# ahmish people

Category: Language and Culture

## Post 1 by wonderwoman (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 13-Nov-2005 14:46:52

Hi all,
well, I don't know any ahmish people personally, but from what I've seen on tv, and fiction books with ahmish people in them, but from all that, I get the impression that ahmish people are the most kindly gentle people on earth. Of all the cultures you run across on the net, I really wish there were ahmish people on here. I think they would be very nice to talk to. Although I admire ahmish people, or what I've heard of them, I couldn't live their life style. They don't believe in modern conveniences and technology, so of course, that's why we'll never see them on the net. I never hear anything about blind ahmish people, but I'm sure it must be hard for them, no tv, no talking books, or anything like that. On tv when ever they show ahmish people, they always say, "we find happiness in work. I think it's rather sad we don't see ahmish people on the net, but considering their belief and culture, I can understand why they wouldn't do it.
wonderwoman

## Post 2 by Jess227 on Sunday, 13-Nov-2005 16:56:02

Where I lived I was about a hour east and west of Amish territory. They are indeed the friendliest people you'll ever meet. But they try not to make contact with people whom aren't apart of their culture. They don't believe in modern day age stuff. That also includes electricity, medicine,cars, computers, and the list goes on. I remember a few months ago a amish farmer was selling stuff and mom gave him a $20 bill and the ticket came out to $10 and she said "Keep it." And the Amish man said honestly "I can't accept this, I'll go get your change."

## Post 3 by Grace (I've now got the ggold prolific poster award! wahoo! well done to me!) on Sunday, 13-Nov-2005 18:43:12

## Post 4 by wonderwoman (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 13-Nov-2005 18:54:51

well, he does sound like a nice man. I suppose they feel it's better not to associate with people out of their own culture. I guess as kind and friendly as they are, I guess they're a bit reserved too. Even though that kind of life would be difficult in my opinion, in some ways, they may be better off than the rest of us. I'm sure they get along very well with just each other.
wonderwoman

## Post 5 by tara (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Wednesday, 07-Dec-2005 18:34:40

So, Armish people, are they just based in America, or are they an international group? I don't live in America so I've never heard of them. Just wondering?

## Post 6 by icequeen (move over school!) on Wednesday, 07-Dec-2005 20:14:07

It is not only a lifestyle but a religion, being Ahmish. Most of them I believe are of German decent and speak German or Dutch German as well as English. Some sects are more restrictive than others as well. For example, some allow the people to wear colors while others only allow black. When Ahmish teens reach 16 they get to go out into the rest of the world and leave the Ahmish community to see what they are mising out on. Then they must make a decision to commit to the Ahmish way of life or leave the Ahmish community and join the rest of the world. I am guessing there must be Ahmish people elsewhere in the world besides the States. Since they are of German and Dutch decent, I would think at least in those parts of the world. Maybe someone else knows. :)

## Post 7 by Puggle (I love my life!) on Thursday, 08-Dec-2005 8:56:55

I have only heard of this culture once or twice, how fascinating

## Post 8 by Cousin Cap (Zone BBS Addict) on Monday, 06-Mar-2006 11:32:45

The Amish are based in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indianna, etc. and speak a dialect of German, P.A. Dutch. They are Christians, but have diverging views from most of the mainline sects of the religion, not unlike the Quakers. As far as I know, they're only an American thing... And, believe it or not, some of their numbers choose to leave the church/fold, etc. after they reach maturity at eighteen, so for all we know, there might well be ex-amish folks lurking around the net.

## Post 9 by MegaXiaolinBell (Newborn Zoner) on Tuesday, 28-Mar-2006 17:45:27

Where I live, there is a ton of Amish. If you ask me, there life style is kinda weird.

## Post 10 by MegaXiaolinBell (Newborn Zoner) on Tuesday, 28-Mar-2006 17:46:03

Hey Cousin Cap, Amish are in Kansas too.

## Post 11 by crimson x (This site is so "educational") on Tuesday, 28-Mar-2006 17:57:05

yeah me and mxb live near yoter whitch is an omish commmity

## Post 12 by wahaha (Zone BBS Addict) on Thursday, 30-Mar-2006 17:07:03

I know a little bit about them and occassionally must dodge them as they stand around staring at the train station in Chicago.

## Post 13 by Lisa's Girl forever (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Tuesday, 08-Mar-2011 12:58:58

cool. smiles. i think some of they live in new york. too.

