I had to pause this just to bow down to the God Level seamless incorporation of Weird Al lyrics into this script and the deadpan delivery.. Well played Fact Boy, well played!
He HAD to be in on it, but given Simon's aversion to EVERYTHING pop culture, it really is a toss up, lol. Fess up Simon, you're President of the Weird Al Fan Club, Prague Chapter aren't you? Lol
European here: I don't think Simon ever heard of Amish Paradise. I did not. First time ever was in this comment section. Had to google it. Probably the same for a lot of eurpeans? I know Weird Al for his Michal Jackson things, but then I'm a bit older than Simon...
I have served with a few prior Amish in the military. They are the hardest working Soldiers ever. One man I served with told us we were his family because his own Amish family shunned him and to them he was dead. So, we made sure he had good birthdays and other special days.
Thank you for giving this man a sense of family. It's incredibly important for mental health, especially in the military. Are you still in contact with him? Hope he's doing well
He must've been of the swartzentruber clan. Most (at least in Ohio) don't shun you unless you've done something horrific. Leaving the church and becoming a soldier would leave them concerned, but they'd still welcome you home in most of the denominations. I know several former Amish that still work alongside their family and drive them wherever they need to go. The swartzentrubers are extremely hardcore and don't often associated with us English folk. They don't have on the road, don't use safety triangles, and are extremely devout. A Mennonite I play softball with once compared them as the Christian pacifist equivalent of the Taliban. Lol
I lived in Hersey, PA and I was friends with a whole group of Mennonite people. They were really nice and several times we were invited to one of there worship services. I volunteered at the Hershey Medical center and several times I ran into Amish people in the surgical waiting area. One time a young Amish lady was sitting all alone. I know they avoid talking with English people, but she looked down in the dumps. I sat down by her and with a real low voice asked her if she was OK. She told me her baby son was having open heart surgery so I sat with her till the doctor showed up and told her everything went perfectly. Her husband finally got back to the hospital and she told him how nice I was to sit with her. I was surprised when her husband came over to me and shook my hand and he thanked me for being there with her.
I remember an Amish guy we had in the hospital once. He really enjoyed taking hot showers. He said “at home, it’s such a bother to take a bath, that he frequently just skipped it, as he was just going to get dirty again the next day!” He was a very sociable, nice guy.
Do any of the Amish leave the community to become heart surgeons or do they lie upon the “non-Amish” to go out in the heathen world and get the training so they can make use of it?
I witnessed 15-20 Amish men build a barn in 8 hours. It was a stack of lumber that morning, and by that afternoon it was a whole ass barn. It wasn’t a massive barn, but it wasn’t a tiny one either. It was very interesting to watch. They are the definition of hard work and dedication.
There are apparently huge issues with sexual abuse in Amish communities, and survivors are not believed and considered to be troublemakers, especially considering the status of women in their society.
I was born Amish and was raised around them …..and like everywhere there are bad apples but ( huge issues ) is a gross overstatement in my opinion……and they respect women more then women in general society are respected
How is it different from all other societies? SA is not taken seriously anywhere. Look at the justice system. Men can abuse women and children all they want and barely get any time. Don't get me started.
My grandpa passed away last week, but he ran what our family jokingly called his "Amish Taxi Service." He would haul Amish workers and their equipment to different job sites, sometimes several states away, and he often ferried Amish families to various grocery stores and appointments. He was well loved by the Amish community in the area, and it was really nice to see how many came to his funeral.
My cousin does that too, now that he's retired. He bought a 15-passenger van and drives them around all the time. A lot of time he drives men to job sites where they're doing construction or something similar.
@@gacktist00wait. Wuuut? As someone from Amish country Missouri and who knows a ton of them and who lived in Korea for a total of a decade (on and off) and am currently in Seoul now, I gotta know more.
I think the only lines I didn't hear was "There's no phone, no light, no motor car, not a single Luxury. Like Robinson Caruso, it's as primative as can be."
I feel like Simon dared Daven over a pint, "Do you think you could write a script that uses every line from a song without us getting a copyright strike?" and Daven replied, "How do you feel about talking for an hour about living in an Amish Paradise?"
My cousin is an accountant, who keeps the books for two very large Amish businesses. She was hired because the company books were getting too big to be done by hand. She says they're polite, respectful and honest in their dealings, even when others don't extend the same treatment. She and her husband spend quite a bit of their time with the Amish, enjoying meals and chatting, their kids playing.
It is insane how much money some of them have, especially the ones with construction companies that knock out five-figure contracts in a few days. And you'd never know unless you already knew
I work very closely with the local communities. I honestly spend more time with the Amish than my English friends. I take their kids fishing, and camping, take them to bid jobs, and spend a lot of meals with them. They're like anyone else, there's good and bad. But I truly feel lucky to have them as friends.
@@Coco-oy5sm The Amish in Pennsylvania and Ohio practice predatory business practices in which they go into a community and undercut the prices of local “English” contractors. They always benefit from the free marketing of the Amish “quality” myth. They have annihilated local family businesses to their profit. Their charm is a mask they use, and they hold contempt for our free country but love the benefit of tax-free status, while they contribute nothing to America. They buy the cheapest and least regulated wholesale goods, repackage them, and slap Amish stickers on them to sell to the gullible customers whose own taxes paid for the road to get there. Those are not “Amish Pecans” in their retail stores. I would never buy anything from their open barrels, either. And with their pesticides, animal cruelty and horrific treatment and repression of the children they breed to work their businesses, I call the Amish the American Taliban. I have witnessed these things first hand. Look behind the curtain.
Did she agree to give the father's their daughters' paychecks? I worked as an office manager at a farm that hired mennonites, and I had to hand the father his daughters pay cheques every week. His sons, on the other hand, picked up their own. Sexist pigs. I got glared at by all of them the minute I left the office. They also avoided talking to me at all and complained to my boss for literally everything I did. If they wanted to spend the day in the air conditioned office, they should get an education.
@@Coco-oy5smevery person in their family works full time from the 13 years old or younger. They just keep the money and only spend it in 'their' businesses. As a person of colour I dislike them more the more I interact with them. They are sexist and racist. People who don't live near them don't understand the discomfort at being an outsider even living in an english town.
It was touched on a few times, but as someone who was raised in a cult for the first 18 yrs of my life who then escaped- I feel like people don't even begin to understand the challenges that are faced to leave a community like this. you INSTANTLY lose housing, have no finances (because money is controlled in cult), have ABSOLUTELY NO support- friends/ family etc because you were kept isolated. You can't just INSTANTLY gain social security- the process usually takes months, you have NOTHING so can't afford to purchase even necessities let alone housing- so you are homeless and sleep on the street and hopefully don't freeze to death... you don't even have clothes to go to a job interview- and if there's somewhere that might give you free clothes you don't have transport to get to it and if you do get there it is WEEKS for the assessment and approval for the items and then you need to be able to travel to various places to get necessities without money or transport. You think you might die, you end up in dangerous situations and on top of all the physical dangers and stress- your mental health is so bad from all the trauma you survived and all the fear you are enduring about all the punishments you have been brain washed into believing you deserve. It is virtually impossible to escape a cult like this that you were raised in... and people don't understand why as adults people don't "just leave"
Still way less likely to deal with being sexually assaulted when with the Amish, just saying, that's real popular pretty everywhere else, at least online where the rainbow types mainly fester, just avoid behavior sinks like Seattle or Portland and you'll be better off than in a cult.
Having interacted with the Amish for a few years I can definitely say that any trade product you might get from an Amish craftsman is absolutely worth whatever the price may be and is easily an example of master craftsmanship. Particularly in my experience their leatherwork is mind blowing.
I think you are generalizing abit. Probably many are, since they often worked that proffession their whole life, but you cant say that just because they are amish they are automatically master craftsmen.
I’m a contractor and frequently work job sites that employ Amish labor, etc… Their work is generally no better than anybody else, and actually pretty crappy at times. Sure. I’d buy some hand spun blanket but I wouldn’t hire them to build me a porch.
Once my friend and I went on a trip to Toronto from Michigan. We took greyhound and had spent all our money so we were literally starving on the trip home (like where your body aches for food.) This Amish man took pity on us and gave us a bag of Funyuns. We DEVOURED these and thanked him. I noticed he was with a older lady and two younger (Late teens to 20s) girls, all of whom were crying. I asked what was wrong and he told me they had gone to visit his son who was doing Rumspringa and that the son decided to stay in "our world". He said that he's wife, Daughter and the other girl (Son's girlfriend) were bacially mourning him as if he died. The whole things threw me. This man had effectively los his song and here he was giving food to a pair of idiot punk kids on a bus.
My great uncle took over the family farm in Missouri and sadly the house burned down one night. He hired a group of Amish men who not only built a cabin and porch that were better than the previous ones, but they did it so fast and with such skill that my uncle still marvels at their abilities decades later. That’s how I learned that if you ever need a carpenter, you look for an Amish person.
Can't make them sound any better! Legit after what I've been subjected to living around Seattle my first thirty years, I won't ever look back if the Amish actually accepted me. Just that they won't shun me for wanting to have and raise kids is enough to ditch everyone I've met so far.
