Cognitive Dissonance in the Mall

[jamesq]

When we where in Crossiron Mills mall north of Calgary a week ago a strange thing happened. We were cut off by a pair of giggly teenage girls running into a store that caters to giggly teenage girls. Completely normal behavior except for one thing: They were both Hutterites.

Welcome to the 21st century everyone.

Comments

[laughingmagpie.livejournal.com]

Hate to break it to you, but Hutterites have been normal people capable of normal age-appropriate behavior since the 16th century.

;-) I understand your jest, but just need to jab back a wee bit.

[jamesq]

The point is well taken. It was meant as in jest, but the mental source of it did have unhealthy amount of "the other" in it.

Next time I'll stick with jokes about nuns.

[conejita-diabla.livejournal.com]

Yes, but what characterises the Hutterites? Isn't it trying to be separate from modern technology, etc...and consumerism (having communal goods, being self sufficient including making their own clothing within the community and so on)? This is why I found it an odd visual...

[laughingmagpie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sure, I know what you're saying. There's a separation (though not really in areas of business and agriculture), but it's quite variable from Leut to Leut, colony to colony, and of course individual to individual.

I guess it's just that I've known teenage Hutterites and they're no different from other teenagers. I've known children who were Hutterite who had gameboys, t-shirts with comic book characters on them, and favorite tv shows.

Things like dress, most political beliefs and religions don't really change the fact that some teenage girls like to giggle, run in packs, and look at stuff at Claire's (or the cultural/historical equivalent), especially if your parents are mildly disapproving of Claire's or its equivalent :-), and I'm sure teenage Hutterite girls have doing that equivalent since the inception of their belief system in the 16th century.

Anyway, it was not my intent to rain PC all over quixote317's mild, well-intentioned, and humorous observation. I think if the paraphrase "normal except for being Hutterite" hadn't been used, I wouldn't have countered with my (hopefully) equally mild, well-intentioned and humorous comment.

[conejita-diabla.livejournal.com]

Maybe the Hutterites were different where I grew up, but I knew one quite well and the behaviour I saw from those around him (and the stories he told) was substantially different from any other group of teens I knew.

That being said, I'm more clear now on what you meant. Thanks. :-)

[missymorgan1.livejournal.com]

Now that: that's entertainment.