That Mennonite Joke

The common world-view of Mennonites is that they are stiff, humour-less, and uber-efficient farmers who prefer to live without electricity. But did you know that Mennonites are also HILARIOUS? Follow Matt Falk as he unravels the secret world of Mennonite culture.
Director: Orlando Braun
DOP: Charles Venzon
Editor: Joni Church
Composer: Sandy Taronno
Narrator: Matt Falk
Host: Matt Falk
Subject: Miriam Toews
Subject: Leland Klassen
Producer: Jorge Raquena
Production Company: Prairie Boy Productions
Funder: BravoFACT

[@allenmartens2382]

Two Mennonites invented copper wire fighting over a penny

[@janaeadamson8591]

I had no experience with Mennonites but saw you on Dry Bar Matt and now I am a huge fan. You are clean and incredibly hilarious... Laughed so hard I cried! 😂🤣😂

[@catharineorellana3522]

Now that I'm a big fan, Matt, I'm watching EVERYTHING you are posting on KZbin. I enjoyed this very much! (& that guy's joke about ordering the three beers? Killed it!!!!)

[@tacomadc]

"Hab we al or wille we nog" - that's plat/dutch/german for "have we already or do we still want to" - lol.

[@madisonmiss]

I'm sitting on a bench in a mall while the wife is shopping. A Mennonite guy comes and sits down on the same bench. The first words out of his mouth are "Kaust du Dietsch?" (Can you speak Low German). No matter how you answer, you are doomed.

[@randallfletcher6652]

ya I live in a Mennonite culture and grew up Mennonite. I have never heard anyone speak that language before and have never heard anyone in the community speak like that whether they are 90 or 10 years old.

[@OKay-lu8jq]

That's because these kind of mennonites and the ones you know might be two very different groups. I'm always annoyed that this is almost never brought up. Some mennonites, who came from the South of Germany, settled in America pretty early, in the 17 th and 18th century. They might still speak their South German dialect, called Pennsylvania Dutch. The group portrayed here went to Poland at the time, and brought their North German Plautdietsch language. Later they went to Russia and from there, a big group migrated (in the 19th and 20th century) to Canada and South America, also the US. While beliefs and some costums are kind of similar between the "Pennsylvania Dutch" and the "Plautdietsch" groups, the language isn't, and the culture isn't. This video certainly doesn't reflect these facts.

[@jessicahiebert3482]

@@OKay-lu8jq that's because most Mennonites only grow up around one type and are unaware of the other type. A lot of the low German Mennonites are uneducated about what made their culture the way it is

[@eagillum]

@@OKay-lu8jq thanks for clarifying, but my great grandparents were Russian Mennonites who came over in 1930 and they spoke high German. Are there other Mennonites in Manitoba who spoke high German besides ours?

[@kathysmall6303]

Whats a mennonite dilemma?? Free dance lessons

[@NomadOutdoorAdventures]

I live in Steinbach and have a KZbin channel it’s nice to see a video like this I speak it too lol

[@cd72]

Or another funny story....I lived in Swift Current, SK, and in 1989 I was going for my learner's license for driving by a Mennonite named Mr Fehr....and so we drove and the first time I was in the car, I crashed into a curb, driving over it...scaring Mr. Fehr....a few lessons later I was a bit more calmer but inside I was stressed out....we were driving on the highway going south, leaving Swift Current...and this is where the joke comes in. I said, as I reflected later on, we passed old order Mennonites in their horse and buggy, and I was driving like an old person, cautious and slow...and the Mennonites passed by and gave me the finger.....everyone Gasps when they hear this....Oh No! Heavens to Betsie NO!! I add... They took their index finger and pointed it at me....one of the worst things a Mennonite can do is point their finger at you and add a TSK TSK to it....

[@joymckenziewendt4013]

My first boyfriend was a Mennonite and he was very funny. Great musician also

[@MelanieFromCanada]

Toews here - I'm gonna bet that a good chunk of us commenting here are related....

[@prairieboyproductions8744]

bahahaha nice!

[@jantruitt9241]

☺️

[@TRuth.T]

Ex mennonite here. We played Dutch Blitz ;)

[@watts388]

oh ba yo, daut es een goot spell, un schmautfat

[@wilhelmenns791]

I would be ashamed if I didn't know Plautdietsch. Im very proud of it. Im also lucky I had Spanish, German and English school. Knowing those four languishes is just awesome. when I travel around the world, you have no idea how useful it is to know Spanish, German or English and besides my awesome Dialect ! you are Joking about Plaudietsch, I think you wouldn't if you knew Plautdietsch. Plautdietsch is way richer then you think. I suggest you study Plaudietsch and you will notice that English was born through Plautdiesch.

