Amish In the city

**hrmsk8ngnutt** · 08-04-2004, 02:35 AM

Is anyone watching this show? When I first heard about it a few months ago, I thought I wouldn't watch it. But with the press about the controversy, I thought I'd give it a shot.

IMHO, I don't think the show is disrespectful to the Amish. If anything, the 'City Kids' are the ones who come off looking like idiots. <note: it's kind of funny calling all of them 'kids' since they are in their early 20s>

So, there are 6 'City Kids' who run the gamut of stereotypes (the black kid, the gay kid, the jock, etc.) and 5 Amish 'Kids' who are in the midst of 'Rumspringa' - a period of time in which they can leave the Amish life and live in the 'regular' world. They live in a house in the Hollywood Hills.

The one I can't stand is Ariel. She's a vegan. Don't get me wrong - a very good friend of mine is a vegan, but she doesn't force her beliefs on me. Ariel was put in charge of buying groceries for the house. Two of the Amish - Mose and Miriam - went with Ariel. It was amazing to watch Mose and Miriam go through the produce section and watch their reactions to the fruits and vegetables they had never seen such as papaya, avocado, coconuts, and artichokes. They get to the dairy section and Mose remembers that some of the housemates want yogurt. But Ariel proceeds to get soy yogurt which 'isn't good either, but better than the other stuff'. Then Mose says some of the housemates wanted eggs. Ariel proceeds to say 'those are chicken abortions'. In another conversation, she says that eating animal stuff puts angry stuff inside of us and that's why it's not good, calls milk 'cow pus', and says that cows are from outer space!!!!

I hope there are others watching.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

**guinevere** · 08-04-2004, 03:09 AM

I am totally into this show!

I grew up in Pennsylvania - not near any Amish communities, but in PA, everyone knows about them. I noticed that all of the City Kids come from areas where there are no Amish communities (or at least the Amish aren't renowned for being from, say, Las Vegas

). I agree that the show is not disrespectful to the Amish, and in fact the City Kids are coming off looking stupid.

I thought at first I would dislike Meaghan a lot. She's the 'fashion stylist', which makes me go

because the makeup she was wearing when she came in the house was incredibly unflattering. She looks like an older, less-hot Sheryl Crow (even though she's something like 22). But she seems to have gotten over the uncool aspect of the Amish and has mellowed out a lot.

Arielle is hella annoying. I went to a college with a high percentage of vegans and vegetarians (was a strict vegetarian for many years). Arielle is NOT typical of vegans! Her beliefs about foods made from animal products are similar to many vegans' beliefs, but her passive-aggressive MO ("they didn't have any of the things you wanted at the store") is pathetic. And it won't exactly win over any converts to a vegan lifestyle, you know?

Looking forward to tomorrow's episode!

guinevere

**RoaringMice** · 08-04-2004, 01:05 PM

When is this on again, and which channel? I watched the first couple of episodes, but have forgotten where or when.

**Johar** · 08-04-2004, 01:36 PM

UPN at 8 pm.

**Grgranny** · 08-04-2004, 02:26 PM

Sounds interesting. I've hardly watched any of those kind of shows except have watched American Idol some. What day is it on? There's lots of Amish around Yoder, Hutchinson and other communities west of Wichita. On Sundays you can see them with their black buggies, etc. Other days too but especially on Sundays.

**Grgranny** · 08-05-2004, 01:23 PM

Well, last night I started watching. Missed the very first part but when they all started yelling at each other I switched. Can't stand to watch bickering.

**Ladskater** · 08-06-2004, 12:07 AM

No and I can't believe the Amish community would allow their members to be exploited like this. Pure trash.

**guinevere** · 08-06-2004, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Ladskater

No and I can't believe the Amish community would allow their members to be exploited like this. Pure trash.

Have you watched an episode? The Amish as a community are shown in a very good light, and the Amish participants are treated quite respectfully by the producers. Not necessarily by the 'city kids' they're living with, but the city kids are the ones coming off looking like complete fools.

As for the Amish 'allowing' their members to be exploited, the whole premise is that these individuals (all adults over 18) are participating in an Amish tradition, albeit in an unusual way. The individuals involved are the only ones who have a say in their participation in the show, and they all seem to be taking the situation seriously (i.e. whether to live outside the Amish faith or to go back).

guinevere

**Kara Bear** · 08-06-2004, 08:07 AM

Ok silly question. Are the Amish similiar to the Menonites?

