What does a Quaker look like?

A couple of friends of mine (and their families) are Quakers, and I can’t say that there is anything in particular about their appearance that screams “Hey, I’mma Quaker.”

Quaker

It was probably a combination of your relatively simple dress, the situation you were in, and your demeanor.

I agree that there is no particular look associated with modern Quakers (my father-in-law is Quaker and there’s a meeting house a couple of blocks away from my home). Here’s an interesting blog entry that says that “plain” dress pretty much died out in the mid-1900s, but is making a modern comeback among a very small number.

All Quakers look exactly like the picture on the oatmeal box.

Google it!

I went to high school with two brothers who were Quakers. They dressed like everyone else.

I live in Philadelphia, a city full of Quakers. The religion has had so much influence that in every daycare in the city, they teach the kids to call each other “friend.” I live on a street where there are countless Quakers (well, they would be countable if you knew who they all were—let’s just say a lot of them), and as everyone else has told you, they look the same as anyone else.

I think the problem here is that we have no idea what the person who said that to you meant. Who knows what the guest’s image of Quakerdom is. Since you were at a homeless shelter, there was a good chance the person was mentally ill, anyway, and they might not have been seeing things the way normal people do.

I’m not sure if you’re asking this question just because you are curious if there is a look to Quakers (there isn’t), or if the interaction kind of got stuck in your imagination. If it’s the latter, you’ll just have to let your mind knaw on the problem until it lets go. In any case, it is a compliment. Friends are a very peace-loving group of people, and are very concerned about people who are having a hard time. It is, indeed, an honor to be included among their ranks.

I, too, lived in Philadelphia and worked at a Friends’ school for 12 years. The Quakers dressed simply and without flash, lived their creed (non-violence, social outreach, a little bit of what they called “God” in every person, believed in the power of silence) and acted and did rather than preaching and pontificating.

It was an extraordinary community to be in for me and my kids. We all learned by example and were still able to maintain our Judiasm.

For one of the world’s most wonderful experiences, attend a Sunday Quaker Meeting for Worship. The ones on the Eastern seaboard are a little less dogmatic than those in the midwest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meeting_for_Worship

We had Thursday meeting for the Middle and HS students for one period. To sit in an unadorned room on hard benches with 600 kids, in silence for 50 minutes is an experience, let me tell you.

“A meeting for worship is a practice of the Religious Society of Friends (or “Quakers”) in many ways comparable to a church service. These services have a wide variety of forms, creating a spectrum from typical Protestant liturgy (one extreme of programmed worship) to silent waiting for the Spirit (called unprogrammed worship).

A Meeting for Worship may start with a query; something to think about during Meeting. The query is most of the time based on one of the Quaker testimonies. Meeting will then sit in silence for 20 minutes to an hour and a half. If an attendee is provoked to share, they can stand up and speak their mind. At a few meetings, some people will stand up and sing songs or recite poetry. It is considered rude to get up and leave during a meeting.”

@Daloon – You wrote, “I’m not sure if you’re asking this question just because you are curious if there is a look to Quakers (there isn’t), or if the interaction kind of got stuck in your imagination.”

I guess that I asked for both reasons. I am always curious about different groups of people and I would like to learn more about Quakers. Plus, like many (most?) people, I am curious about how I am perceived by others.

And yes, I considered that the woman in question may not be mentally stable.

@answerjill: Where do you live? There are Meetings for Worship all over the country. You walk in, sit down, and share the collective consciousness. You may feel the need to rise and say something. That’s fine. Or just sit quietly. Two people on the facing bench break Meeting by shaking hands, you do the same with your neighbors, and then there are refreshments and meet and greet. All low-key and very unthreatening and soothing.

Thanks, Gail. I know that there are Quakers where I live in the Boston-area. Also, one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Carrie Newcomer (www.carrienewcomer.com), indentifies as Quaker, I believe.

Cambridge Friends if you want to go to Thursday meeting with the kids. That I used to find wonderful.

And Friends Meetinghouse also in Cambridge for Sundays.

Gail – thanks. I may go some time out of curiosity some time. Kids? What kids?

Cambridge Friends School near Fresh Pond. Friends Meetinghouse is owned and run by a collective (the Meeting) and is off Brattle St. in the thick of things. The Meeting owns the school, which is pre-K through 8th grade.

Why wife’s Godfather joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) years ago. He looks and dresses just as anyone else. I have no idea if he likes oatmeal or not.

Thanks, G.

Tricky Dick Nxon was immersed in the Quaker ethos as a child. Aye yea! Check out Whittier, CA.

My sincere apology for insulting the Quaker collective character with my reference to R.M. Nixon. I find it difficult to forgive the immense harm he caused to humanity. Truly not a Quaker in spirit, and someone so profoundly complex that I wonder what his essence is/was. Sorry to all “Friends” for any ill feelings I might have ignited.
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