When I was in the Army, I discovered a small Amish community not too far off base. They had a restaurant that was absolutely AMAZING! Our of basic respect, I never dressed in uniform while there. (They weren't fooled, obviously, since they could tell who was a soldier and who wasn't. This was simply good manners of not rubbing their noses in my occupation.) My wife and I became quite friendly with some of them and later while serving, I was injured and my wife died in a car accident. One of the most meaningful things during the single most difficult time in my life was a care package from the folks who worked in the restaurant that had a local young man who wasn't Amish deliver it to me at Walter Reed. How they learned, exactly, what happened I never learned but it was truly touching. I've never forgotten them or their gesture. For folks who are often presumed to be standoffish, they aren't. They just live by a different set of rules for themselves.
In this area, inbreeding can indeed be something of a problem, sometimes leading to the spread of something called "maple syrup disease". To combat this, local Amish often travel east and eastern Amish often come west looking for potential mates.
I come from a Mennonite family. My ancestors also lived in small isolated communities, and Mennonites only have about 10 last names, so we are pretty obsessed with genealogy. When you brought a nice Mennonite boy/girl home to meet the family, the first thing your parents would do is break out the old family genealogy book and make sure they weren't really your cousin. (I have two of these books, one for each side of the family. I can trace my ancestors all the way back to the 1800s. Which is cool, but I can also tell you that 100% of them were humble peasant farmers. No royalty or celebrities in there.)
Yea, I know a bunch of Amish people that had to send there kids halfway across the country to get past second cousins. There is also a bit of a problem with low vaccine rates, in particular mumps. Wide spread outbreaks can sterilize big parts of the communities [because they are isolated it ends up not being a childhood infection], which dose heavy damage to the genetic diversity.
Freedom is terrifying, especially when you've been strictly controlled. It's often easier to conform, stay with your family, and never question your faith. I was never Amish, but was a conservative Christian who married an abusive man. It's not easy being free, but I made the right decisions.
interesting how in controlled relationships, the perception of world outside continually portrayed as 'dangerous' and controlled by evil. Kept in the dark 'protected' and that the controlling person is only person specially appointed to do the work for a higher power with opposing forces against him or her
I also come from a very fear monger-y conservative Christian home, I get this. I haven’t fully left yet but I’ve had one foot out the door since I was young. One day I will have an income and go.
I live near Amish Country in Ohio. They are open to tourism, have business or work in business. Bicycles are often seen and used. They are unsavory backyard dog breeders as a form of income. The Mennonite communities near the Amish communities encourage extended education and careers that benefit society, such as teaching, business administration, and medical workers, nursing, and technicians. The Amish hire Mennonite or English to drive them to stores and medical appointments. They have and use medical insurance through their business and communities. They use hospitals and other medical facilities.
@anissafogel868 I was going to mention the backyard breeder stuff as well. I'm in NW PA and while it's not really a thing up here, down in Lancaster and South of there, omg, it's SO BAD. I have family in Maryland that were looking to get a dog. They found one online. Meanwhile, I was pitching a fit, telling my mom that somebody (other than me) needed to talk to them. Someone finally did. Guess what? The puppy was from a mill. Had some kind of heart problem. They ended up finding buying a dog from Ohio. The breeder didn't appear to be a front for an Amish mill, but still, she was having multiple litters a year. Not much of a difference if you ask me.
It's traumatizing. My partner and several of his friends and acquaintances have many negative experiences from growing up Amish and later converting to Mennonite. You're shunned if you decide to not be Amish/Mennonite anymore by your family and friends. You literally lose your family and friends and need to figure out how to live an English lifestyle and hopefully you have a friend to show you how. It's definitely not as beautiful as people act like it is.
@@ChurchladyHmmshunning is the entirety of the Amish legal system. Punched someone else: shunned for a few weeks. Stole from someone: shunned for a few weeks. Beat the shit out of your family: its normal, they probably sinned. Raped your kids: shunned for a few weeks. Rode a bike: banned from the community for life.
@@victorrelmek2889 I see it more as a culture than a cult, but I might be biased. My great grandfather was Amish and my parents had quite a bit to do with the community. It really varies based on where you are. I'm sorry your friends weren't treated nicely.
For some reason I now feel compelled to listen to Amish Paradise. The scripts and their deliveries on all of Simon's channels are always great, but these jokes were unexpected and awesome.
The Weird Al Amish Paradise lines dropped all throughout this is just spectacular! I’m fairly certain nearly the whole song is in this. I’m loving it and laughing too. Hats off to whoever wrote this!
I worked in Lancaster PA in 2013 as a tree trimmer who worked around power lines. If you've never been in an Amish traffic jam, it's an experience. Some of their horse drawn carriages have blinkers kn them😅 also the Horses poo CONSTANTLY the road turns a redish brown. I was dragging brush to a chipper through a wet ditch. Only to at lunch see that what fed the ditches water was an outhouse 💀
I grew up near Amish country in Ohio. It was normal for us and Amish people are generally pretty nice! We have furniture made by the Amish (still in better condition than modern furniture 😅) & they have a few restaurants! The horses and buggies are fun, just be sure to kindly pass them on the road 😊
I used to live in a heavily Amish area. I’m glad this video is so accurate. I actually used to work at one of those restaurants that serve Amish food. However the family that owns it is Mennonite. I can confirm that the food is really good, and a lot of tourism money does in fact come from people fascinated by them. I also used to work at a trailer factory that employed many Amish men. I went to school with Amish kids, and a grand total of 4 Amish kids were enrolled in my high school when I graduated. I think they were all girls.
I had a teacher in high school who moved to the area from Georgia and was completely enraptured by the local Amish community to the point that it was kind of weird. Like she almost thought it was a zoo meant for our entertainment. But yeah, the food is mostly excellent. Some of it you definitely have to have a taste for
@Waterdust2000 they will allow a few to continue education beyond the 8th grade, if they excel in something that can benefit the community. 4 out of hundreds in high school is a low rate.
Seems to me shunning a family member, at least for something minor, is more concerned about personal reputation than anything else. Rather selfish than to weigh value to a community. The fact that predators are forgiven more than someone making a personal choice that harms no one, tells me it's not a paradise.
Shunning doesn't really happen for minor things. They may seem minor to outsiders, but it only comes to that when you do something that the community as a whole feels is very serious.
Everytime I hear the opening bars of Gangsta's Paradise being played in a bar or somewhere, I always hope it's going to be the Weird Al version. But it never is...
You clearly hang out with the wrong crowd, then. With my friends, it’s (almost) ALWAYS the Weird Al version! I had to add the almost, because my partner was playing the original Another One Bites the Dust the other day. I thought it was really weird! 😂
What a great video. I like how you present information to the viewer and let create their own opinion. Where I did my BA, there was an Amish community about 15 minutes away. If you were late for class and said, "I was stuck behind an Amish person," it was understood with no other questions asked. Professors were like, "yeah, it happens."
I am impressed with the Mennonite community's horses and horsemanship. I often see them while driving in northern Wisconsin. Watching buggies cross 2 lanes of Highway 29, then halt in the median, then go again when a break in traffic appears, all while huge trucks and cars are driving 65 mph plus. Nerve racking but impressive.
You took the words right out of my mouth! I was in Missouri yesterday and I saw an Amish family do that very thing on a road with a 60 MPH speed limit. I’m all for living however you would like as long as you’re not hurting anyone but there needs to be a provision made to keep these people off the road. It’s crazy!
@@iangoppert6564 Yes. I Know a lot of horsey people who will never sell to the Amish. He didn't mention it here, but it is pretty common for Amish people to buy horses young, work them nearly to death during the farming season, and then sell them afterward, because it's more practical monetarily to sell them, and then buy a new set at the start of the next season, rather than care for them through the winter.
I disagree, there's a difference between a working animal vs a pet. It's the same with dogs. I keep hearing about how badly working sheep dogs are treated here, except they're not. Working dogs are worth 2+ humans and cost a fortune to train and maintain. Just because their kept in cages at night and don't sleep on their owners bed. Again difference between working animal vs pet.
@@StefanMediciou are completely wrong when it comes to the Amish treatment of their working animals. They are very hard on them and treat them extremely poorly. People that live and interact w/ them know this for a fact. It bears mentioning the puppy mills they run as well as how the poach game animals at will. They have little respect for animals.
The kids around us frequently play hockey on the frozen cow ponds in the winter. Some ponds even have lights. (Usually if the property owner isn't very strict, or isn't part of the church but allows the use of their land for community events). It's really something driving past a group of like 100 buggies and a massive crowd around a frozen pond. Sometimes they party quite late, going into the wee hours of the morning.
The Amish are such a curious group, depending on the comunity they seem to range from an insane cult that should not be allowed to prey on their members all the way to a quirky group with what most consider weird religious practices, with everything in between being covered.
Simon, that bit at the end about making life better in the present time while taking some of the positives of the past with us than pine for it entirely as it was.. the words are quite on target. Well done here, whoever wrote this bit for your script deserves a raise. Unless you came up with it then.. hmm 🤔
I thought so too. I get so sick of seeing "good old days" posts. If you were female or not white or not straight or failed to fit in in any way then there were NO good old days.
Almost all houses have a diesel engine and air compressor. Everything else is pretty spot on. We had a local Amish lose his barn in a fire. The Amish community had it rebuilt in 4 days. They also make some of the best bbq chicken in the world. Every Saturday during the summer.
Varies from community to community. My Amish have electric lighting and can have phones and vehicles for work. Not possible for some Amish who would be exiled for walking into a store to get that stuff
I grew up around the Amish communities in southern Wisconsin. I was visiting the old farm a few weeks ago and saw an Amish kid rolling down the road on in-line skates. I thought I was going crazy for a second...
