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In anticipation of February 14th, I passed this question along to John Stoltzfus: Do Amish people do anything for Valentine’s Day?  What are some ways they observe the day?   John’s response hints at differing attitudes about Valentine’s.  The usual caveat about Amish being different in different places applies: Valentine’s Day is a special day for our family, however in the last 10 years even the…
The full schedule for Amish America: Plain Technology in a Cyber World has now been posted, along with paper abstracts and event descriptions. The conference will take place June 6-8, 2013 at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania). From the conference main page: The conference will include more than 100 presentations in a variety of formats—plenary lectures, academic papers, panel…
My Amish friend Aaron recently informed me of a curious entry into the Red Bull Flugtag contest. But first, Aaron had to explain what Flugtag actually is. Flugtag is a “flight” competition the Austrian energy drink* maker puts on each year. Teams ride homemade contraptions down a 30-foot high ramp, jumping and soaring into water below. “Flugtag” (pronounced “flewg tallg”) means “fly day” in German,…
We recently looked at how Amish use turbines to harness the wind and create power. Â But what about when they need to do the reverse–generate a little wind of their own, say to keep cool in the hot summer months (remember those)? You may have seen Amish-engineered ceiling fans before. Â They are common in Amish shops. Â You can see one in action here (no longer…
Though the Amish are known to prefer to stay within their own circles, there are times when they must interact with professionals in a non-Amish context – law enforcement, medical workers, counselors, and others. Serving the Amish: A Cultural Guide for Professionals, a new book by James A. Cates, is meant to help those professionals understand Amish beliefs and culture to help those interactions succeed. Jim…
The stories are heartbreaking. You feel for the victims. It’s hard to imagine what they’ve been through. But at the same time, a 20/20 piece on Amish abuse from a few years back points to the generalizations that many journalists rely on to tell their story. The 20/20 folks lean heavily on cliches and misconceptions–from the ominous opening music, to the overplayed stories they trot…
3 Comments
I found the article absolutely fascinating. I was glad that the author pondered questions about technology and community, rather than hold up the Amish to ridicule as hypocrites.
Thanks for checking it out. On the whole the article is really well done. And it’s actually about 7 or 8 years old. Great point on the Amish not shunning all tech, but being ‘techno-selective.’
I remember the first time I saw an Amish person with a cell. A lady taking a call from her husband at work. Blew me away.
Erik
I have to admit, I would be flabbergasted, too, if I saw an Amish person on a cell phone.