Cultural differences - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 11-22-2015, 04:28 AM

Yesterday I drove over to Bremen Indiana to pick up a lawn mower for my friend who owns the automotive machine shop. Bremen is a small town in the middle of Indiana's Amish country. The shop is outside town in a wooded area. As I pulled up it was snowing fairly strongly. I noted a large pickup with a trailer on back similar to mine in front.

I went inside and talked to the young man about my mission. As I stood there a small white with carmel portions dog came up and started seeking my attention. The dog is smaller than my cockapoo with short hair and alert pointed ears. When I had the chance I stooped down and played with the dog and petted it. It was a small female and she rolled on her back for the obligatory tummy rub.

After some more conversations with the young counter man I looked around for the dog and it was next to me and there were two small children petting her. I leaned over and talked to the kids a bit about the dog. They smiled beautifully at me but said nothing. I noticed their father next to them had the whiskers under his chin as the German Baptists do around here, and assuming an Amish would not frequent a place selling mowers I concluded he was German Baptist or Mennonite.

I asked him if his kids speak English. He said "a little". I asked if they spoke German at home, he said "yes". He was not unfriendly but really did not seem to want to engage in any small talk.

I wondered if they did not speak much English or if they had been instructed not to speak to "the English".

When I walked to the truck I looked to the right as I walked through the front lot and noticed a van like vehicle made of wood with a black horse in harness, tied to a post in front of the shop. Amish.

As I drove away I pondered the simplicity of a life without a lot of the stuff we accumulate in our typical American lives.

My thoughts soon turned to driving to South Bend to pick up some new tires for the 82 240D then home in the fairly heavy snow falling down. Although the snow came down fairly fast there is still a lot of heat in the ground so it stayed slushy.

The first snow is always so beautiful and startling to drive in. The big Dodge is pretty good in snow because the tires are fairly narrow for the weight carried. I made it home by about 5 pm with the daylight waning.

As I came into Lafayette I noted that there was more snow sticking here than anywhere else I had been. It is forecast for cold weather today, well under freezing so I went out and ran my plow truck before snuggling in to watch a movie with the Mrs.

elchivito · #2 11-22-2015, 08:40 AM

I love a good vignette Tom, thanks for that. I have no experience with the Amish/Mennonites in your area but have had some encounters with one of the Mennonite colonies in Mexico. They keep to themselves and while polite there is a distinct "us and them" attitude. In the case of those in Mexico, they speak spanish to outsiders (once in a while some English) and their German dialect among themselves. They don't shun technology, but are very conservative with it and it is never used frivolously or for entertainment. They are some of the most successful dairy and grain farmers in Mexico.

t walgamuth · #3 11-22-2015, 09:20 AM

Through the years I did a lot of business with German Baptist contractors. Generally good work and reasonable prices. There is a concrete pouring contractor from Rossville, a small community East of here who during good times got to where you really could not hire him for anything because he was so busy. In a small recession about ten years ago I was able to use him on a project. Where other concrete contractors would come with four or five workers and take two weeks he showed up with a dozen workers. They worked like they were killing snakes and never argued with each other and no swearing whatsoever. Also did an excellent job.

kerry · #4 11-22-2015, 12:55 PM

My parents live in my sister's basement in upstate NY. My sister has a German Baptist girl about 20 yrs old who cleans her house. I went to parent-sit while my sister went on vacation. I was informed I had to leave the house the day the cleaning girl was scheduled since she was forbidden by her parents to come into the house with an unknown male present. The second week I was there my wife was with me and as a result we were permitted to remain in her presence. Had an interesting long conversation with her about German Baptism. They move in groups like the Amish and have their religious services in a room in a barn. Every two years the meet up for a summer camp meeting on someone's farm. Next year it is in PA. At those meetings, young people meet their marrying partners. The young woman was dressed very conservatively, like the Amish, but had a smartphone. It was the first time I had encountered a German Baptist.

t walgamuth · #5 11-22-2015, 04:50 PM

They gather from all over the country so as to mix the genes up. The interbreeding because of only marrying within the religion causes a high rate of birth defects.

elchivito · #6 11-23-2015, 08:33 AM

These cultural/genetic isolate populations are fascinating.

The founder effect is quite pronounced in Anabaptist populations. For example, most of the more than 40,000 Hutterites in North America can trace their ancestry back to a group of 89 founding members (2). Small founding populations and isolation result in genetic homogeneity and can greatly skew the prevalence of certain genetic disorders, particularly autosomal recessive conditions (4).

Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterite Genetic Disorder Database

t walgamuth · #7 11-23-2015, 09:03 AM

Sounds like they need to recruit new blood from outside their religion.

elchivito · #8 11-23-2015, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Sounds like they need to recruit new blood from outside their religion.

Big no-no. These folks are the winners in my book specifically because they DON'T proselytize.

Txjake · #9 11-23-2015, 11:02 AM

Interesting group of people. I have lived in several places around where Mennonites are. always seem to be in farming, or similar trades. Seem like good folk who wish to do their thing and be left alone. Only issue I have read anything about is some Amish run what some consider puppy mills.

They all seem to have been severely persecuted in the old countries.

jplinville · #10 11-23-2015, 12:05 PM

The area I grew up with in southern Ohio had an Amish community outside of town. At the time, I thought them to be rude, but I was young. As I matured and moved to another part of Ohio, I encountered German Baptists. I enjoyed my dealings with them. A little later in life, I began to have a budding friendship with a Mennonite man who I sent contract lathe work to, due to the size of what his machine could handle. I say friendship, because I was invited to dinner at their house a few times. His wife rarely, if ever, spoke to me, but he and I enjoyed many conversations.

Now that I'm in a different state, one where Amish are abundant, I encounter them a bit more, depending on the area that I'm in. I no longer view them as rude...just very conservative in their actions, and almost distrustful of outsiders. They're more than happy to take my money, however, and that's just fine with me. I plan on hiring an Amish crew in another year or so to re-side my house. Many in my area have hired this same crew, and they do great work. They put in a full day, and never has anyone had a complaint about their work, or their work ethics. No screwing around...it's solid work when they're on site.