The Amish way of life, while I would not want to live that way, does have some very good ways that we could all learn from. For example the turning the other cheek thing. I am not saying to let someone beat you down. But when it comes to words and insults if we would just walk away and leave it at that their would be a lot less hate and fights going on today. Good one Simon.
@@Arbidarb : Indeed it is normal Christian teaching. But if one does the research they will see where the Amish hold true to it a lot better than a lot of Christians outside of the Amish. I have seen hate and vengence in a lot of churches. And that should not be. Have a blessed day.
@@michaelroloson2389 If you collectivize all non-Amish Christians then you'll come to that conclusion, but when looking on a church by church basis the Amish are far from the only ones that keep well to that teaching.
My family dealt with the Amish quite a but when I was growing up. We had a horse ranch and we bought out horses from the Amish. One of my favorite memories of visiting was hanging out with two Amish boys who were the "cool kids" because they had a boom box hidden under the seat of their buggy with an Eminem CD. I gave them a Linkin Park CD and they loved it. When I came back next year they had all the Linkin Park CDs. Then when I was stationed in Delaware there was this huge Amish market where we'd go for food everytime it was open. You're definitely not wrong about saying their food is good. It's next level shit. God answers their prayers in that food for sure at least lol.
As a rural American farmboy that spent his adolescence in Amish country, they are neither bigger, stronger, or partying harder than any other standard, farm raised American boy. They're just so sheltered before they get out into the world for a handful of years that they think they're special for being able to handle their booze. I love the Amish, but damn, they love to talk themselves up when they get the chance.
Brilliant summary: If pinning for the days of old, add those positive things into your life and keep the modern things that also make your life better (paraphrased)
I actually grew up and work in the heart of Amish country here in Holmes county near Berlin, Ohio, USA. We supply and color match paint and stain for all the furniture shops and such around here, so I interact and see them everywhere, everyday. Buggies, bikes, scooters, tractors, and yes, even golf carts are a nightmare on the back roads trying to get home after work! 😅
@@geauxherd762 Oh yes, they have the market cornered here for sure! I color match the paint (and some stain) in the lab at work, it's actually pretty satisfying!
My mom is German and my dad was Kentuckian. Some of dad's family live near an Amish community and it's not uncommon for people to give them rides to work or the grocery store, so my mom met a lot of Amish people and had fun conversing in German with them, noting the differences between their languages. Aside from sounding archaic, mom said the biggest difference was that they evolved new names for modern objects and ideas differently. So the languages are diverging more and more as time goes on. It's not like British English versus American English because we're still in touch with each other pretty consistently, but modern German isn't commonly heard or spoken in American communities or on TV. So German and Pennsylvania Dutch have been divorced from each other for quite a while. It's pretty fascinating.
When I have spoken Amish to friends who speak German, they say I sound like I'm 3 and 300 years old at the same time. Poor/weird grammar, really old words used, etc. Though my ability to speak it fades by the day.
@@amicaaranearum Kinda? A high german speaker could mostly understand and be understood by an Amish person, because PA Dutch originates from early high german. Some things wouldn't translate, but the biggest issue would be that it'd be akin to me or you talking to someone from the 1700s - we'd probably get the gist, but it would sound very strange to both parties and likely have to be kept simple. A low german speaker (who never learned high german) would have a much harder time understanding, but some dialects would still be okay, more or less. I doubt an Amish person would be able to understand much low german, though. As for reading and writing, I would say it's borderline. PA Dutch and high german pronunciations are generally similar, but many words are spelled very differently. Like trying to read middle english today. I would say written low german would be mutually unintelligible with PA Dutch.
It was similar to when my ex-husband and I visited a community of Amish in Ohio. He speaks some Yiddish and has a full beard and dresses similar to the Hasidim, so from a distance they look similar. He could generally make out the gist of what they were saying, as Yiddish has roots in German as well. (Our men have mustaches tho, along with the beards). Amish also don't use zippers; they fasten clothing with hook-and eyes. At least in the Old Order Amish communities.
Bravo, brilliant wrap up Simon. Learning simplicity and deliberate thoughtfulness from the Amish and Mennonite clans was thought provoking for me, as I've lived most of my life amongst these groups and thought them simply to be more than a bit hypocritical. 👍
I love how Simon incorporated the lyrics to Amish paradise in such a way that had you not heard the song before you'd miss it, and the flow of info doesn't change. And if you are familiar with it, it's like little Easter eggs lol 💜
Would love to see an episode on the hutterites. While if i remember correctly, they are not related to the Amish, they are very similar to more liberal amish, utilizing farm equipment and vehicles and whatnot, but shunning things like tv, cameras, and im pretty sure cell phones (though im pretty sure these are all likely fairly common for business use). There are likely different levels of them similar to the amish as well, but i dont think any of them get nearly as extreme as the most extreme old fashioned amish communities
29:59 I wasn’t raised this way at all but even in the Christian religion I was raised in, this is exactly what they told me about the world. That I’d have to “save” the world from whatever it was that satan did. It never made sense to me and I spent years being terrified to do anything after high school because they told me anything I’d do that they didn’t accept (which was honestly, anything outside religious occasions) would land me in hell with no hope of going to heaven. Was constantly told that my skills I had were nothing, that was worthless and that no one would ever care to hire me for anything. I now have a job at a small diner and I honestly love it. It’s better to prove those people wrong when you can. But goodness it surprises me that even though I was raised Christian, I was taught to fear everything. So controlling… Im glad I’ve finally gotten over sone of this…
Thanks :-) I did message him not to cut out or reword any parts that seemed mildly weirdly worded as I tried to work in the entire Amish Paradise song. It's the little things that make me happy. 😋
I've recently looked at some RVs that were claimed to have the Amish build some part of them and they were pretty low quality. But apparently part of that is because the workers are on a serious time table to get as many trailers built as possible in a day. As a result the quality suffers, which is unfortunate because people always have the nicest things to say about their workmanship.
My sister used to live in Corning, NY, which is upstate, and near Amish country. We visited a farmers market type of place, and there were Amish selling pastries. I got a raspberry pie. I've never been too keen on pie, but my sister insisted it would be amazing. She really undersold it. That was, hands down, the best pie I've ever had, and nothing has even approached its greatness. If you're fortunate enough to live near them, take advantage of the goods they sell to the outside world. You'll not find such items made with the detail and attention as the Amish.
Another channel I recommend in addition to this video is Cults to Consciousness. She interviews people who've been in high demand religious groups, including the Amish. She's talked to numerous former Amish folks about their complex lifestyle. Some of her videos about it can be very heavy, but are worth the watch when you're up for it.
My mom grew up in LaGrange County Indiana, in the middle of a good size Amish community. Because my grandpa, and his family was friendly with the community, when my great uncle, once an Amish young man, was not banned from their community. When my grandma and grandpa died, their funerals was always interesting. There was almost as many as horse and buggies as well as cars. About 10 years ago, they built a new school house and named it after my family name Andersen. So now my family will always be connected to the Amish community.
I must say that your video was well thought out and nuanced. You didn't sugarcoat it, giving both the positive and the negative aspects of Amish life. In the end the best part was your closing statement that we should not romanticize the past and live a more deliberate life that is more thoughtful of what we accept into our lives
Is this your longest video yet? I did not pause it at all, watched it from start to end. No matter what you said, I think that being Amish at least for most of us here on youtube would be HELL on Earth. We are to set in our ways to go back to being controlled what we can and can not do every single hour. We all enjoy knowing that if we want to go out side or see other people or eat different foods on to going to the cinema or buying new clothes we can and will not be told we can not. I am way to old to even think about changing my ways, I love computers, technology and science fiction and having the freedom to say what I want, that joining such a community that would stop me from enjoying these things would be HELL.
The fact that they structured this video around one of Weird Als greatest hits without ever directly mentioning the guy or the song, and doing it for the sole enjoyment of those in the audience that have reached 35 to 40 yrs old is why I appreciate and enjoy them so much.
I grew up near some Amish communities. My grandma always insisted my dad find her fresh farm eggs and once we bought some from a Amish family. I’ll never forget the one man mildly venting about his problems to my dad, who also likes to farm. Hearing him vent about his cows running dry for a few months really puts in perspective how our first world problems are problems that many others wish they had
I agree. Except when it comes to the Amish who could literally pack up, move a little ways, already have the skills to land a good job, and enjoy our first world problems if they wanted to.
I live an afternoons drive from both Amish and Menenite communities. The produce and proteins are possibly the best quality I've ever had and pricing is generally competitive with local markets they are near. Their devotion to quality is to the point where when I moved to my current home I had them build my garden shed. Not only is it built by hand with very high quality materials and attention to detail, because the company only builds sheds and similar structures with limited cosmetic options it was on par with home depot pricing for a shed of the same size because of their buying power with suppliers. I want to also add that they are an absolute delight to interact with and although their beliefs and culture are very different from my own there's a lot of common ground to be shared. This may be one of my favorite fact boy videos because of my closeness to the subject and how accurate the info is and how this isn't spun in a taboo, cliche, or otherwise joked at.
There was an Amish business near me (they made small wooden backyard sheds), and I have to admit I was always amused when they would pull up to the 7/11 with their horse drawn wagon to get gasoline in gas cans for one of the process in their business (not sure which one). Most of their workforce was not Amish, and in fact a non-Amish person bought the business several years ago.
I don't know why but I was surprised at all the quotes from Weird A's Amish Paradise. How much of that song was true goes to show how much work he puts into his songs.
