Something is rotten in Denmark. In an age of near-instantaneous access to place and substance, and an over-abundance of people sharing their amazing experiences with it, people in America report being less happy, taking longer to form families, and an overall feeling that something is wrong. By contrast, the Amish, living on the very same land as most other Americans, report being the happiest in the country while completely rejecting the social and technological norms of those around them. According to an article in Quartz, “When sociologists were really diving into the Amish culture in the 1960s and 1970s, 75% of Amish children would decide to become Amish adults. The most recent statistics show that 95% are now choosing to join the Amish Church.” Clearly the “English”, as the Amish still refer to the Americans around them, are doing it wrong.
— References —
– Witness, Weir (1985)
– A Mortgage Banker In Amish Country, Davidson (2008) – https://www.npr.org/2008/12/12/98156907/a-mortgage-banker-in-amish-country
– Success Made Simple, Wesner (2010)
– Hardcore History 48 – Prophets of Doom, Carlin (2013) – https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/
– The Amish understand a life-changing truth about technology the rest of us don’t, Coren (2018) – https://qz.com/1275194/the-amish-understand-a-life-changing-truth-about-technology-the-rest-of-us-dont/
– How Long Until We’re All Amish?, Stone (2018) – https://medium.com/migration-issues/how-long-until-were-all-amish-268e3d0de87
– Use of technology by different Amish affiliations
If pessimism is despair, optimism is cowardice and stupidity. -Francis Parker Yockey
At some point, in the not-to-distant future, the Amish (who are good at hunting and surviving) are going to have to re-evaluate their pacifism stand, as that only works when the surrounding communities are civilized First World peoples, and there remains the rule-of-law in the area. When the sheeeet hits the fan, that will change (especially when people learn that the Amish have food supplies and money).
And, of course…
…another great show, gentlemen. Thank you!