## Post 14 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Tuesday, 08-Mar-2011 19:18:37

Boy howdy I'm gonna make myself very unpopular I bet but here it is:
If an Amish person decides to leave the colony at age 16 - for good, consider what they have, or rather do not have:
First, like many modern fundamentalist Christian and Muslim sects, they are pretty down on the sciences. Only unlike them, they have got themselves all sorts of special exemptions so they don't have to teach subject matter, including the sciences, that offends them / puts them off or whatever. Sounds like the pussy-footing fruit loops from out here, only a different extreme. Basically you think it's cool, the same way people think it's cool to go look at natives in Africa living on game preserves. Only difference, African countries have the balls to call game preserves what they are, while we cutesy it up calling it a community and the like.
Go get the book "The Plain People" from NLS. I believe that's the title. It's by an ex-Amish who writes very simply but describes well what the situation is. Except for the polygamy they make me think Warren Jeffs / Arizona. No, I can't see the 'cuuuuute hat', and all the rest people squeeze off shots of with their cameras, so, to some maybe I'm missin' out. But, a game preserve is a game preserve. And that's precisely what it is when you isolate and try to maintain an artificial human habitat like the Amish and many other rural groups do for idealistic / ideological reasons.
To me, if what they want to do can compete with everyone else, fine. But no special excmptions for education or anything else: if it's so superior, surely now, it can pass muster like the rest of us.
If I've upset you by what I said, I understand. I have family who try and recreate artificial biospheres / human habitats. Maybe what we need is one ginormous set of terrariums so they can live in there, filter the air so they believe it's 1840, and everyone can walk along and gawk. Their supporters aren't real cultural supporters, they just think it's 'sooo ...' whatever workd they put on Facebook or wherever to see people living like that.
In reality, in the 1800s, people were far more future-minded, progress-oriented, and forward-thinking than any of us now. They didn't shovel the s*** and die of cholera because of beliefs: they lived that way because that's all they had. And, they innovated. While pioneerism throwbacks now want to reclaim a more formative time, people then were willing testers of new technologies ,invented new ways to do things, and embraced the future. Ironically, in those days, it was the big cities like New York who were clinging to old ways. This whole pioneerism / old-times / fake human habitat lifestyle thing makes no sense, and isn't even true to the mentality of the people who lived then.
But, I know: most people want to be able to drive out there and look at these idealists living this way, wave like they're locals, and then stop over at a big-city hotel with wi fi / blog about how they are so pioneer.

## Post 15 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 09-Mar-2011 5:31:16

Let me put it this way. It is common in most parts of pensylvania, in what is aahmish country, for children to be born with six fingers on each hand. Why is this you ask, because of insestual breeding. Now, any sect where you have to boink your sister, is not cool. Boinking your sister, is not cool. Six fingered babies, is not cool. Having no pockets, is not cool. Doing work by hand so that it will bring you closer to god, while not exactly not cool, is incredibly stupid, but for a totally different reason. I really don't think that you get closer to god simply because you drive a buggy, rather than a car. If you want to be closer to god, and you want to follow the bible, die. Dying, is the best way to get closer to god, but don't kill yourself, that's against the bible.

## Post 16 by squidwardqtentacles (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 09-Mar-2011 16:22:18

"First, like many modern fundamentalist Christian and Muslim sects, they are pretty down on sciences." Leo funny you should mention Christians and Muslims. My sister in law sent her two daughters to an Islamic school in Florida, and even the oldest, who...*shudder*...is going for nursing licensure, has scientific knowledge that is lower than what you would expect from someone entering this profession with a B.S.N. These girls, for example, still think AIDS is a gay disease. Huh?! I guess I imagined the pediatric AIDS practitioner on Tampa's south side.
I knew one of the science teachers at this school, actually a very intelligent woman from Alabama, and she talked to me about "If my students don't go to college I at least want to get them a good foundation in the sciences", and her area is biology. At the time that sounded good, but now I think it's a pitiful attitude. It's a private school, and many of these students are getting other peoples' money to go. If they're not going to college, why not go to the neighborhood public school & go to Sunday school or an afterschool program to learn the religion? Once some of these students graduate on good ol' OPM, their parents arrange them in marriage, and these aren't folks I see like some Cubans who worked with me years ago, marrying before 20 & working their way through ESL & nursing college before having a child. Ironically it was less restrictive Indian Muslims I knew who sent their kids to neighborhood public schools who were the most polite, productive, educated people I knew of this group. They wanted to assimilate & be a part of society, not living on a game preserve.
Any group that confines itself to one culture, limiting or excluding others, is headed for destruction. I worked with a relatively uneducated black woman in the south, but even she knew her son couldn't marry a woman who carried sickle cell trait, as he is a carrier. In Israel it's gotten so bad, problems like BRCA1 & BRCA2, or mutations causing breast & ovarian cancer, as well as Tay Sachs disease (inability to break down a particular fatty acid that generally kills children who have it), that young people from large orthodox families, generally of eastern European descent, will have to be tested for these mutant genes before marrying. Google 'genetic diseases among the Amish', and you'll pull up more articles than you can count. Someone on Hannity's website mentioned maple syrup urine disease among them, which turns protein to poison, requiring a low protein diet. It looked on the 60 minutes link about this population that they are destructing from within.