Wow! This episode was so good! It is so refreshing to hear how something can on the whole bite the bishops big one yet have some healthy elements within that those of us outside of it could benefit from. In an era of "if you don't sign on to absolutely everything we say then you are the enemy" I wish everything could be talked about this way.
If you ever get the chance, go to an Amish market, bakery, or buffet. High quality food at a low cost. Its interesting because you will see all the Amish working behind every counter and they act as normal as anyone else but if its your first time they can tell I think because people get overly propper with them. Like people think they don't speak English or will refuse service lol All in all they were always nice and chill with me every time I talked with them in Pennsylvania.
You need to be careful with this though, I'm on the road a lot for my job, and I've seen several truck stops and gas stations that have a little table supposedly selling local Amish goods, but if you inquire, it turns out The Amish are just reselling goods from warehouses just like everybody else. It's the same as if you're driving in the Southwest you'll see a bunch of signs for Native American crafts and goods, but if you look on the bottom of them they're made in China. If you can go someplace where you can actually see the Amish people there working, great. If not, take it with a grain of salt.
I work in a medical school, and occasionally we have lectures that feature "live patients," meaning people with a particular medical issue. Once we had an Amish woman who had five kids confined to wheelchairs due to congenital birth defects, because of inbreeding. It's a very real problem. My heart broke for this woman. It's hard enough to get one person in a wheelchair around in modern society, but five?
@googlesucks5395 Oh yeah. Their craftsmanship pretty much can't be beat. I live about an hour East of that Holiday Inn. Biggest percentage of new roofs are put on by young Amish guys. Usually one English dude will act as their foreman/transportation, the group usually has like 3 builders. They finish projects so quickly.
Omgosh Simon breathe mate! U were talking really quickly in this episode. Thank u this was interesting. I live in rural Missouri and we have several Mennonite and Amish people they're great. If u need ur house/roof redone or built they r definitely the best choice.
My daughter lives near an Amish community. When they buy a new tractor, they can use the rubber wheels that came on the tractor. But when the rubber tires wear out, they have to be replaced with steel wheels.
Thank you for the well researched and even handed response. Based on the political climate of today I feel like a lot of people would idealize the Amish for "simple back in the old days" kind of living. But as you said, living back in the old days wasn't all that great.
sometimes my friend group brings in people who’ve had very sheltered upbringings and even at the age of 20 still have their parents looming over them. we basically have to help them transition into the adult world, live on their own, and set boundaries with their parents. a lot about Amish culture reminds me of these experiences. makes me feel…I dunno, frustrated. it upsets me when people don’t see how it’s abusive towards the children.
As a fellow ex amishman. I really appreciate the accuracy of everything spoken about. Very well done 👏 I obviously did not stay but feel extremely blessed to have grown up that way and have found myself getting defensive very quickly when overhearing conversations where facts about the Amish get twisted
I grew up on a dairy farm in a small Canadian town that is surrounded and nearly dominated by Mennonites, (Similar to Amish folks but different in a few key ways) most of them are farmers as well, most of them have modern farm equipment and personal vehicles. Most of them are very very smart and hard working though, I am good friends with one who also grew up on a farm. They intermingle with the outside community much much more. I still speak to him very regularly, I visit once every couple months and his father always puts me to work. Good people, hard working and genuine.
Simon, I can't believe I listened you to slow-read amish paradise to me for what felt like literally forever on a friday afternoon. Well worth it, you gangster
We have many Amish communities where I live in Northern New York. I see them in the hospital where I work almost daily. They shop in our local stores, and even eat in local restaurants. They have businesses that the local people use -- like carpentry business and a roofing company. I love the Amish market a family runs. They are a wonderful people.
@@molecularbandit the bulk of amish puppy mills are in pennsylvania. NY has effectively banned puppy mills and wont allow for the sale of dogs in their stores to come from puppy mills either. Im sure some slip through the cracks but the amish of northern ny are not known for puppy mills at all
That's (all) just perfect for an Amish like me... We shun fancy things like "electricity." Actually, my maternal family (on both sides until my grandmother was born) were all Amish and were officially shunned when my great grandmother's and great grandfather's were all 4 shunned from their families with just 2 out-of-community marriages... 😆 (And no, those 4 aren't actually 2 or related; it was just a strange coincidence.) Funnily enough, my paternal side was similar, but that was because again, 2 marriages happened between the Jewish and Christian sides... So my family is fucking weird, how bout yours?
A pretty comprehensive take on the Amish. Being "English" I'd have to laugh at some of the quirky practices I would see in my area, like horses pulling tractors so they could use the PTO for farm work. Driving up on a buggy on a dark rainy night marked only with kerosene lamp can lead to a crash, and does. Lancaster area buggies are better lit with battery powered lighting. Oh yeah, the puppy mills....
In a year-long mania, I (and my six year old daughter Sophia) actually lived as a member of a very conservative north central Amish community. Very, very interesting. I'd like to congratulate Simon on a highly accurate presentation. So many ideas about the Amish are based on a very small sample which results in a lot of weird misconceptions. Thank you.
I had the Amish roof my house since all the local roofers were adding extra fees for more than 1 story or greater than 45 degree pitch. One of the younger was dating a girl in a different city. He wasn't allowed to talk to her on the phone but they had no problem with him texting her. He was doing this because he was pretty related to everyone else of dating age in his community.
I am so happy that there was a Weird Al reference made less than 5 minutes into this video (ad time included). That's how I knew this was going to be a top-tier video.
Grandma grew up Mennonite and speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, I enjoyed her stories and always wanted to live Amish, I love how you ended this video, it basically is what I did, I learned to live that way by limiting things, and adjusting to modern technology advancements, just as she did back in the day.
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Please let Danny go! It's been long enough! This is not okay Simon, he deserves his freedom as do we all! Set Danny free Simon just let him go 😮🙏😅
What has happened to top 10s channel nothing posted for 2 months
Squarespace, for Ontrepaners :D
Once I need a website. I'll get it here ;)
Oh, I see what you did there! 😶
I had to pause this just to bow down to the God Level seamless incorporation of Weird Al lyrics into this script and the deadpan delivery.. Well played Fact Boy, well played!
To me it seemed like Simon was blissfully ignorant of them which made it all the more hilarious
I NEED to know if Simon was in on it or not
He HAD to be in on it, but given Simon's aversion to EVERYTHING pop culture, it really is a toss up, lol. Fess up Simon, you're President of the Weird Al Fan Club, Prague Chapter aren't you? Lol
European here: I don't think Simon ever heard of Amish Paradise. I did not. First time ever was in this comment section. Had to google it. Probably the same for a lot of eurpeans? I know Weird Al for his Michal Jackson things, but then I'm a bit older than Simon...
@@erminos8628Oh, I image this was absolutely intentional. But it's Simon's seamless delivery that makes it so much funnier.
I have served with a few prior Amish in the military. They are the hardest working Soldiers ever. One man I served with told us we were his family because his own Amish family shunned him and to them he was dead. So, we made sure he had good birthdays and other special days.
Amish are starchly against any military. Maybe a runaway
Honestly wishing the best for him
That's sweet! I'm glad that all of you were there for him. No one deserves to be shunned by their family.
Thank you for giving this man a sense of family. It's incredibly important for mental health, especially in the military. Are you still in contact with him? Hope he's doing well
He must've been of the swartzentruber clan. Most (at least in Ohio) don't shun you unless you've done something horrific. Leaving the church and becoming a soldier would leave them concerned, but they'd still welcome you home in most of the denominations. I know several former Amish that still work alongside their family and drive them wherever they need to go.
The swartzentrubers are extremely hardcore and don't often associated with us English folk. They don't have on the road, don't use safety triangles, and are extremely devout. A Mennonite I play softball with once compared them as the Christian pacifist equivalent of the Taliban. Lol
I lived in Hersey, PA and I was friends with a whole group of Mennonite people. They were really nice and several times we were invited to one of there worship services. I volunteered at the Hershey Medical center and several times I ran into Amish people in the surgical waiting area. One time a young Amish lady was sitting all alone. I know they avoid talking with English people, but she looked down in the dumps. I sat down by her and with a real low voice asked her if she was OK. She told me her baby son was having open heart surgery so I sat with her till the doctor showed up and told her everything went perfectly. Her husband finally got back to the hospital and she told him how nice I was to sit with her. I was surprised when her husband came over to me and shook my hand and he thanked me for being there with her.
I hope their kid is doing well now.
You said "English people" & was wondering, do you mean British? Thanks :)
@@aazhie English = Not Amish.
I remember an Amish guy we had in the hospital once. He really enjoyed taking hot showers. He said “at home, it’s such a bother to take a bath, that he frequently just skipped it, as he was just going to get dirty again the next day!” He was a very sociable, nice guy.
Hello fellow PA'er
Do any of the Amish leave the community to become heart surgeons or do they lie upon the “non-Amish” to go out in the heathen world and get the training so they can make use of it?
I witnessed 15-20 Amish men build a barn in 8 hours. It was a stack of lumber that morning, and by that afternoon it was a whole ass barn. It wasn’t a massive barn, but it wasn’t a tiny one either. It was very interesting to watch. They are the definition of hard work and dedication.
Ass-barn, you say 🤔 I'm intrigued
They started buying land all over the U.S now. Fastest growing population
Missed opportunity for hard work and sacrifice 😂
Ah yes, the barn-raising. The Amish are so comically OP at building barns that it's become a meme. I wonder if they know that 🤔
@@xredhead7135x You gotta have somewhere to keep your donkeys.
