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I'm am predominantly Pennsylvania Dutch (not Amish or Mennonite) and currently live within a few miles of both Amish and Mennonite farms. What I can tell you i

by smoyer 5y ago

I'm am predominantly Pennsylvania Dutch (not Amish or Mennonite) and currently live within a few miles of both Amish and Mennonite farms. What I can tell you is that they are people - if you tell them a (good) joke they'll laugh and if you tell them a joke that's not funny, they'll smile awkwardly. They also have prejudices just like we do (even from one sect to another.) I'm a bit older than most here and what I've learned is that you can have an engaging conversation with almost anyone - take time to listen and you'll probably notice that the other person finds you interesting and curious too.

mastazi 5y ago
Thank you for sharing this. I agree with what you said, I think one problem with the current social-media-driven public discourse is that it brings the tendency to "put a label on people" to an extreme. But as you say, if you spend time and have a real conversation with a person you will often find that reality is different from stereotypes.