MovieChat Forums > Witness (1985) Discussion > I assume the Amish don't use things like...

I assume the Amish don't use things like tractors and such

posted 15 years ago by jgroub
7 replies | jump to latest

What kind of crop yields would they be getting on their farms in comparison to a modern farmer? I'm wondering this because I assume that what happens is that as the Amish population grows, they buy out farms from non-Amish neighbors for their second, third, etc., kids to farm. Now this probably wouldn't be a problem because lots of folks are getting out of farming. But as the Amish come into more and more farms, the overall amount of crops would have to go down, wouldn't it?

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[–] dchamil-1 15 years ago

The sort of farm equipment used depends on the particular sort of Amish the person belongs to (there are several.) Some use only horse-drawn equipment, for some tractors are OK provided they have iron wheels, and for others rubber-tired tractors are permitted. (I am Presbyterian.)

[–] SeisCinemaSeis 15 years ago

They are like Mennonites. Some of them are kinda "modern" and are willing to use trucks, tractors, milking machines, even cell-phones, etc. While some other groups are too traditional, they don't even use electricity, TV's, modern clothes, cars, etc.

Perhaps the best non-documentary film about the life of this kind of groups is Stellet Licht directed by Carlos Reygadas; it's even spoken in the native language of the mennonites (Plaudietsch) and most of the actors are true mennonites. I know, they aren't amish but their lifestyle is quite similar.

Take a glance at "Silent Light" (Just a warning: while Stellet Licht is indeed a beautiful and quite poetic film, it's also veeery slow-paced. It's not for everyone's taste).

[–] empressjenf 15 years ago

There are some Amish kids who don't continue the lifestyle. I don't know how common this is, but it does happen.

I AM the Darkside.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] movies789 10 years ago

I've had some exposure to Amish and Mennonite communities, near where I used to live. I'm definitely not an expert, and I'm ready to stand corrected; but, as I recall...

Mennonites own & drive their own cars & trucks, whereas Amish don't. However, Amish will ride as passengers when someone else will give them a lift.

Mennonites have & use their own telephones & cell phones in their homes, cars & businesses, whereas Amish generally don't. However, if you drive past Amish farmhouses, you'll often see small phonebooth-sized shacks out by the road, next to their driveway. A crescent will often be on the door, to make it look like an outhouse. Inside will be, not an outhouse, but a hard-line telephone. They'll observe tradition by keeping phones out of their houses, but will often "cheat" a little by using the phone outside in a pinch.

Mennonites use all sorts of normal machinery in the homes & businesses. But, as I vaguely recall, the Amish have a thing against using machines that rely on batteries. (Which is why they use reflectors and/or lanterns on their horse-drawn carriages, but not battery-powered lights.

There are other such Amish idiosyncrasies - and ways around them - but they escape me at the moment. Feel free to correct me on any of the above if you have any familiarity with it, and I won't argue the point. I'd bet a small amount of money on the preceding, but not my life.

[–] palisade-1 10 years ago

You're on the right track, but you over-generalize. Both Amish and Mennonite communities have differences in practice, belief and customs due to their local and self-governing nature; there are also subgroups of both Amish and Mennonite that differ more substantially from and between each other.

An Amish community is guided by its Ordnung (referred to in the film), which is a kind of codified set of regulations, but decided upon and amended as needed by the community's elders; thus, two Amish districts geographically near each other may have noticeable differences in practice (one may allow use of bicycles or tractors while another does not, for example)

The Amish position on use of electricity has to do with connection to the power grid, which is perceived as analogous to being connected to the world; Amish take seriously and literally the Biblical injunction "Be ye separate" and thus reject connection to the power grid as well as Medicare, Social Security etc. (they pay business, realty, income taxes etc.but most are exempt from Social Security taxes). So, what type of electricity is allowed is decided by each local district. Waterwheels and windmills (seen in the film) are permitted but mostly outdated now, and solar power is also permitted by some communities. Batteries, contrary to your assertion, are widely used (except ones that need to be recharged by plugging in to the power grid are not used). Buggies may be powered by marine batteries, power tools in workshops may be run via diesel generators or natural gas. You can see more on Amish electricity use here:
http://amishamerica.com/do-amish-use-electricity/

With respect to telephones, your comment appears to assert some duplicity but this is not the case. Telephones in the home are rejected by most Amish communities, but a telephone in a business location is accepted; so a farm may have one in the barn, or in a workshop. Telephones are also accepted for emergency use, which is why a house may have an exterior phone in an outhouse-like cubicle. Since Amish care for the old, the sick and the handicapped themselves, the possibility of needing to contact medical assistance, or fire/emergency crew, is kept in mind.

Others share your misconception, however. http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles/amishtelephones.htm
http://amishamerica.com/do-amish-use-telephones/

A PBS documentary on "American Experience" a couple of years ago gave a good overview of Amish life in America. You can watch it online here:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2200745636/

[–] movies789 10 years ago

Palisade-1: Thanks for the clarification. I do recall that, once you got past the seeming oddity of their appearance & ways, they were generally nice people, and a pleasure to interact with and do business with.