There are apparently huge issues with sexual abuse in Amish communities, and survivors are not believed and considered to be troublemakers, especially considering the status of women in their society.
Yes, I am only a little way through and am hoping Simon talks about this
I was born Amish and was raised around them …..and like everywhere there are bad apples but ( huge issues ) is a gross overstatement in my opinion……and they respect women more then women in general society are respected
@@FrankCastle694Are you a woman?
How is it different from all other societies? SA is not taken seriously anywhere. Look at the justice system. Men can abuse women and children all they want and barely get any time. Don't get me started.
Maybe that's why there the fastest growing population in America. Buying all the land they can
My grandpa passed away last week, but he ran what our family jokingly called his "Amish Taxi Service." He would haul Amish workers and their equipment to different job sites, sometimes several states away, and he often ferried Amish families to various grocery stores and appointments. He was well loved by the Amish community in the area, and it was really nice to see how many came to his funeral.
My cousin does that too, now that he's retired. He bought a 15-passenger van and drives them around all the time. A lot of time he drives men to job sites where they're doing construction or something similar.
I met a old man in Seoul,(he was korean) and he told us that he drove a carriage for armish when he was young. It was interesting story!
We call them Yoder Toters
@@gacktist00wait. Wuuut? As someone from Amish country Missouri and who knows a ton of them and who lived in Korea for a total of a decade (on and off) and am currently in Seoul now, I gotta know more.
@@silverbackag9790agreed, here for the story as well!
I feel like you need to have Weird Al in the credits, considering he wrote half of your script.
How can you tell? Serious question.. thank you.
@@felixthecat3n2the song Amish paradise. Many lyrics are said throughout the video
@@felixthecat3n2 he basically uses every line from Amish Paradise as a punchline.
I just checked. Yes you're absolutely right. A lot of lines from the song are in this video word for word
I think the only lines I didn't hear was "There's no phone, no light, no motor car, not a single Luxury. Like Robinson Caruso, it's as primative as can be."
Weird Al being referred to as "The Great One" is the best part of this video.😎
I feel like Simon dared Daven over a pint, "Do you think you could write a script that uses every line from a song without us getting a copyright strike?" and Daven replied, "How do you feel about talking for an hour about living in an Amish Paradise?"
This was a bet wasn’t it? C’mon Simon, own up, who’s buying who dinner?
I 100 percent can see this being a bet. Glad the second half got uploaded today.
Is that why the video was reuploaded
@@alexandre069 First upload only had half the video.
@@roguebanshee that explain this
My cousin is an accountant, who keeps the books for two very large Amish businesses. She was hired because the company books were getting too big to be done by hand. She says they're polite, respectful and honest in their dealings, even when others don't extend the same treatment. She and her husband spend quite a bit of their time with the Amish, enjoying meals and chatting, their kids playing.
It is insane how much money some of them have, especially the ones with construction companies that knock out five-figure contracts in a few days. And you'd never know unless you already knew
I work very closely with the local communities. I honestly spend more time with the Amish than my English friends. I take their kids fishing, and camping, take them to bid jobs, and spend a lot of meals with them. They're like anyone else, there's good and bad. But I truly feel lucky to have them as friends.
@@Coco-oy5sm The Amish in Pennsylvania and Ohio practice predatory business practices in which they go into a community and undercut the prices of local “English” contractors. They always benefit from the free marketing of the Amish “quality” myth. They have annihilated local family businesses to their profit. Their charm is a mask they use, and they hold contempt for our free country but love the benefit of tax-free status, while they contribute nothing to America. They buy the cheapest and least regulated wholesale goods, repackage them, and slap Amish stickers on them to sell to the gullible customers whose own taxes paid for the road to get there. Those are not “Amish Pecans” in their retail stores. I would never buy anything from their open barrels, either. And with their pesticides, animal cruelty and horrific treatment and repression of the children they breed to work their businesses, I call the Amish the American Taliban. I have witnessed these things first hand. Look behind the curtain.
Did she agree to give the father's their daughters' paychecks? I worked as an office manager at a farm that hired mennonites, and I had to hand the father his daughters pay cheques every week. His sons, on the other hand, picked up their own. Sexist pigs. I got glared at by all of them the minute I left the office. They also avoided talking to me at all and complained to my boss for literally everything I did. If they wanted to spend the day in the air conditioned office, they should get an education.
@@Coco-oy5smevery person in their family works full time from the 13 years old or younger. They just keep the money and only spend it in 'their' businesses. As a person of colour I dislike them more the more I interact with them. They are sexist and racist. People who don't live near them don't understand the discomfort at being an outsider even living in an english town.
It was touched on a few times, but as someone who was raised in a cult for the first 18 yrs of my life who then escaped- I feel like people don't even begin to understand the challenges that are faced to leave a community like this. you INSTANTLY lose housing, have no finances (because money is controlled in cult), have ABSOLUTELY NO support- friends/ family etc because you were kept isolated. You can't just INSTANTLY gain social security- the process usually takes months, you have NOTHING so can't afford to purchase even necessities let alone housing- so you are homeless and sleep on the street and hopefully don't freeze to death... you don't even have clothes to go to a job interview- and if there's somewhere that might give you free clothes you don't have transport to get to it and if you do get there it is WEEKS for the assessment and approval for the items and then you need to be able to travel to various places to get necessities without money or transport. You think you might die, you end up in dangerous situations and on top of all the physical dangers and stress- your mental health is so bad from all the trauma you survived and all the fear you are enduring about all the punishments you have been brain washed into believing you deserve. It is virtually impossible to escape a cult like this that you were raised in... and people don't understand why as adults people don't "just leave"
Still way less likely to deal with being sexually assaulted when with the Amish, just saying, that's real popular pretty everywhere else, at least online where the rainbow types mainly fester, just avoid behavior sinks like Seattle or Portland and you'll be better off than in a cult.
Spot on, without support there is likely no way out. You lose everything.
Some also, reportedly, like the girls to get knocked up during Rumspringa so they're forced to marry young and stay in the cult.@@cindyhill4864
Having interacted with the Amish for a few years I can definitely say that any trade product you might get from an Amish craftsman is absolutely worth whatever the price may be and is easily an example of master craftsmanship.
Particularly in my experience their leatherwork is mind blowing.
I've long heard about their cabinetry I can imagine their leatherwork is top notch.
I think you are generalizing abit. Probably many are, since they often worked that proffession their whole life, but you cant say that just because they are amish they are automatically master craftsmen.
@@tosehoed123 Pedantic (Adj.)
I’m a contractor and frequently work job sites that employ Amish labor, etc… Their work is generally no better than anybody else, and actually pretty crappy at times. Sure. I’d buy some hand spun blanket but I wouldn’t hire them to build me a porch.
I try to avoid buying products made by cult members.
Once my friend and I went on a trip to Toronto from Michigan. We took greyhound and had spent all our money so we were literally starving on the trip home (like where your body aches for food.) This Amish man took pity on us and gave us a bag of Funyuns. We DEVOURED these and thanked him. I noticed he was with a older lady and two younger (Late teens to 20s) girls, all of whom were crying. I asked what was wrong and he told me they had gone to visit his son who was doing Rumspringa and that the son decided to stay in "our world". He said that he's wife, Daughter and the other girl (Son's girlfriend) were bacially mourning him as if he died.
The whole things threw me. This man had effectively los his song and here he was giving food to a pair of idiot punk kids on a bus.
Great story, thanks for sharing ❤
He hadn't lost his son, his son is still alive, he just left the cult.
My great uncle took over the family farm in Missouri and sadly the house burned down one night. He hired a group of Amish men who not only built a cabin and porch that were better than the previous ones, but they did it so fast and with such skill that my uncle still marvels at their abilities decades later.
That’s how I learned that if you ever need a carpenter, you look for an Amish person.
Can't make them sound any better! Legit after what I've been subjected to living around Seattle my first thirty years, I won't ever look back if the Amish actually accepted me. Just that they won't shun me for wanting to have and raise kids is enough to ditch everyone I've met so far.
There is a local joke:
Do you know the pa Dutch words for plumb, level and square?
Don't feel bad, Amish carpenters don't know them either!
Some of the companies that make the wooden wheels for antique automobile restorations are Amish.
Today's drinking game. Every time Simon quotes Amish Paradise take a shot.
That might cause liver failure fairly quickly
I'm absolutely hammered! 🍻🍻
I need coffee and a cold shower…
Instructions unclear: can no longer walk and words are not understandable.
Good thing this came out on a Friday.
When I was in the Army, I discovered a small Amish community not too far off base. They had a restaurant that was absolutely AMAZING! Our of basic respect, I never dressed in uniform while there. (They weren't fooled, obviously, since they could tell who was a soldier and who wasn't. This was simply good manners of not rubbing their noses in my occupation.) My wife and I became quite friendly with some of them and later while serving, I was injured and my wife died in a car accident.
One of the most meaningful things during the single most difficult time in my life was a care package from the folks who worked in the restaurant that had a local young man who wasn't Amish deliver it to me at Walter Reed. How they learned, exactly, what happened I never learned but it was truly touching. I've never forgotten them or their gesture. For folks who are often presumed to be standoffish, they aren't. They just live by a different set of rules for themselves.
In this area, inbreeding can indeed be something of a problem, sometimes leading to the spread of something called "maple syrup disease". To combat this, local Amish often travel east and eastern Amish often come west looking for potential mates.
