Comment by dangus
7 years ago
Honestly this was a great piece of insight and I think my own view that you replied to is probably closer to being offensive.
The patriarchy and sort of community oppression is the part of these communities that creeps me out, and I don't think those downsides are exactly advertised as part of the Amish "brand." The idea of your own nuclear family's life being so visible to the larger community isn't something that appeals to me.
But then again, neither do some of the more traditionalist family structures that have nothing to do with small religious groups. For example, I wouldn't want to live with my grandparents or parents, personally, but that's based on my own upbringing and experiences.
Isn't everyone oppressed by their culture in one way or another? An essential part of culture is to reward collaborators and punish defectors. One of the unique aspects of some Amish communities is their cultural exit option.
The Amish count on the rumspringa process to inoculate youth against the strong pull of the forbidden by dosing them with the vaccine of a little worldly experience. Their gamble is also based on the notion that there is no firmer adhesive bond to a faith and way of life than a bond freely chosen, in this case chosen after rumspringa and having sampled some of the available alternative ways of living.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=545557...