tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post6871303464568508946..comments2024-02-26T15:44:52.779-07:00Comments on A View From Planet Boulder: THOSE AREN'T REAL AMISH!DEShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535087176533944091noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-44233362558457889862012-01-12T09:23:55.149-07:002012-01-12T09:23:55.149-07:00KO - and what about the hat? Doesn't look lik...KO - and what about the hat? Doesn't look like what the Hoosier Amers wear.hoosierdaddynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-28665422150406763682012-01-12T09:22:12.676-07:002012-01-12T09:22:12.676-07:00The dress looks a little too bright a blue for a r...The dress looks a little too bright a blue for a real Amish lady to wear. The shirt on the Amish man is way to light and is short sleeved.Keen Observernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-60502446969041638262012-01-11T15:40:11.729-07:002012-01-11T15:40:11.729-07:00Paula - another thing about the top picture - thos...Paula - another thing about the top picture - those sure look like electric lights on the barn ceiling, although I suppose they could be skylights :-)DEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03535087176533944091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-62392874140834652142012-01-11T15:34:43.005-07:002012-01-11T15:34:43.005-07:00No it is not likely that those folks pictured in t...No it is not likely that those folks pictured in the weekend magazine inserts advertising space heaters are real Amish. This appears to be a situation where someone has taken to a national level the use of Amish and all things which might be Amish for marketing purposes - a practice which has become tiresomely common in places with large concentrations of Amish.<br /><br />As for the question of what makes a real Amish person, it would be a person who is part of an Amish community and follows the local Amish Ordnung (set of unwritten rules) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnung The Ordnung varies from one Amish community to the next and this can be confusing for outsiders. Some things will be found in most Amish communities, such as non ownership of motor vehicles, personal telephones, radios, TVs, or computers, non participation in high school or higher education, non use of electricity from the public grid, plain dress, shunning of violators of the Ordnung, non participation in the military, etc. But other things can vary - such as use of tractors for farm work, buggy colors and styles, kinds of nonfarm occupations which are acceptable, participation in certain public events such as fairs and farm shows, etc. And there seems to be a lot of variation in the use of cell phones. I have seen them in use in Indiana by Amish. Whether this is a permitted practice or tolerated/ignored I do not know.<br />Also in Indiana I once saw a motorboat being towed behind a buggy. Unfortunately I was without a camera at the time. <br /><br />In general, one will get very confused trying to sort out the whys and wherefores of Amish practice, because it does vary widely and also because Amish are not necessarily eager to discuss the Ordnung or its application with outsiders.<br /><br />My knowledge of the Amish comes from proximity and family relationships. My maternal grandfather was Amish until he left home at 21 to seek adventure out West, he came back, married my Grandmother (whose parents left the Amish for the Mennonites when she was a baby), and became a Mennonite preacher at Conestoga Mennonite Church in Morgantown PA. I also became intimately acquainted with some of the differences between Old Order Mennonites and the Amish as well as my mother's brand of Mennonites, as my paternal grandparents were Old Order Mennonite until my grandfather decided he wanted a car - this would have been around 1930. My dad's maternal uncle and grandparents remained Old Order Mennonite. My great uncle used to give us rides in his buggy. My mother was not a big fan of the Old Order Mennonites, having endured a round of visiting my dad's Old Order relatives in Ontario in 1943 on my parent's honeymoon. Apparently that was the expected thing to do on Mennonite honeymoons in those days - visit relatives to introduce the new family member.Herbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-12456615392516030592012-01-11T14:06:34.886-07:002012-01-11T14:06:34.886-07:00The only thing I see incorrect is the picture itse...The only thing I see incorrect is the picture itself. A lot of our Amish work in the RV industry & wouldn't own one of them either. But having your picture taken for a magazine or newspaper would be a big NO. The Amish culture is so different-even in the same area (depends on the Bishop). There have been some real winners out there lately-like the guys from Ohio that decided they needed to go on a beard shaving spree (now a hate crime). Our Amish think those guys are a cult-and I tend to agree with them-the leader was very controlling.Paulanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-55848275976162631862012-01-11T08:30:03.440-07:002012-01-11T08:30:03.440-07:00Bizzy - interesting, and I think that you are corr...Bizzy - interesting, and I think that you are correct that the media expects us to be amazed that a person from such a 'backward' and 'primitive' culture could actually succeed in the 'modern' world :-)DEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03535087176533944091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33475986.post-90558287823447447832012-01-11T08:23:29.032-07:002012-01-11T08:23:29.032-07:00Have noticed a new curiosity in the print media. ...Have noticed a new curiosity in the print media. In one day I spotted two "look at me now" articles about descendants of Mennonite/Amish. One was in the LA Times about an Amish girl raised on the farm in PA, who left the Amish culture and now runs a beauty shop in Southern CA. Another was about a staff assistant to a Congressman who was former Mennonite/Amish. I guess our reaction is supposed to be, "Wow, isn't that amazing."Bizzy Brainnoreply@blogger.com