Question 1:
The Amish teenagers encountered various challenges in relation to how they dressed and their overall appearance. The teenagers were severely criticized on their modern dress codes which they had picked up to be immorally wrong. Their parents and their elders in the society would seriously criticize and always against the dress code that the Amish teenagers dressed in such as outfits revealing their navels. Danny’s parents heavily criticized the dressing code that it forced him to run away from home one night (“The Outsiders,” n.d.). The Amish teenagers’ dressing code was conflicting with their as they were indecent and quite revealing. Moreover, these teenagers often fell in conflict and disagreement with their parents since their parents were discontented and disappointed with their dress code. Herley’s parents were often disappointed in his dress code and always fear for being an influence on other children (“The Outsiders,” n.d.). The Amish family and tribe are the sociofacts in this movie. Where are mentifacts include; religion including beliefs such as the belief that for a child being once loose, he or she may never return again and it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the child is brought up in accordance to the community’s moral standards (“The Outsiders,” n.d.). The family and tribe are sociofacts because they are representing the socio structure of their culture, dictating their social behavior. Religion is an artifact in this movie because it entails beliefs of the Amish culture.
Question 2:
Ideology – Amish culture is all about sex, parting and having fun.
Worldview – Amish culture is inconvenience religion and compromises the ability of the church to sustain itself.
Question 3:
Teenagers interact using mobile phones. The Amish teenagers have greatly embraced technology and love interacting which technologically advanced gadgets. Also, Amish teenagers would wear jeans and T-shirts (“The Outsiders,” n.d.). This was the latest and most convenient attire that they prefer and was a dress code that identified them. The modern items introduced greatly affected their sustainability of their Amish mentifacts and sociofacts in various ways. The introduced dress code which was jeans and T-shirts including clothes that were revealing their bodies was unique and greatly conflicted with the culture of their community (“The Outsiders,” n.d.). To the teenagers, this dress code united them more as they would easily identify themselves thus contributing to the maintenance of their mentifacts and sociofacts. Also, mobile phones eased their communication, therefore creating a stronger bond and cooperation among the Amish teenager.
Question 4:
This documentary is fascinating as well as enlightening about the current affairs of the world and lifestyle trends. The documentary actually made me think different about my family and religion. It made me think of the significance and obligation of the religion, family and the tribe in ensuring the wellbeing of children and ensure that they are brought up morally. I was surprised with how the Amish teenager had lost track and being disobedient to their parents and choosing to consciously break the morals of their culture. It is surprising that Herley and Danny sacrificed to run away from their home so as to go enjoy their teenage Amish lifestyle full of fun. However, from the documentary, I got to learn that with the technological advancement being embraced day by day, morals, cultural and religious beliefs are at stake as they are likely to be extinct and forgotten. Literally, I did not have any strong reaction to any scene in the documentary. All the scenes in the documentary reflect the current events that happen in the real world around us.