I come from a Mennonite family. My ancestors also lived in small isolated communities, and Mennonites only have about 10 last names, so we are pretty obsessed with genealogy. When you brought a nice Mennonite boy/girl home to meet the family, the first thing your parents would do is break out the old family genealogy book and make sure they weren't really your cousin. (I have two of these books, one for each side of the family. I can trace my ancestors all the way back to the 1800s. Which is cool, but I can also tell you that 100% of them were humble peasant farmers. No royalty or celebrities in there.)
Yea, I know a bunch of Amish people that had to send there kids halfway across the country to get past second cousins.
There is also a bit of a problem with low vaccine rates, in particular mumps. Wide spread outbreaks can sterilize big parts of the communities [because they are isolated it ends up not being a childhood infection], which dose heavy damage to the genetic diversity.
I like that word. I'm not gonna specify, but just know that I'm weird in that sense. 😂
Is that when the kids stare blankly with their mouths agape?
m a t e
Freedom is terrifying, especially when you've been strictly controlled. It's often easier to conform, stay with your family, and never question your faith. I was never Amish, but was a conservative Christian who married an abusive man. It's not easy being free, but I made the right decisions.
interesting how in controlled relationships, the perception of world outside continually portrayed as 'dangerous' and controlled by evil. Kept in the dark 'protected' and that the controlling person is only person specially appointed to do the work for a higher power with opposing forces against him or her
@@jagmarcdon't even need the outside to be dangerous or evil.
Human beings are often comfortable when they have to make few choices.
@@SioxerNikita I think I understand, anxiety of "spoilt for choice" but increased several notches ?
@@SioxerNikitayep. We'll be Idiocracy soon
I also come from a very fear monger-y conservative Christian home, I get this.
I haven’t fully left yet but I’ve had one foot out the door since I was young. One day I will have an income and go.
I live near Amish Country in Ohio. They are open to tourism, have business or work in business. Bicycles are often seen and used. They are unsavory backyard dog breeders as a form of income. The Mennonite communities near the Amish communities encourage extended education and careers that benefit society, such as teaching, business administration, and medical workers, nursing, and technicians. The Amish hire Mennonite or English to drive them to stores and medical appointments. They have and use medical insurance through their business and communities. They use hospitals and other medical facilities.
@anissafogel868 I was going to mention the backyard breeder stuff as well. I'm in NW PA and while it's not really a thing up here, down in Lancaster and South of there, omg, it's SO BAD.
I have family in Maryland that were looking to get a dog. They found one online. Meanwhile, I was pitching a fit, telling my mom that somebody (other than me) needed to talk to them.
Someone finally did. Guess what? The puppy was from a mill. Had some kind of heart problem. They ended up finding buying a dog from Ohio. The breeder didn't appear to be a front for an Amish mill, but still, she was having multiple litters a year. Not much of a difference if you ask me.
I live near Amish country in Ohio also!
@grayhatjen5924 Puppy mills aren’t illegal, nor should they be.
sounds like the Amish have a form of Uber xD.
I grew up there. Probably was your neighbor. Waving "halo, wie geht's?"
It's traumatizing. My partner and several of his friends and acquaintances have many negative experiences from growing up Amish and later converting to Mennonite. You're shunned if you decide to not be Amish/Mennonite anymore by your family and friends. You literally lose your family and friends and need to figure out how to live an English lifestyle and hopefully you have a friend to show you how. It's definitely not as beautiful as people act like it is.
This isn't always true by the way. Tho I'm certain that shunning does exist far too often
@@ChurchladyHmmshunning is the entirety of the Amish legal system.
Punched someone else: shunned for a few weeks.
Stole from someone: shunned for a few weeks.
Beat the shit out of your family: its normal, they probably sinned.
Raped your kids: shunned for a few weeks.
Rode a bike: banned from the community for life.
It's a backwards cult. They deserve no praise, only condemnation.
Agreed. It's almost a cult........
@@victorrelmek2889 I see it more as a culture than a cult, but I might be biased. My great grandfather was Amish and my parents had quite a bit to do with the community. It really varies based on where you are. I'm sorry your friends weren't treated nicely.
For some reason I now feel compelled to listen to Amish Paradise. The scripts and their deliveries on all of Simon's channels are always great, but these jokes were unexpected and awesome.
The Weird Al Amish Paradise lines dropped all throughout this is just spectacular! I’m fairly certain nearly the whole song is in this. I’m loving it and laughing too. Hats off to whoever wrote this!
Pity this wasn't a collaboration with Weird Al
It's not quite 100% of all the lyrics, but we all know simon is a million times as humble as thou art...
I worked in Lancaster PA in 2013 as a tree trimmer who worked around power lines.
If you've never been in an Amish traffic jam, it's an experience.
Some of their horse drawn carriages have blinkers kn them😅 also the Horses poo CONSTANTLY the road turns a redish brown.
I was dragging brush to a chipper through a wet ditch. Only to at lunch see that what fed the ditches water was an outhouse 💀
I grew up near Amish country in Ohio. It was normal for us and Amish people are generally pretty nice! We have furniture made by the Amish (still in better condition than modern furniture 😅) & they have a few restaurants! The horses and buggies are fun, just be sure to kindly pass them on the road 😊
I used to live in a heavily Amish area. I’m glad this video is so accurate. I actually used to work at one of those restaurants that serve Amish food. However the family that owns it is Mennonite. I can confirm that the food is really good, and a lot of tourism money does in fact come from people fascinated by them. I also used to work at a trailer factory that employed many Amish men. I went to school with Amish kids, and a grand total of 4 Amish kids were enrolled in my high school when I graduated. I think they were all girls.
I had a teacher in high school who moved to the area from Georgia and was completely enraptured by the local Amish community to the point that it was kind of weird. Like she almost thought it was a zoo meant for our entertainment. But yeah, the food is mostly excellent. Some of it you definitely have to have a taste for
Wait.. didn't simon say their education stopped at like 8th grade or something? 🧐
@Waterdust2000 they will allow a few to continue education beyond the 8th grade, if they excel in something that can benefit the community. 4 out of hundreds in high school is a low rate.
Holmes county or Lancaster 😂
@@Coco-oy5sm That’s true.
One of the most gross things I ever had to prepare was head cheese. If you don’t know what it is, Google it.
Seems to me shunning a family member, at least for something minor, is more concerned about personal reputation than anything else. Rather selfish than to weigh value to a community. The fact that predators are forgiven more than someone making a personal choice that harms no one, tells me it's not a paradise.
It's a cult
Shunning doesn't really happen for minor things. They may seem minor to outsiders, but it only comes to that when you do something that the community as a whole feels is very serious.
Everytime I hear the opening bars of Gangsta's Paradise being played in a bar or somewhere, I always hope it's going to be the Weird Al version. But it never is...
You clearly hang out with the wrong crowd, then. With my friends, it’s (almost) ALWAYS the Weird Al version!
I had to add the almost, because my partner was playing the original Another One Bites the Dust the other day. I thought it was really weird! 😂
What a great video. I like how you present information to the viewer and let create their own opinion. Where I did my BA, there was an Amish community about 15 minutes away. If you were late for class and said, "I was stuck behind an Amish person," it was understood with no other questions asked. Professors were like, "yeah, it happens."
I am impressed with the Mennonite community's horses and horsemanship. I often see them while driving in northern Wisconsin. Watching buggies cross 2 lanes of Highway 29, then halt in the median, then go again when a break in traffic appears, all while huge trucks and cars are driving 65 mph plus. Nerve racking but impressive.
You took the words right out of my mouth! I was in Missouri yesterday and I saw an Amish family do that very thing on a road with a 60 MPH speed limit. I’m all for living however you would like as long as you’re not hurting anyone but there needs to be a provision made to keep these people off the road. It’s crazy!
Sadly many Amish are abusive to the horses
@@iangoppert6564 Yes. I Know a lot of horsey people who will never sell to the Amish. He didn't mention it here, but it is pretty common for Amish people to buy horses young, work them nearly to death during the farming season, and then sell them afterward, because it's more practical monetarily to sell them, and then buy a new set at the start of the next season, rather than care for them through the winter.
I disagree, there's a difference between a working animal vs a pet. It's the same with dogs. I keep hearing about how badly working sheep dogs are treated here, except they're not. Working dogs are worth 2+ humans and cost a fortune to train and maintain. Just because their kept in cages at night and don't sleep on their owners bed. Again difference between working animal vs pet.
@@StefanMediciou are completely wrong when it comes to the Amish treatment of their working animals. They are very hard on them and treat them extremely poorly. People that live and interact w/ them know this for a fact. It bears mentioning the puppy mills they run as well as how the poach game animals at will. They have little respect for animals.
The kids around us frequently play hockey on the frozen cow ponds in the winter. Some ponds even have lights. (Usually if the property owner isn't very strict, or isn't part of the church but allows the use of their land for community events). It's really something driving past a group of like 100 buggies and a massive crowd around a frozen pond. Sometimes they party quite late, going into the wee hours of the morning.
I love the amount of Amish Paradise quotes in this and Simon is just breezing through without batting an eye 😂
The Amish are such a curious group, depending on the comunity they seem to range from an insane cult that should not be allowed to prey on their members all the way to a quirky group with what most consider weird religious practices, with everything in between being covered.
Simon, that bit at the end about making life better in the present time while taking some of the positives of the past with us than pine for it entirely as it was.. the words are quite on target. Well done here, whoever wrote this bit for your script deserves a raise. Unless you came up with it then.. hmm 🤔
I thought so too. I get so sick of seeing "good old days" posts. If you were female or not white or not straight or failed to fit in in any way then there were NO good old days.
