people and not just the geography of where they exist.

Unraveling the Tapestry

Chapter 8 deals with deviance. What seems deviance to some is obviously not to others. This website is exactly what it says it is. It is an anti-polygamy website that works to expose the irregularities and abuse that exists within a polygamous culture. Obviously this people that began and follow this website believe in monogamy and freedom which are two things an individual may lose when joining a polygamous society. Women lose their rite to choose what they want to do with their lives and lose their ability to be viewed as equal to men. People lose their freedom of dress, choice, and personal preferences because breaking away from the norm of a polygamous society would be seen as disloyal.

The people that began this website obviously have a serious stigma with the way that polygamists run their lives. The site has different pages and links discrediting the works and ideas of polygamous societies in order to discredit them. On the other hand, the site also provides pro-polygamy websites in order for the reader to get both sides of the story instead of having the site be just propaganda for why polygamy is bad. I think that this website is structured as it should be. The site obviously gives a negative sanction towards polygamy, but it also gives viewers the chance to see the subject and its views in a different light.

Pretending to be Happy

**Sorry for the late post, the entry apparently didn't publish on Friday!

We all know polygamy as a society. Many people that are against polygamy choose to even consider them as a separate race, but why is that? One of the main problems that people have with society is its ability to almost dehumanize females. Polygamist sects have basically ignored all of the progress that has been made for women because it would lower the superiority of men. Because polygamy is so looked down upon in most of the 50 states, many polygamists are located in Utah. Although there is an obvious association between polygamy and Utah, many Utahns are against polygamy as well. This article discusses the decriminalization of polygamy in Utah as well as who is for and against it. 

One group in Utah, the Sound Choice Coalition has been visiting state officials of Utah in order to ensure that they don't loosen Utah's laws on polygamy. The group's founder, Kristyn Decker is a former polygamist who chose to leave the sect that she was previously born into. She is one of the few women every year that have the courage in order to step away from the world she was born into. As related to Chapter 6, this subculture of polygamy almost forces men, women, and children to stay in the polygamous sect because they were taught that their salvation depends on it. Kristyn Decker openly admitted that she pretended to be content with her polygamous lifestyle even though she realized the violation of human rights. The reason that it took her so long to break away was because the children in the polygamous sects are brought up knowing only the polygamous lifestyle. They are taught that everything outside of their world is wrong which limits their ability to know whats really out there. 

"The American Taliban"

Although some sects and polygamys become more prevalent in modern life and society, there are still groups that choose to stay hidden from the world. In this video, a reporter goes into the sect of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, which holds some of the most strict rules when it comes to polygamy. These people are cut off from the world entirely with no communication with the outside world and limited access to modern devices that we have grown to use in our daily lives. As discussed in Chapter 4, many times people need to have social interaction in order to properly learn how to lead a healthy life in the world. The people that live within a sect don't have the opportunity to be properly socialized and therefore they don't know what is actually out in the world around them. In the rare instance, you will have an individual that feels the need to break away from the sect and, when that happens, they must say goodbye to their family and friends within the sect for the last time.

In the case of the FLDS, liberal individuals are forced to choose between discovering the outside world and their families. This is due to the rules and regulations put in place by their leader. From a young age these children of the sect are taught these rules in order to insure that they will abide by them as adults. They are raised to think that the outside world is bad and that it is okay to have more than one wife. Their leader Warren Jeffs had over 80 wives and even though he has been found guilty of the rape of underage women, almost all of his followers see him as innocent. This is because of the morals that they have been raised on. They know nothing more than what they are taught and many times they don't wish to learn about anymore than they have been taught.

Breaking Polygamy

In this article, the topic of leaving a sect is discussed. Even in shows like "Breaking Amish" we see people that feel a need to lead the life that they were forced to lead due to how they're parents grew up. In modern society, many people have a tendency to turn their heads when they see people of a sect or a polygamy in need of help. This article talks of a charity that helps polygamists when they no longer want to lead the life that have been in. This charity gives these people the necessities they need in order to start a fresh new life outside of a polygamist sect.

A General Idea...

Many people think that the idea of polygamy is somewhat an underground idea. Granted, they do live on secluded ranches and in isolated communities, but it isn't to say that polygamy isn't trying to become mainstream. The show Sister Wives has attracted a lot of attraction for polygamy, but different polygamist groups also run websites. I was reading through this "main" website on polygamy and it seems that they try to address the controversy behind the culture along with explaining what it actually is.

By publishing this I'm not saying that I am in favor of what they do, but I do think that it is good to realize that they are trying to educate others about what they do and why they do it. Also, by having this website, I think it unites polygamists because they are no longer recognized as singular communities, rather they are united with other polygamists around the world. They are becoming more technology friendly. There are now websites to meet other polygamists. I mean there will be people that say having that is unnecessary, but for "normal" people there are things like match.com, so why shouldn't they have something to communicate with others just like them?

The Beginning

There we a bunch of topics that I could have chosen and I chose polygamy. I'm not looking to criticize who they are because of what I believe in, rather I want to better understand why they do what they do and how our society affects them.