Amish Culture Diversity

Culture Diversity

On the planet Earth there 7 continents, 196 countries, and countless different cultures. The culture I am most familiar with is the general culture of the United States, often known as the Western culture. However, in this country alone there are many different subcultures. The Amish cultures is one of those subcultures, and while it is very unique, it also includes a lot of essential moral values of most other cultures. It is unordinary in the United States according to its material and nonmaterial culture, symbols, language, and customs.

The Amish material culture is very different than the material culture I live in today. Their commonly used materials include: horses, buggies, and clothing. However, the main difference

can be seen by the things their culture excludes such as cars, jewelry, and flashy, immodest clothing. They do not even wear buttons on their clothing due to them being so elaborate, so they use pins and hooks. Their plain clothing is worn for very simple reasons. They want to dress with decency, they don’t want to be considered worldly, they do not want to promote jealousy within their culture and they want to be easily identified. Amish men also grow beards, but not mustaches. They do this to keep a tie to the Biblical men who often had beards. Although, they do this only after they are married, as beards signify the transition from boyhood to manhood. Their material culture clearly signifies high moral values such as modesty and basicness vs the material culture I live in which emphasizes individualism and sexual norms seen in the immodest, flashy clothing worn.
The amish nonmaterial culture is also unusual when compared to the Western culture. Their religion is conservative Protestant, although many people think they are Mennonites. They both come from the same background but the Mennonites accept technology, do not dress plainly, and do not necessarily separate themselves from the Western society. Conservative protestantism holds traditional Christian beliefs while initiating particular beliefs and values of their own. Family, purity, community, and plainness are all very valued by the Amish. Purity is seen as there is no sex before marriage allowed. Family and community is valued and protected at all costs. Their custom of barn raising is important to the culture as it establishes and helps grow the community bonds. They also do not allow guns, which demonstrates their belief that no man should take another man’s life because that is up to God.
The symbols Amish people identify and use are also very different from our own. The simple bonnet that is worn by the women represents them as Amish. They also usually place a triangle sign on the back of their buggies so other vehicles now they will be going slower. This sign symbolizes the Amish as it is recognized as an explanation for the slowness. Also, to the Amish, guns symbolize violence and the outside world, which is why they are strictly forbidden.
Even the Amish language is different than American English. Whenever the speak English, it often very proper and traditional. Some Amish speak Pennsylvanian Dutch. Overall, the Amish culture is very distinct in its characteristics. With varying norms, values, customs, symbols, and more it is easy to think of them as unalike in every way when compared to my culture . However, the Amish are just like everyone else in the reality that they too face problems and struggles that every human culture shares.