Something that I have grown up dealing with is being asked about oatmeal all the time. While I grew up loving oatmeal, this has nothing to do with my religion. As a Quaker, the most common connection people make with my religion is the old man on the Quaker Oats box. However, the oatmeal has nothing to do with Quakerism. In fact, the only reason that Quaker is in the name of Quaker Oats is because it was a symbol of good quality and honest value (according to the Quaker Oats website). The man on the front of the box becomes the image of what some people think Quakers look like. As someone who knows that Quakers do not dress any differently than most people, this idea is comical.
It doesn't stop at oatmeal. The misconceptions of Quakers goes past the idea that we all love oatmeal. I attended a Quaker high school and I was once asked by an opponent in sports if we took off our bonnets to play. My roommates mother asked if we were allowed to wear makeup. My sister has been asked if we use silverware. It's crazy how many people do not realize what Quakerism is. Since I have grown up with these questions and misconceptions I do not let them bother me anymore. I laugh along with my roommates when they joke about me eating oatmeal for breakfast. However, I think it is an important lesson for people that you shouldn't make assumptions about people based on ideas that might be misinformed. I know that Quakers are by far not the only tradition that faces these misjudgments. Because of my experiences, I try to be more understanding of other traditions that I am unfamiliar with.
This is so interesting! I myself do not know much about Quakerism, and you make a good point about common misconceptions. On a smaller scale, I get questioned all the time about Texas. Things like "do you all ride horses everywhere?" or "Don't men always wear cowboy hats?" Those questions seem silly but I have been asked both! And i come from Dallas, which is definitely metropolitan. I think it's interesting how people jump to conclusions quickly with things like geography, race, and religion. Do all Black people love fried chicken? Are all New Yorkers Italian? Do Quakers eat a ton of oatmeal? There are so many silly stereotypes, and I think it's so important to be aware of all the weird stereotypes that may seem trivial, but actually affect people, as you point out so well!
ReplyDeleteMost people's knowledge of Quakers (if they have any) begins and ends with the Puritan vs. Quaker drama in the 17th century American colonies. Before I took an online "What Religion Should You Be?" quiz in high school, I had no idea that the Quaker movement had any following in the modern era, since everything I'd ever heard about it seemed rooted in the colonial era. That quiz was my first exposure to "liberal Quakerism" and other derivative practices like Quaker Universalism and Non-theistic Quakerism.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why Quakers, at least to me, have such a low profile in the modern American religious landscape. Maybe it's due to the noncontroversial nature of the church and their beliefs? Maybe it's a product of the persecution that Quakers received hundreds of years ago? I honestly don't know.