[@alexanderklassen5207]

Wilhelm Enns Also German was born through Plautdietsch to. Unfortunately, I don't speak English well, but I would say, that a German, who speaks Plautdietsch has less difficulty understanding Englisch, then a German, who doesn't speak Plautdietsch. Plautdietsch is a much older language then German and English and it is something like a chain link between those two languages.

[@prairieboyproductions8744]

I love your passionate defence for the Plautdietsch language! The writer and director of the film is indeed a native Plautdietsch speaker and certainly finds the language funnier than eluded to in the film :) Also, as a Mennonite who speaks English, Spanish and English, you would also enjoy the book "Humor auf mennonitische Art in Paraguay": www.amazon.ca/dp/1537589601/

[@SoulMia0304]

So true. I'm Mennonite and plautdietsch as well😁😉 My two sons are half German half carribbean and even they have to learn plautdietsch😂

[@sovcitwatch]

"I'm the first generation of my family that doesn't speak it" You can thank the government for that. Ask your grandparents about government crackdown on non-English/French schools during their youth.

[@eagillum]

My grandpa and his siblings got beat up at school for having a German accent [during WWII] so they learned to speak English pretty fast. And then in the 70's my grandpa was against Trudeau's french immersion initiative.

[@eagillum]

@Jim Russell so you learn both high and low German.

[@Africa96tv]

Am happy to be Mennonite. but for all, let's continue preaching the gospel all over the world for immense people to be saved. God bless us all.

[@kw4498]

I am a Wiebe and I know someone with every other last name mentioned in this video pretty much.

[@afinelookinggentleman2631]

So good! I hope to catch your show when you get to the west coast. I'm half Menno blood

[@rodneywiebe2535]

I am am a Canadian menno I love this guy's comedy

[@boots8562]

Not sure how searching "kerfuffle" resulted in this video being recommended, but I stayed and watched it.

[@jantruitt9241]

Interesting man! Making fun of the German + Swedish heritage! Born in Germany and I find this hilarious! Thank you for sharing!

[@davidteichroeb2706]

I'm menonite and they are all full of it I speak the language grew up with it

[@EdHird]

This was hilarious. Thank you.

[@tacomadc]

"Pisch a gonna, Schlop a gonna" - lol. I'm gonna pee, I'm gonna sleep.

[@kathysmall6303]

Zie mohl schtal un schtrack die ava

[@wfcoaker1398]

Have we already or did we just want to? Hahaha

[@shelleymongelli8840]

He puts on a good show and very funny

[@dianecarolharder]

This was funny and great! I'm pure-blooded Mennonite, though I don't speak Plautdietsch either (my parents never taught me, as a form of rebellion; I only speak English and French). I also love Miriam Toews, and I think she captures our culture and heritage - especially for those of us who no longer hold the Mennonite faith - in a way no one else does.

[@orlandobraun]

SO true! Love Miriam. And there are a lot of people in that boat. Plautdietsch sounds so funny especially if you have minimal exposure to it. Do you think it could be brought back?

[@dianecarolharder]

I have no idea. It wasn't even a written language until the 90's, so you never know. When explaining it to people, I always compare it to Yiddish - since I think they have similar roots in Europe... Not an expert, though. Anyway, Yiddish seems to have a bit of a resurgence going on, thanks to a cult appreciation of stuff like Klezmer music and its culture, so maybe Mennonites can do the same thing with Plautdietsch?

[@orlandobraun]

Wouldn't that be awesome?! If Yiddish can make a comeback, i feel like Plautdietsch has a chance. Although there are schools that teach Yiddish...I have never heard of any class on Plautdietsch. ever! have you? I heard a linguist say that 70% of the world's languages would be wiped away in the next 100 years...would you take up LowGerman?

[@jessicanicolebelmonte6252]

Actually, the last 10 years has seen a lot of publication activities (print and video) for the "Old Colony" dialect of Plautdietsch. That is the dialect spoken by the more conservative Mennonites, who even today discourage schooling beyond the basic 3R's (reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic) and 4 years of instruction. So yes! Plautdietsch is alive and kicking. In fact, the 3rd bi-annual conference to promote the use of Plautdietsch is scheduled for the first week of September 2017.

[@orlandobraun]

REALLY?! A Plautdietsch conference? Awesome! Where is this? I'd love to know more!