The subtle use of Amish paradise references was absolute gold
Almost all houses have a diesel engine and air compressor. Everything else is pretty spot on. We had a local Amish lose his barn in a fire. The Amish community had it rebuilt in 4 days. They also make some of the best bbq chicken in the world. Every Saturday during the summer.
Varies from community to community. My Amish have electric lighting and can have phones and vehicles for work. Not possible for some Amish who would be exiled for walking into a store to get that stuff
I grew up around the Amish communities in southern Wisconsin. I was visiting the old farm a few weeks ago and saw an Amish kid rolling down the road on in-line skates. I thought I was going crazy for a second...
The Amish way of life, while I would not want to live that way, does have some very good ways that we could all learn from. For example the turning the other cheek thing. I am not saying to let someone beat you down. But when it comes to words and insults if we would just walk away and leave it at that their would be a lot less hate and fights going on today. Good one Simon.
That's just normal Christian teaching. There's nothing particularly Amish about that.
@@Arbidarb : Indeed it is normal Christian teaching. But if one does the research they will see where the Amish hold true to it a lot better than a lot of Christians outside of the Amish. I have seen hate and vengence in a lot of churches. And that should not be. Have a blessed day.
@@michaelroloson2389 If you collectivize all non-Amish Christians then you'll come to that conclusion, but when looking on a church by church basis the Amish are far from the only ones that keep well to that teaching.
My family dealt with the Amish quite a but when I was growing up. We had a horse ranch and we bought out horses from the Amish. One of my favorite memories of visiting was hanging out with two Amish boys who were the "cool kids" because they had a boom box hidden under the seat of their buggy with an Eminem CD. I gave them a Linkin Park CD and they loved it. When I came back next year they had all the Linkin Park CDs.
Then when I was stationed in Delaware there was this huge Amish market where we'd go for food everytime it was open. You're definitely not wrong about saying their food is good. It's next level shit. God answers their prayers in that food for sure at least lol.
Fans: Nice addition of weird Al references.
Simon: Who?
ChatGPT has gotten really weird!
Let’s be honest here… it’s more than accurate… 😂
As a rural American farmboy that spent his adolescence in Amish country, they are neither bigger, stronger, or partying harder than any other standard, farm raised American boy. They're just so sheltered before they get out into the world for a handful of years that they think they're special for being able to handle their booze.
I love the Amish, but damn, they love to talk themselves up when they get the chance.
Brilliant summary: If pinning for the days of old, add those positive things into your life and keep the modern things that also make your life better (paraphrased)
I think this is one of the best videos you guys have ever done. Loved the Amish Paradise lyrics sprinkled in everywhere.
I actually grew up and work in the heart of Amish country here in Holmes county near Berlin, Ohio, USA. We supply and color match paint and stain for all the furniture shops and such around here, so I interact and see them everywhere, everyday. Buggies, bikes, scooters, tractors, and yes, even golf carts are a nightmare on the back roads trying to get home after work! 😅
Bought plenty of furniture there. Yes it’s expensive but it’s basically bomb proof and is heirloom furniture
@@geauxherd762 Oh yes, they have the market cornered here for sure! I color match the paint (and some stain) in the lab at work, it's actually pretty satisfying!
My mom is German and my dad was Kentuckian. Some of dad's family live near an Amish community and it's not uncommon for people to give them rides to work or the grocery store, so my mom met a lot of Amish people and had fun conversing in German with them, noting the differences between their languages. Aside from sounding archaic, mom said the biggest difference was that they evolved new names for modern objects and ideas differently. So the languages are diverging more and more as time goes on. It's not like British English versus American English because we're still in touch with each other pretty consistently, but modern German isn't commonly heard or spoken in American communities or on TV. So German and Pennsylvania Dutch have been divorced from each other for quite a while. It's pretty fascinating.
I was wondering whether modern German and Pennsylvania Dutch are mutually intelligible.
When I have spoken Amish to friends who speak German, they say I sound like I'm 3 and 300 years old at the same time. Poor/weird grammar, really old words used, etc. Though my ability to speak it fades by the day.
@@amicaaranearum Kinda? A high german speaker could mostly understand and be understood by an Amish person, because PA Dutch originates from early high german. Some things wouldn't translate, but the biggest issue would be that it'd be akin to me or you talking to someone from the 1700s - we'd probably get the gist, but it would sound very strange to both parties and likely have to be kept simple. A low german speaker (who never learned high german) would have a much harder time understanding, but some dialects would still be okay, more or less. I doubt an Amish person would be able to understand much low german, though.
As for reading and writing, I would say it's borderline. PA Dutch and high german pronunciations are generally similar, but many words are spelled very differently. Like trying to read middle english today. I would say written low german would be mutually unintelligible with PA Dutch.
@@Coco-oy5sm Ha, I generally can’t read Middle English.
Thanks for the explanation.
It was similar to when my ex-husband and I visited a community of Amish in Ohio. He speaks some Yiddish and has a full beard and dresses similar to the Hasidim, so from a distance they look similar. He could generally make out the gist of what they were saying, as Yiddish has roots in German as well. (Our men have mustaches tho, along with the beards).
Amish also don't use zippers; they fasten clothing with hook-and eyes. At least in the Old Order Amish communities.
Bravo, brilliant wrap up Simon. Learning simplicity and deliberate thoughtfulness from the Amish and Mennonite clans was thought provoking for me, as I've lived most of my life amongst these groups and thought them simply to be more than a bit hypocritical. 👍
I love how Simon incorporated the lyrics to Amish paradise in such a way that had you not heard the song before you'd miss it, and the flow of info doesn't change. And if you are familiar with it, it's like little Easter eggs lol 💜
Would love to see an episode on the hutterites. While if i remember correctly, they are not related to the Amish, they are very similar to more liberal amish, utilizing farm equipment and vehicles and whatnot, but shunning things like tv, cameras, and im pretty sure cell phones (though im pretty sure these are all likely fairly common for business use). There are likely different levels of them similar to the amish as well, but i dont think any of them get nearly as extreme as the most extreme old fashioned amish communities
29:59 I wasn’t raised this way at all but even in the Christian religion I was raised in, this is exactly what they told me about the world.
That I’d have to “save” the world from whatever it was that satan did.
It never made sense to me and I spent years being terrified to do anything after high school because they told me anything I’d do that they didn’t accept (which was honestly, anything outside religious occasions) would land me in hell with no hope of going to heaven.
Was constantly told that my skills I had were nothing, that was worthless and that no one would ever care to hire me for anything.
I now have a job at a small diner and I honestly love it.
It’s better to prove those people wrong when you can.
But goodness it surprises me that even though I was raised Christian, I was taught to fear everything.
So controlling…
Im glad I’ve finally gotten over sone of this…
Daven, that was brilliant! Did Simon even get that you wove in all those lyrics from Amish Paradise?
Thanks :-) I did message him not to cut out or reword any parts that seemed mildly weirdly worded as I tried to work in the entire Amish Paradise song. It's the little things that make me happy. 😋
Legend
I've recently looked at some RVs that were claimed to have the Amish build some part of them and they were pretty low quality. But apparently part of that is because the workers are on a serious time table to get as many trailers built as possible in a day. As a result the quality suffers, which is unfortunate because people always have the nicest things to say about their workmanship.
We're going to party like it's 1699.
My sister used to live in Corning, NY, which is upstate, and near Amish country. We visited a farmers market type of place, and there were Amish selling pastries. I got a raspberry pie. I've never been too keen on pie, but my sister insisted it would be amazing. She really undersold it. That was, hands down, the best pie I've ever had, and nothing has even approached its greatness. If you're fortunate enough to live near them, take advantage of the goods they sell to the outside world. You'll not find such items made with the detail and attention as the Amish.
Thank God, I was watching this yesterday when you took it down
Yeah what happened! It stopped 3/4 of the way through. Why they delete it
Another channel I recommend in addition to this video is Cults to Consciousness. She interviews people who've been in high demand religious groups, including the Amish. She's talked to numerous former Amish folks about their complex lifestyle. Some of her videos about it can be very heavy, but are worth the watch when you're up for it.
My mom grew up in LaGrange County Indiana, in the middle of a good size Amish community. Because my grandpa, and his family was friendly with the community, when my great uncle, once an Amish young man, was not banned from their community. When my grandma and grandpa died, their funerals was always interesting. There was almost as many as horse and buggies as well as cars. About 10 years ago, they built a new school house and named it after my family name Andersen. So now my family will always be connected to the Amish community.
the lacing of amish paradise lyrics throughout is *chef's kiss* well done.
I love all the Amish paradise references 😂
I must say that your video was well thought out and nuanced. You didn't sugarcoat it, giving both the positive and the negative aspects of Amish life. In the end the best part was your closing statement that we should not romanticize the past and live a more deliberate life that is more thoughtful of what we accept into our lives
Is this your longest video yet? I did not pause it at all, watched it from start to end. No matter what you said, I think that being Amish at least for most of us here on youtube would be HELL on Earth. We are to set in our ways to go back to being controlled what we can and can not do every single hour. We all enjoy knowing that if we want to go out side or see other people or eat different foods on to going to the cinema or buying new clothes we can and will not be told we can not.
I am way to old to even think about changing my ways, I love computers, technology and science fiction and having the freedom to say what I want, that joining such a community that would stop me from enjoying these things would be HELL.
