this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023

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Amish men ‘shunned’ after nationwide emergency alert outs them for having phones (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

28 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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[–] [email protected] 132 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Yeah that's bullshit. I live in a very very Amish area and I'm one of the minority who aren't Amish. Most of what people think about them is bullshit. So to hammer a few rumors out:
Electricity is a tool, and you're allowed to have tools in the barn, but not in the house.
A home phone/cell phone is a tool, it can be in the barn but not the house.
A car is a tool, but a photograph is vain. You can own a car but someone who isn't Amish has to drive it.

They all have cell phones, debit cards, vans, refrigerators, etc. They're just super picky about what gets to come inside the house

[–] [email protected] 74 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I also have friends in Amish and Mennonite communities in southern and northern Ontario.

Each community and group is unique to every other. Some are strict Orthodox and some relax the rules .... and some are so normal looking and acting that you wouldn't know they were Amish or Mennonite unless they told you.

My favorite are the thuggy Mennonites in southern Ontario. They drive around in brand new all black decked out SUVs (minus the chrome because you to show some humility), wear super clean black brimmed hats, sharp clothes and beautiful black leather jackets. Famously a few of them were caught smuggling coke and other drugs from Mexico.

They may have the fear of God in their hearts ... but they're just as greedy and worldly as any of us.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m in Ontario. I’ve never heard the term “thuggy Mennonite” but it’s fucking perfect.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

We saw some thuggy Mennonites in the northern corner of PA this summer. Super nicely pressed shirts and suspended pants.

Most of them appeared to be looking down toward my scruffy family (who had just rolled out of a campsite and just wanted breakfast).

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Now I want a gritty antihero drama series about the thuggy Mennonite’s of Ontario. I’m thinking a modern day Canadian Peaky Blinders kinda thing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I've never seen it, so I don't know if it's good. But there is this

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6257298/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

"Banshee" comes to mind. Not exactly that description but certainly has the Amish crime angle.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

Each community and group is unique

I recently looked into one of my local Mennonite churches, and it turns out that that particular church is probably actually one of the coolest, most liberal churches around, super LGBTQ friendly, lots of cool community outreach, etc.

Probably not representative of Mennonite churches in general mind you, but definitely shows the sort of diversity there can be there.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 10 months ago (1 children)

At that point I would just live in the barn.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago

That's Mennonite

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago

Are you saying that people have preconceived stereotypical notions of groups of people they aren't part of? I won't hear any of this nonsense!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

You can own a car but someone who isn't Amish has to drive it.

What if they're in the barn?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

If it's a tool and being used for a clear purpose why can't the driver be Amish?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They can't have their picture taken for the license

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It's that really the case? That's absurd. nobody looks like their license photo so I'm surprised the state doesn't provide an exemption.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It depends on the sect, but yeah for the most part it is. Once they cross that line it's Mennonite. but there are some sects, like the Swartzentroubers, that are very old order and don't even wear shoes. But for the most part they won't. Even the dolls at Amish stores don't have faces. And they may make exemptions for hijabs but there still has to be a photo and they just outright refuse for the most part, except for during rumspringe

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

not having a picture on your id would defeat the purpose of your id.

making an exemption would create a loophole more nefarious actors could easily exploit. no sane dmv is going to get away with instituting religious purity tests to make sure everyone who says they are amish is actually amish.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

If it's a tool and is being used for a clear purpose, why are the Amish in their house and not the barn?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That's really interesting, didn't know any of that. A little tongue in cheek here but... With all that in there at what point is your barn just your house in all but name?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

You're not wrong! I used to work in an Amish shop and my boss and his wife really stretched it lol.
She would use an extension cord to use a vacuum in the house, because it's a tool, and They had freezers in the barn.
In some communities they have a community warehouse full of chest freezers to keep meat and veggies through the summer. They can still get block ice for their ice boxes in their homes from town (I did that as job when I was a teen) but in reality it just depends on which community you're part of, but for the most part as long as you don't have power inside the house it's kosher.
But... There's an increasing number of communities that allow for solar power if it's only used for things like heat, light, and other utilities. Just nothing like TV, radio, or Internet devices.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago

Is this both sad and funny? Or just one of them? Lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The real shunning was not turning off emergency alerts, or having phones turned off when you don’t need then.

But blaming Amish for being tech illiterate is like blaming a baby, so funny and sad it is.