The Amish - and I live not too far from Lancaster - are curious.

They don't pay social security tax. Legally.

Many beat the puss out of their kids and their animals.

They (usually) won't use technology - but they will hire people to use modern technology for them. It's not uncommon to see an Amish farmer being driven to the tractor supply by his hired help.

Roller blades are OK, but hooking into the electric grid isn't. They will run a generator to power a table saw.

They are NOT in any way "self-sufficient" - quite the opposite. They are communal - in most senses of the word - within their community.

Many use pesticides, genetically modified crops and so on.

There are gradations of Amish, and yes, the ones "you don't see much" sort of "live off the land" but they are not as common as the more "worldly" types.