In modern day American culture, it is probably safe to say that it is very hard, if not next
to impossible for most American youth to live without communication technology. That being
said, once we are introduced to and become accustomed to living with and using it, it becomes
difficult to function without it. We may quickly become addicted. This is especially true with
technology such as texting, Facebook, and cell phone calls being most young people’s main
means of communication.
With the technology industry booming, and new models of phones and computers being
manufactured, marketed, and sold in mass quantities every day, it would be hard for most
Americans to imagine a culture in which our youth did not communicate this way. The question
then becomes, is constant texting, calling, and social networking the best way to live? Certainly
it is the way that the majority of young people are accustomed to living. According to
www.ntia.doc.gov, “With regard to computer use, 89.5 percent of all school-aged children
(between the ages of 5-17) use computers.” So what about teens who don’t live this way? Is
there even a single young adult today who does not accept technology as a way of life? The
answer is yes, a whole group of them right here in our country: the Amish culture.
The Amish live in rural parts of America, comfortably and simply without the everyday
use of cell phones and computers. On the contrary, most Americans live with the everyday use of
all of this technology as well as the constant marketing of the next version of “bigger and better”
products. The Amish approach is one in which the members of the community reject the use of
technology. From this we can infer that they are...
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...computers, which, in turn, allows more time for
family, work, and community. Perhaps it is time to reassess the place of communication
technology in our young people’s lives.
Works Cited
Osit, Michael. Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of
Instant Everything. New York: AMACOM, 2008. Print.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration. National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Wagner, Katherine. Life in an Amish Community. San Diego: Lucent Books,
Inc., 2001. Print.
Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College.
Amish Studies. Elizabethtown College, 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
.
In the movie, Witness, two worlds clash, the Amish and the English. The Amish in this film are living in a world inside the dominant people’s country (the English). The Amish’s reaction to the English shows a great difference in each group's culture. Since the Amish live in the dominant culture’s country, they have to respect the laws. An example would be, the horse and carriage on the road. They follow the rules of the road by stopping at a red light. Another reaction the Amish had was to the stunning modern day society of the dominant culture. Here at the train station the little Amish boy was amazed by a simple water fountain. But when he saw the statue, he was utterly fascinated. On another hand the Amish saw the English as violent men as well. One instance was in the bathroom, where a man was killed and the Amish boy saw everything. Another example was when John “whacked” a black man to see if he was the murder. In conclusion the Amish’s reactions to the dominant culture were to follow their rules, amazed at their modern technology, and
When going to the local market, we may find there is all sorts of people with different skin color, hair color, heritage background and beliefs. A few subcultures that many have seen, but are not very familiar with is the Old Order Amish and Modern Mennonite cultures. Amish Protestant Christian Church fellowships are closely related to the Mennonites but also have some of their own distinctions.
The main point of this video was to show how the lives of Amish teens are changed drastically when between the ages of 16 and 21 they are faced with a whole new lifestyle. This then leads them to face a very difficult decision. Durring the ages of 16 and 21, Amish teens are 'let lose' or able to live the life that English children live. They can move out, get their license, wear normal clothes and party on a regular basis. Then after this is over with they must make their decision, they can either continue to live the life of an English person and basically be free, or they can join the church and give their lives to God and the Amish ways. When these kids were allowed to be free they seemed to chose the wrong road, many following the path of drugs and alcohol. They weren't just messing around with common drugs either, they were actualy getting into more dangerous drugs like crystal meth, and in some cases even gettin involved with drug dealers and police. There were definitely elements of structural funtionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionalism present in this video. Structural functionalism was present in their everyday behavior. Their society is so stable in their own world because of how they work things out. They marry, grow beards and work for the rest of their lives for God. This all helps their own society function. They comitt their lives to the church and they are all content with that. They stick to the ...
Watching the Amish riding their horse drawn carriages through Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, you catch a glimpse of how life would have been 150 years ago. The Amish, without their electricity, cars, and television appear to be a static culture, never changing. This, however, is just an illusion. In fact, the Amish are a dynamic culture which is, through market forces and other means, continually interacting with the enormously tempting culture of America. So, one might be led to wonder how a culture like the Amish, one that seems so anachronistic, has not only survived but has grown and flourished while surrounded by a culture that would seem to be so detrimental to its basic ideals. The Amish, through biological reproduction, resistance to outside culture, compromise, and a strong ethnic symbolism have managed to stave off a culture that waits to engulf them. Why study the Amish? One answer would be, of course, to learn about their seemingly pure cooperative society and value system (called Ordung). From this, one may hope to learn how to better America's problem of individualism and lack of moral or ethical beliefs. However, there is another reason to study the Amish. Because the Amish have remained such a large and distinct culture from our own, they provide an opportunity to study the effects of cultural transmission, resistance, and change, as well as the results of strong symbolism in maintaining ethnic and cultural isolation.
There are many different cultures throughout the world. They each have their own distinct customs and beliefs relating to marriage, rites of passage, conflict resolutions, education etc... The most interesting aspect of each culture is how they incorporate their religious beliefs into the healthcare they receive. Some cultures are not affected by their religious beliefs when dealing with healthcare. They are not regulated in the terms of medical procedures and practices they can obtain from healthcare professionals. However, this is not true for every culture in this world. The Amish and Mennonite culture is depicted upon separating themselves from this world and living a plain life. These two cultures are heavily rooted in their religious beliefs and have tendencies not to stray away from those beliefs regardless of the possible benefits of modern technology. Amish and Mennonite culture may share some similarities, but they have some differences also. A culture’s religious beliefs will be the main determining factor in the healthcare they choose.
Tharp, Bruce M. "Valued Amish Possessions: Expanding Material Culture And Consumption." Journal Of American Culture 30.1 (2007): 38-53. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 April 2014.
Both the Amish and the Mennonites were part of the early Anabaptist movement in Europe, which took place at the time of the Reformation. The Anabaptists believed that only adults who had confessed their faith should be baptized, and that they should remain separate from the larger society. Many of the early Anabaptists were put to death by both Catholics and Protestants, and many others fled to the mountains of Switzerland and southern Germany. Then began the Amish tradition of farming and holding their worship services in homes instead of in churches. In 1536, a young Catholic priest from Holland, Menno Simons, joined the Anabaptist groups, who were nicknamed Mennonites. In 1693, a Swiss bishop named Jacob Amman broke off from the Mennonite church. His followers were called the Amish. Although the two groups have split several times, the Amish and Mennonite churches still share the same beliefs concerning baptism, non-resistance, and the Bible. They differ in matters of dress, technology, language, form of worship, and interpretation of the Bible. The Amish and Mennonites both settled in Pennsylvania as part of William Penn's holy experiment of religious tolerance. The first sizeable group of Amish arrived in Lancaster County in the 1720s or 1730s. Since the early colonial days the Amish have lived in the United States preserving their distinctive culture, dress, language and religion in peace and prosperity.
becoming a part of many other’s way of living; where dependence of it has become a habit in
All students should take notice and interest in cultural diversity. There are numerous different cultures in America. One in particular is the Amish culture, which I would like to familiarize you with.
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