That was a great video which had lots of detail and was very informative!
And I loved all the lyrics from Amish Paradise. 🤣
It's amazing how he never once repeated a quote from Amish paradise. Weird Al would be proud.
WOW!! You have overdone yourselves with this video. I was hooked, well done guys.
I'm less than 5 minutes in, and I already know that this is, by far, the best thing that will happen to me, today.
The fact that they structured this video around one of Weird Als greatest hits without ever directly mentioning the guy or the song, and doing it for the sole enjoyment of those in the audience that have reached 35 to 40 yrs old is why I appreciate and enjoy them so much.
I grew up near some Amish communities. My grandma always insisted my dad find her fresh farm eggs and once we bought some from a Amish family. I’ll never forget the one man mildly venting about his problems to my dad, who also likes to farm. Hearing him vent about his cows running dry for a few months really puts in perspective how our first world problems are problems that many others wish they had
I agree. Except when it comes to the Amish who could literally pack up, move a little ways, already have the skills to land a good job, and enjoy our first world problems if they wanted to.
I live an afternoons drive from both Amish and Menenite communities. The produce and proteins are possibly the best quality I've ever had and pricing is generally competitive with local markets they are near.
Their devotion to quality is to the point where when I moved to my current home I had them build my garden shed. Not only is it built by hand with very high quality materials and attention to detail, because the company only builds sheds and similar structures with limited cosmetic options it was on par with home depot pricing for a shed of the same size because of their buying power with suppliers.
I want to also add that they are an absolute delight to interact with and although their beliefs and culture are very different from my own there's a lot of common ground to be shared. This may be one of my favorite fact boy videos because of my closeness to the subject and how accurate the info is and how this isn't spun in a taboo, cliche, or otherwise joked at.
There was an Amish business near me (they made small wooden backyard sheds), and I have to admit I was always amused when they would pull up to the 7/11 with their horse drawn wagon to get gasoline in gas cans for one of the process in their business (not sure which one). Most of their workforce was not Amish, and in fact a non-Amish person bought the business several years ago.
As usual, Simon, you are the best reader on TH-cam. And Daven, this is one of your best scripts. Thanks.
I don't know why but I was surprised at all the quotes from Weird A's Amish Paradise. How much of that song was true goes to show how much work he puts into his songs.
Daven, you are a legend!
Wow! This episode was so good! It is so refreshing to hear how something can on the whole bite the bishops big one yet have some healthy elements within that those of us outside of it could benefit from. In an era of "if you don't sign on to absolutely everything we say then you are the enemy" I wish everything could be talked about this way.
Great. Now I have that song stuck in my head. Thanks Simon.
If you ever get the chance, go to an Amish market, bakery, or buffet. High quality food at a low cost. Its interesting because you will see all the Amish working behind every counter and they act as normal as anyone else but if its your first time they can tell I think because people get overly propper with them. Like people think they don't speak English or will refuse service lol
All in all they were always nice and chill with me every time I talked with them in Pennsylvania.
You need to be careful with this though, I'm on the road a lot for my job, and I've seen several truck stops and gas stations that have a little table supposedly selling local Amish goods, but if you inquire, it turns out The Amish are just reselling goods from warehouses just like everybody else. It's the same as if you're driving in the Southwest you'll see a bunch of signs for Native American crafts and goods, but if you look on the bottom of them they're made in China. If you can go someplace where you can actually see the Amish people there working, great. If not, take it with a grain of salt.
I work in a medical school, and occasionally we have lectures that feature "live patients," meaning people with a particular medical issue. Once we had an Amish woman who had five kids confined to wheelchairs due to congenital birth defects, because of inbreeding. It's a very real problem. My heart broke for this woman. It's hard enough to get one person in a wheelchair around in modern society, but five?
A lot of construction companies where I lived hired Amish. The Holiday Inn in Erie, PA had Amish do much of the carpentry.
I bet that Inn will be there a lot longer then a lot of our other buildings.
@googlesucks5395 Oh yeah. Their craftsmanship pretty much can't be beat.
I live about an hour East of that Holiday Inn. Biggest percentage of new roofs are put on by young Amish guys. Usually one English dude will act as their foreman/transportation, the group usually has like 3 builders. They finish projects so quickly.
Damn I didn’t know that. I stayed there for my great grandmother’s funeral back in 2009.
Omgosh Simon breathe mate! U were talking really quickly in this episode. Thank u this was interesting. I live in rural Missouri and we have several Mennonite and Amish people they're great. If u need ur house/roof redone or built they r definitely the best choice.
Near me, new amish houses still have to be built with plumbing and wiring, doesnt need to be hooked up. But has to be there if the house is sold.
I'm not sure you'd legally pass Occupancy requirements without basics. I'm assuming that's the reason they install it and just never hook up.
My daughter lives near an Amish community. When they buy a new tractor, they can use the rubber wheels that came on the tractor. But when the rubber tires wear out, they have to be replaced with steel wheels.
Thank you for the well researched and even handed response. Based on the political climate of today I feel like a lot of people would idealize the Amish for "simple back in the old days" kind of living. But as you said, living back in the old days wasn't all that great.
Absolutely love the Weird AL drops Simon!
sometimes my friend group brings in people who’ve had very sheltered upbringings and even at the age of 20 still have their parents looming over them. we basically have to help them transition into the adult world, live on their own, and set boundaries with their parents. a lot about Amish culture reminds me of these experiences.
makes me feel…I dunno, frustrated. it upsets me when people don’t see how it’s abusive towards the children.
As a fellow ex amishman. I really appreciate the accuracy of everything spoken about. Very well done 👏 I obviously did not stay but feel extremely blessed to have grown up that way and have found myself getting defensive very quickly when overhearing conversations where facts about the Amish get twisted
I live in Lancaster county, PA. Our local Walmart has stables for the horses and buggies.
I grew up on a dairy farm in a small Canadian town that is surrounded and nearly dominated by Mennonites, (Similar to Amish folks but different in a few key ways) most of them are farmers as well, most of them have modern farm equipment and personal vehicles. Most of them are very very smart and hard working though, I am good friends with one who also grew up on a farm. They intermingle with the outside community much much more. I still speak to him very regularly, I visit once every couple months and his father always puts me to work. Good people, hard working and genuine.
Simon, I can't believe I listened you to slow-read amish paradise to me for what felt like literally forever on a friday afternoon. Well worth it, you gangster
Fascinating, one of my favorite videos of all his channels, learned SO much I had no idea about. Including some of the numbers quoted! 🤯🤯
Love all the Weird Al lyric references...and that this comment community caught them!
We have many Amish communities where I live in Northern New York. I see them in the hospital where I work almost daily. They shop in our local stores, and even eat in local restaurants. They have businesses that the local people use -- like carpentry business and a roofing company. I love the Amish market a family runs. They are a wonderful people.
They run awful puppy mills though. I can't look past that
@@molecularbandit the bulk of amish puppy mills are in pennsylvania. NY has effectively banned puppy mills and wont allow for the sale of dogs in their stores to come from puppy mills either. Im sure some slip through the cracks but the amish of northern ny are not known for puppy mills at all
That's (all) just perfect for an Amish like me... We shun fancy things like "electricity."
Actually, my maternal family (on both sides until my grandmother was born) were all Amish and were officially shunned when my great grandmother's and great grandfather's were all 4 shunned from their families with just 2 out-of-community marriages... 😆 (And no, those 4 aren't actually 2 or related; it was just a strange coincidence.)
Funnily enough, my paternal side was similar, but that was because again, 2 marriages happened between the Jewish and Christian sides...
So my family is fucking weird, how bout yours?
Goddamn 😂 My grandfathers were Catholic (one still of mostly WASP descent) and my grandmothers were WASP. That’s all I’ve got 😂
@@MorganHorse
Good lord lmao.
Well, you've got my sub just for the sake of being an ideological mutt, too! 😆
Excellent video. Thanks guys 😁
A pretty comprehensive take on the Amish. Being "English" I'd have to laugh at some of the quirky practices I would see in my area, like horses pulling tractors so they could use the PTO for farm work. Driving up on a buggy on a dark rainy night marked only with kerosene lamp can lead to a crash, and does. Lancaster area buggies are better lit with battery powered lighting. Oh yeah, the puppy mills....
This was beautiful. The quotes went above and beyond.
All these Weird Al references 😂😂
In a year-long mania, I (and my six year old daughter Sophia) actually lived as a member of a very conservative north central Amish community. Very, very interesting. I'd like to congratulate Simon on a highly accurate presentation. So many ideas about the Amish are based on a very small sample which results in a lot of weird misconceptions. Thank you.
Someone please make an edit of this where he does the entire song by cutting out all the parts in between the lyric drops.
I had the Amish roof my house since all the local roofers were adding extra fees for more than 1 story or greater than 45 degree pitch. One of the younger was dating a girl in a different city. He wasn't allowed to talk to her on the phone but they had no problem with him texting her. He was doing this because he was pretty related to everyone else of dating age in his community.
The casual reference to Weird Al as the great one tho. This is truly a work of art.
I am so happy that there was a Weird Al reference made less than 5 minutes into this video (ad time included). That's how I knew this was going to be a top-tier video.
Grandma grew up Mennonite and speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, I enjoyed her stories and always wanted to live Amish, I love how you ended this video, it basically is what I did, I learned to live that way by limiting things, and adjusting to modern technology advancements, just as she did back in the day.