Alternate History more groups like the Amish

[Walle Ras]

If you want to see a ridiculous show about the Amish, just watch Amish Mafia. And yes, it was as stupid as it sounds. It pretended to be a documentary/reality show about the Amish, but was so ridiculous it was completely unbelievable.

HollyWood really needs to be barred from these things... It just causes harm. It is natural for people to dislike what they do not know of Amish, heredim, people naturally dislike us. What are we up to? Why are we so insular? etc. And then Hollywood goes and fills folks heads with such nonsense? Ach

 

[mrmandias]

This is a solution that only applies to one country, but what if a major farming location like the US, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, etc. had some sort of tax/financial/legal benefit for having a set up like this as part of your religion.

For example, what if the law evolved in the US that you could operate agricultural land tax free if doing so was part of your religion, and significant limitations on technological use were considered as solid evidence that the farming was religious in nature.

 

[An Thuong]

Well, the comparison seems pretty warranted to me. They're both hardcore religious sects that forego modern luxuries to live a traditional way of life, and honestly, I've got to respect that. If there was a nuclear war that killed all of us tech-dependent city folk, I'd expect the Amish and Haredim to pull through.

I do too, which is the personal experience part. Was volunteering at a free book shop with a Nigerian girl. A teacher at a Haredi school came in asking if we had children books that didn't include magic or other non-kosher elements. The Nigerian girl asked what Haredi was and I said 'kind of like the Jewish Amish' but the teacher definitely didn't agree.

Depends on the comparison. "Don't you guys ban technology like the amish." Annoyed
"You guys dress like the amish" No we don't annoyed
"You guys have beards like the amish" Yes, beards are the best.

The main similarities are the level of internal cohesion and devotion to rules (some of which are unique to the community and alien to the wider religion) and the relative isolation from the outside world and its cultural influence. The point about dress is interesting, the Haredim don't dress like the Amish; but, like the Amish, they have a distinctive and fairly uniform dress code. I can definitely understand conflating the technology ban as being annoying though. After-all, the most profound difference between the two (sociologically) is that the Haredim are largely urbanites in comparison to the entirely rural Amish.

 

[Walle Ras]

The main similarities are the level of internal cohesion and devotion to rules (some of which are unique to the community and alien to the wider religion)

I'd argue we are the wider religion, and the whole thing until the enlightenment

and the relative isolation from the outside world and its cultural influence. The point about dress is interesting, the Haredim don't dress like the Amish; but, like the Amish, they have a distinctive and fairly uniform dress code.

Its not as uniform as it looks at first glance but I can see why folks would say that. I guess its me having lived in the community for years you get so you can tell apart the different sects and dynasties by their dress. Its mostly the annoyance of black hat, black jacket doesn't mean Amish...

I can definitely understand conflating the technology ban as being annoying though. After-all, the most profound difference between the two (sociologically) is that the Haredim are largely urbanites in comparison to the entirely rural Amish.

 

[kholieken]

The Amish are a group who live isolated from the society. They have preserved their traditional culture and way of life. They are self sufficient, and live according to the ways of their ancestors. A pocket of independent traditional society in the modern western society.

these is a bit of myth. Amish participated fully in modern economy. They operate puppy mills and supplying supermarket with farm produce. And they not fully self-sufficient either. They had rules about using modern equipment, but they can use it for communal things. Amish and Haredim are both part of modern society. If modern society disappear, both groups would also affected greatly.

 

[mrmandias]

During the Cold War, a country subsidizes farming at lower levels of technology to make their food supply more robust.

 

[Byzantion]

Maybe Indian Dalits immigrate as workers in great numbers during the 19th Century and establish exclusive communities based on the caste system (even in the Western countryside) ?

 

[Intosh]

Orthodox Jews, maybe? I could see Jews from rural parts of Eastern Europe creating their own farming settlements in the New World.

Very Jews from rural parts of Eastern Europe were in fact farmers.

In the Polish National Census of 1931, only 4.3% of the Polish population of Jewish religion were working in farming, fishing or forestry activities.