What is it Actually Like to Be an Amish Person? 

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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!

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 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.

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?"

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.

I feel like you need to have Weird Al in the credits, considering he wrote half of your script.

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.

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.

Today's drinking game. Every time Simon quotes Amish Paradise take a shot.

Weird Al being referred to as "The Great One" is the best part of this video.😎

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.

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.

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.

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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 subtle use of Amish paradise references was absolute gold

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.

Fans: Nice addition of weird Al references. Simon: Who?

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...

I love the amount of Amish Paradise quotes in this and Simon is just breezing through without batting an eye 😂

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 💀

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.

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.

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.

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 😊

We're going to party like it's 1699.

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 🤔

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.

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.

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 love all the Amish paradise references 😂

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 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.

Thank God, I was watching this yesterday when you took it down

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)

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."

It's amazing how he never once repeated a quote from Amish paradise. Weird Al would be proud.

Reupload from earlier to fix

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?

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.

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 💜

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.

All these Weird Al references 😂😂

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 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! 😅

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.

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

I think this is one of the best videos you guys have ever done. Loved the Amish Paradise lyrics sprinkled in everywhere.

Daven, that was brilliant! Did Simon even get that you wove in all those lyrics from Amish Paradise?

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.

Having deja vu

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.

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.

Daven, you are a legend!

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

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.

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.

Me: sees title Also Me: hears Parody song intensify 😂

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'm less than 5 minutes in, and I already know that this is, by far, the best thing that will happen to me, today.

Someone needs to show this to Weird Al, he is going to love it

The casual reference to Weird Al as the great one tho. This is truly a work of art.

Excellent video. Thanks guys 😁

I live in Lancaster county, PA. Our local Walmart has stables for the horses and buggies.

A lot of construction companies where I lived hired Amish. The Holiday Inn in Erie, PA had Amish do much of the carpentry.

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.

the lacing of amish paradise lyrics throughout is *chef's kiss* well done.

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

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…

33:18 Today I Found Out that Simon is out here repping for the pull out method 😂

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. 👍

where I live, the Amish sect are referred as the "green shirts" whereas they DO come to town on laundry day and completely HOG all the machines at the laundromats! They come very early, in the morning, I presume, so that they can get the job done and get back to their village(s) before the rest of us saps get up and about... (but I, too, used to get to the laundromat early and run into them!) and the amount of laundry they bring is.. well.. a LOT so I figure they are doing the entire village's laundry! and, of course, everything has someone's name on it- down to the socks!

Referring to Al as "the great one" was the funniest phrase of the whole thing.

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

Very cool video, thanks for this!

WOW!! You have overdone yourselves with this video. I was hooked, well done guys.

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 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.

Thanks for sharing.

My family is former Amish (three generations of separation now). Pretty accurate.

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.

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.

Great. Now I have that song stuck in my head. Thanks Simon.

Great video, thanks.

Love all the Weird Al lyric references...and that this comment community caught them!

Went to an Amish sawmill for lumber costing $75.00. I gave the guy $80.00 in 4 20s and said to keep the extra. He wouldn't hear of it and went into his home and brought back a 5. Honest!

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.

Absolutely love the Weird AL drops Simon!

I got booted from this video yesterday😂 finally glad it’s back

Simon doesn't even know he made the Amish Paradise joke. He's reading a script is what's funny. I'm sure he was told after.

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain

Fascinating, one of my favorite videos of all his channels, learned SO much I had no idea about. Including some of the numbers quoted! 🤯🤯