this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2023
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[–] BolexForSoup@kbin.social 250 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mr Yoder said that one of his friends was in the middle of a visit with community elders to discuss a shunning for different reasons when the alert on his phone went off.

I know this is a terrible day for that person, but it is really hard not to find the humor in this little snippet of the story.

[–] Rodeo@lemmy.ca 35 points 1 year ago

Shunning the school canoe? You'd better believe that's a-shunning!

[–] beckerist@lemmy.world 191 points 1 year ago (2 children)

As "innocent" as they are portrayed, the hypocrisy is the least of their problems. Their abuse of both people and animals is extremely widespread and rarely talked about.

[–] cantstopthesignal@sh.itjust.works 89 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The worst part was the hypocrisy. Well that and all the raping.

[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Man just calling out the rape doesn't do it justice.

They rape and "freshen up" the gene pool now and then. They rape to fix problems caused by rape.

If you don't feel uncomfortable with that thought in your head, then add to it the puppy mills.

They are not a holy people.

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[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago

The man they mention in this article (Eli Yoder) regularly brings it up and confronts it.

He interviewed a woman one time who was raped by her brothers and she got in trouble right along with them for being “tempting” and not modest enough.

The abuse started when she was a small child.

They don’t go to the police when they catch people, they take them to the elders and punish them within the group. They usually just get shunned for a bit.

Wives regularly get blamed when their daughters are abused by their husbands. “You should do your wifely duties so he isn’t tempted.”

I’ve heard some wild stories watching this guy.

He really works hard to bring education and information to people who are trapped in that reality. He also provides resources and support when people want to escape.

[–] athos77@kbin.social 169 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Not that this isn't possible, but the entire article is based off one guy talking about it on TikTok . Which is probably about as reliable as a bunch of those creative writing exercises on AITA.

[–] Zeth0s@lemmy.world 67 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

NTA, you should leave your husband


This is an automated action performed in response to the acronym AITA
[–] Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 year ago

Fuck, that fired neurons.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I have followed Eli on YouTube forever and I believe him.

He does all of the things he says he’s going to do. He films himself dropping packages (phones in plastic bags usually) to the Amish. He films the people he frees from the cult. He interviews people who got out regularly. He and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things (religious views, political views), but I trust what he says.

Some of the people he’s interviewed have made me raise my eyebrows, but he hasn’t.

I mean, your point is still valid, but I believe him.

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[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 111 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“shunned” by their church

Take that as a compliment and move on.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 112 points 1 year ago (15 children)

Being shunned in Amish culture is VERY aggressive. You’re basically cut off from the community and family. You can’t get rides, you have to eat alone, etc. It’s pretty fucked up.

Mormons also have versions of this that are notoriously fucked up. Stay in line or lose contact with everyone you love.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 73 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Yup. It sounds a lot like Scientology. Or pretty much every other cult/religion out there. LOL

If their way of life was so amazing, people would WANT to stay in it. Holding them hostage or else... just seems... less than ideal. 😵

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Scientology literally has an illegal prison to throw you in.

[–] itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wonder if Shelly Miscavige is there?

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[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

To be fair, some religions are much more aggressive about burning bridges than others. If I piss off my Catholic family, I just get passive aggressive quips from my mother in law at Christmas. I can still see my family, go home to my wife, and still work in the city they reside in.

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[–] espentan@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago

A couple of decades ago I worked with an ex-mormon. Shunned by his family, his sister would still call to wish him merry Christmas etc.. I remember overhearing one of those calls; "merry Christmas sis, and tell mom and dad I'm very glad I'm not there".

[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)
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[–] lingh0e@lemmy.film 56 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I once called a guy about something he was advertising in the classifieds. I called him on Easter Sunday. He answered, but said he needed a second before he could talk.

Turns out he was Amish. I called an Amish man on the phone... on Easter Sunday. He answered... while he was in church.

I called an Amish man on his cellphone, which he answered in the middle of Easter mass, to talk about his classified ad.

This was the most tame interaction I've had with Amish folk. They're fucking hardcore.

You know that scene in Parks and Rec where Ron Swanson tips a jug of moonshine up onto his shoulder and pours it down his gullet? I've fucking seen a bearded guy with a big hat and no buttons do that IRL.

The Amish know how to party.

[–] oddityoverseer@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Not all Amish view technology as entirely something against their religion. Peter Santenello has a bunch of great videos where he interviews Amish people and understands their culture. This is a good one on that topic: https://youtu.be/EgY1SVXiBrU?si=E2zTNOhQxm6Qcgff

[–] s_s@lemmy.one 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Correct. Amish are Mennonites who shun other Mennonites. The elders of their church decide for the local congregation what is and isn't appropriate conduct. If you disagree, you are shunned.

