Post #3: The identity of the Amish

An interesting takeaway from searching these images is that they only show mainly JUST Amish men or women. Unless if it is a “family” photo where there is the husband, wife and children, the images usually separate the gender in the society. I had mentioned in my last blog. This particular community of believers is highlighted by the media to a separation in gender. However, I believe that that the separation of genders is a belief that the Amish value.

The style of clothing that the Amish are seen wearing has been depicted in these memes. Whether it is the typical, two button, jean and hat attire or if it is a long conservative dress with the hiking boots for women, these images are shown. In the meme with the two “Amish” (I use quotes because these men are probably not Amish but fit the mold of what a typical Amish believer looks like)) men at the coffee shop, they are wearing the typical outfit an Amish member would be wearing.

Since technology is not a part of this community, the media, through its memes, frames the Amish based on their beliefs. One of the ways the media does this is through a “playful” frame. This is a lighthearted motivation to explain beliefs in a certain community. For example, the meme with the man who doesn’t know what a turn signal is, the meme is playfully showing that the Amish do not have an advanced use of technology. The meme with the men at the coffee shop shows one man with his hands on his head. This can be seen as a “relaxed” or a “cool” boast acting like “Before it was put on Facebook, I played Farmville”. These playful memes characterize the Amish into their own identity. This identity portrayed by the media through these memes and are now becoming more and more of an “authentic” characters online like Dr. Campbell stated in her book Digital Religion

With the conservative clothing, it is a big value in the community because the Amish are portrayed as a community that does not want to believe in “progressivism”. They stick to their old traditions and live by those. Going back to the same meme, the wording states that the men played Farmville (a Facebook game that has the user control and run their own farms) before it was on Facebook. Since technology is growing and the Amish aren’t seen as a progressive society, the meme represents a boast that the Amish can claim since they don’t use technology to play a game about farming but rather are farming for a living.

Through these observations, we have seen how the Amish are shown in the media through memes and through these memes how they handle technology. We have seen the “playful” wording that is presented in the memes to show a certain identity that the Amish present. These memes are highlighted throughout the internet to show who the Amish are. They are framed by the media as a non-progressive, conservative culture who don’t know how to use the technology that the 21^st century offer. They rely on dated technology to keep their community going. Due to their use of media, they (Amish) have an identity that this culture of memes will use in generations to come.

https://turtleboysports.com/the-amish-teen-arrested-for-dui-driving-with-friends-on-hood-of-horse-and-buggy-will-be-an-amish-legend-for-years-to-come/

 http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/1nfm