[@jessicanicolebelmonte6252]

Plautdietsch is still the "mother tongue" and main (often also the only) language for over 300.000 people in the Americas. With the main populations found in Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, Belize and Canada. Smaller groups are also found in Argentina, Brazil and United States. There is also a revival of Plautdietsch among the descendants of those "Mennonites" who did not migrate from eastern Europe (Prussia, Russia, Poland, Soviet Union) during the 1870s to 1920s/40s (World War 2). For the latter it is more about a cultural heritage, while for the former the emphasys is more on the religious heritage. The humor is often blatantly subtle (or is that subtly blatant?), often expressed in the naming of technological innovations: - "Fiastopsel" is used to ignite the fuel in gasoline engines (a.k.a. spark plug) - "Lutschbassem" is a sucking broom used to clean carpets (a.k.a. vacum cleaner) - "Weschfon" is a phone that you swipe (a.k.a. Smartphone) - "Kotz Maschin" is a vomit mashine because there was often a full "barf bag" thrown around the airfield after the DC-3 had landed

[@orlandobraun]

HAHAHA KOTZMASCHIN! So awesome! I also like "jietz lepel" - greedy/stingey spoon [aka spatula]

[@dianecarolharder]

@@orlandobraun my mom still always calls it that because she doesn't think it makes sense that both THAT is a spatula and the flat thing you use to flip pancakes is ALSO a spatula (and she's right, I think!). She actually translates it to "the licker," lol.

[@thebelizeaneh]

The only problem with Mennonite colonies is that they clear all the forest where they live, as in they don't leave one single tree. Horrible for the environment. Leave a few trees here and there

[@beng9690]

Come to Winton CA.

[@johndueck526]

I wish my dad would have taught us Plattdeutsch.

[@thomasjefferson1457]

Why does being Mennonite sounds a lot like being black or Asian or Latino. Why do people automatically think because my parents believed something that the children are required to believe the same thing. Using the word that describes a person's religion like a family genetic trait sounds odd to me. I hear this so much when someone says they are Catholic or Jewish or Baptist.

[@dianecarolharder]

Well, because we're also a people group, so it's no longer just a religion. Mennonites have intermarried so many times that they have common traits. So it's possible to be of Mennonite heritage, and not share the Mennonite faith.

[@thomasjefferson1457]

Inter marriage does not sounds like a healthy thing in the long run. Genetic diversification has proven to be better option.

[@dianecarolharder]

I wasn't saying it was smart, genetically-speaking. I was answering your question for how someone can be a Mennonite without practicing the faith (like a Jew who's not Jewish).

[@andreajordan9966]

Yiurcc be weight loss and cool new hair style added POWERFUL appeal to you as a comedian. It shouldn’t matter, I know, and I’m surprised to admit it. But your new look puts your comedy over the top.

[@Smahled]

I'm here for a school project

[@cd72]

Originally we are from the David Klassen (delegate) family of Morris, Mb, and our branch moved to Main Centre/near Herbert, Sk...and so there was a story of my great grandpa A.R.D. Klassen (Abram Reimer David), who was going into town on his horse and buggy and got caught in a snowstorm coming back to their farm....and he got lost and he could see a faint light in the distant, and so he did not speak very good English, as he only spoke Low German (and High German at Church)....so he was nervous but he knocked on the door and with his faltering English, but the best he could say was..."Where am I?" He was at his neighbour's house, his brother in law's place....and he thought he was in some totally different area, as there were non Mennonites farming in the Main Centre area....another joke in our family is one of my great aunties (daughter of A.R.D. KLassen and Margaretha Braun) was Linda Klassen, former missionary of S.I.M. (West Africa) and she was laying in the tub and having a bath and then it got dark and she though she had died as it was cold and dark...until she opened her eyes and realized she was still in the tub....they laugh and laugh and laugh at that and think it is terribly funny....

[@charlesjahnke8549]

I am of the Jahnke s from Herbert.Lots of stories

[@franzredekop4021]

Du kost uba good plootdietsch😅

[@user-wc2zl7eb4z]

It ja not yo

[@dsf1094]

Aba say dot mooll

[@wfcoaker1398]

Change? Lol

[@anaussie8830]

sounds like Yiddish to me

[@ricksmith3011]

Sara goot

[@jnewheel]

"Meraach schlup" means afternoon nap... It's bot that hard to translate

[@catharineorellana3522]

"bot"?

[@philevans6395]

Why do they say Plattdeutsch wrong?

[@cenrob1]

They aren't saying it wrong they are saying it in low German. Plattdeutsch is how it's pronounced in high German.

[@kasslove111]

a new friend, here I am german do you want to be youtube friends?

[@franzredekop4021]

😂

[@concrete981]

mennonites humor is the dryest and lamest on this planet. same as the amish.

[@mennowieler9951]

Why don't you come to la crete Alberta where some are so deetch that you just have to chuckle when they do english speaking some.

[@4.0gpa44]

Mennonites don't wear neckties.