If the congregation down the road disagrees, those folks are shunned.

So you get very customized, local, specific lists about what is and isn't allowable.

Really, it looks more extreme, but it's no different than independent baptist churches or churches of christ 'disfellowship'-ing with other congregations over doctrinal minutia.

In all cases you will get a few congregations thinking that only their congregation of 20-50 folks are the only ones in the world who "go to heaven". 😂

So, all Amish might not agree what technologies are worth shunning over, but they all agree that some technologies are worth restricting their members access to, upon penalty of shunning.

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[–] lingh0e@lemmy.film 9 points 1 year ago

Yeah, the dude I called lived in a much more progressive sect. He was actually the "cab driver" for his community, which is why he had a cellphone. He also had a computer and a very rudimentary website for the stuff he was selling in the classifieds.

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[–] ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zone 53 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Even worse is for example domestic violence and abuse victims who might have a secret phone stashed away which could be located with the very loud emergency alert. I seem to recall posts going around to notify those people to have their phone turned off during that time.

[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

My wife found my burner phone and now I can't go party

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My wife found my burner that I use to sext with her, and she discovered that Im not just her husband, but Im also her secret boyfriend she met on tinder.

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[–] alienanimals@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago

Technology is bad! AI sucks! Video games make kids violent! The world was better before we had all this screen time!

-Posted from my iPhone

[–] Anamnesis@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is weird because lots of Amish communities let people have cell phones, you just can't use it in the house.

[–] InputZero@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 year ago

Also there are a lot of different sects of Amish. On one extreme there are the Amish who use the internet with a few restrictions, and on the other are the Amish who won't touch anything that uses electricity. It's a broad society. They're pretty much all kinda shitty to women, but that's diverse too.

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[–] lemmus@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Sufferers of domestic violence with hidden phones is a far more important issue.

[–] Veltoss@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why can no one on social media hold more than one thought in there head at a time?

[–] elbarto777@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Indeed. Fucking red herrings...

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 1 year ago

I mean, a lot of Amish people probably meet that definition.

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[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 35 points 1 year ago

lmao not so tight knit if a bunch of people have phones and you dont know about it

[–] kzhe@lemm.ee 27 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Shunning is a cult practice, this is one of the reasons I strongly dislike the Amish

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[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

lol anyone that has experience with Amish in Ohio knows phones are everywhere.

Hell I saw an amish dude ripping down the street on a one wheel just a few months ago. Some use side by sides and tractors. They also have a battery distributor with their own name on the label and a website, Miller Tech.

It depends on the community but in my experience it's not much of an issue at all these days.

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I've lived near a few Amish communities, and they're all a little different on what tech is present but it's safe to say they all have some.

Generally you'll see electricity and phone lines to a special building, they won't all have it but a few will. Lately they've ditched the landlines for cell phones, and they'll have their spouses put parental blocks on them.

The philosophy doesn't really change much, it's not about rejecting technology, it's about being self sufficient, and not relying on the outside world for anything. The phones are mostly for business. But they'll use them for Internet to get to Facebook and YouTube too.

It's also worth noting that the horse and buggy thing is pretty common but I've never met an Amish adult who didn't at last have access to a pickup truck.

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[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] match@pawb.social 10 points 1 year ago (6 children)

How do they charge the phones though

[–] roboticide@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

I mean, they have electricity.

Amish aren't anti-technology across the board. They pick and choose, trying to prohibit what they feel weakens the community.

It's common for Amish to operate phones or computers for their businesses, they're just not allowed at home.

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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 8 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Members of the Amish community have been “shunned” by their church after the recent test of an emergency alert system outed them as having procured forbidden mobile phones.

The alarms – part of the nationwide emergency alert drill that the US government carried out on 4 October – drew the attention of community elders in Ohio.

Eli Yoder, a former member of the Amish community, took to TikTok to share the story, in which he explained how three of his friends had gotten into trouble after the devices were discovered.

Mr Yoder said that one of his friends was in the middle of a visit with community elders to discuss a shunning for different reasons when the alert on his phone went off.

In the comments section of his video Mr Yoder added: “From now on, I guess I have to remember to give all my Amish buddies a heads up if there is a planned emergency alert test.”

It states that such devices including television, automobiles, telephones or tractors are “considered to be a temptation that could cause vanity, create inequality, or lead the Amish away from their close-knit community.”


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