**Grgranny** · 08-06-2004, 08:04 PM

Yes, they're very similar in most ways. There are differences from one community to another, though. Some use electricity and auto motors and some only use horses, etc. Some of the best books I've read are "The Shunning" by Beverly Lewis and several follow-ups. I've missed her last book or two.
I think they're also like the Quakers and Pennsylvania Dutch. Actually, I think the Penn. D. is really a German but I think they were similar or the same in their religions. I am of P. D. heritage and still have some of the sayings. Like "red up the table". (Means clearing it.)

**Mathman** · 08-06-2004, 08:28 PM

To follow up on what GrGranny said, here is a good web site that explains about the Mennonites, Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch.

http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml

The Mennonites (named for their founder, Menno Simons) broke off from the mainstream Protestant church (Lutherans) over the issue of infant baptism. The Mennonites believe in adult baptism, and they were called the Anabaptists, meaning "re-baptism" in adulthood. They came mostly from Germany, but also from other countries.

They are one of the "peace churches" who believe in pacifism and are often conscientious objectors in time of war, serving in non-military roles.

The Amish (named after their founder Jacob Amman) are an offshoot of the Mennonite movement, which split off during the 16th century.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are another group under the general "Mennonite" religious umbrella. As GrGranny mentioned, they are actually German, not Dutch. When people in America asked them what language was that they were speaking, they said, "Deutsch' (German) so people assumed they were Dutch.

BTW, didn't someone (was it Bourne and Kraatz?) skate to the famous Amish hymn, "It's a gift to be simple, it's a gift to be free...?"

Mathman

**cygnus** · 08-06-2004, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by Mathman

To follow up on what GrGranny said, here is a good web site that explains about the Mennonites, Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch.

http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml

The Mennonites (named for their founder, Menno Simons) broke off from the mainstream Protestant church (Lutherans) over the issue of infant baptism. The Mennonites believe in adult baptism, and they were called the Anabaptists, meaning "re-baptism" in adulthood. They came mostly from Germany, but also from other countries.

They are one of the "peace churches" who believe in pacifism and are often conscientious objectors in time of war, serving in non-military roles.

The Amish (named after their founder Jacob Amman) are an offshoot of the Mennonite movement, which split off during the 16th century.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are another group under the general "Mennonite" religious umbrella. As GrGranny mentioned, they are actually German, not Dutch. When people in America asked them what language was that they were speaking, they said, "Deutsch' (German) so people assumed they were Dutch.

BTW, didn't someone (was it Bourne and Kraatz?) skate to the famous Amish hymn, "It's a gift to be simple, it's a gift to be free...?"

Mathman

Mostly right! But "Simple Gifts" (a lovely tune, by the way, and also a theme in Appalachian Spring, of course), is a Shaker Hymn, not Amish. The Shakers were another sect, from England who lived communally, and believed in celibacy (Not too many of them around any more, for some reason!). I don't know if B/K skated to it, but I know Jennifer Robinson did a very nice interpretive program to the tune.

The Quakers are quite different again- while pacifists, they don't really live in the "old fashioned" way any more. And they started in England, not Germany, in the 17th century- so were more an offshoot of Anglicanism than Lutheranism. They have no clergy or elders and believe in direct access to God- at services they worship in silence unless someone is moved to speak.

**guinevere** · 08-07-2004, 01:29 AM

Originally Posted by cygnus

...at services they worship in silence unless someone is moved to speak.

Aaaaahh! Flashbacks!

I went to a Quaker High School starting in the 10th grade. I knew nothing about Quakerism, and was generally bummed out to be going to a religious school. On the first day, we all have to go to Meeting for Worship (Quaker Church), so I file in with 300 strangers. For about 10 minutes or so, people are still filing in occassionally. Then it just gets really............quiet. After about 15 minutes I nudge the person next to me and whisper "When does it start?". He just looks at me like I'm from Mars and says "When does what start?". "The service", I say. He shrugs and replies "It's started. This is it." It then hit me that the only thing worse to me at 14 than having to endure a church service was having to sit in complete silence for an hour!

For the next 3 years the lengths to which I would go to avoid Meeting for Worship were quite amazing. If only I'd focused as hard on my schoolwork! Although, a lot of the time I was doing homework while I should have been at Meeting. I was just doing it in the bike room, or a little known supply closet, or under the Girls' Collection Room porch, or under my bed!

Mathman, thanks for your excellent descriptions of Amish, Mennonites, and the Pennsylvania Dutch!

guinevere

**Mathman** · 08-07-2004, 10:21 AM

Cygnus, thanks for reminding me it was Jennifer Robinson who skated to Simple Gifts. Very beautiful program.

Oh yes, the Shakers. I forgot about them. I actually own a Shaker chair that I found in an antique mart years ago. Ezquisite craftsmanship. I read somewhere that not only are the Shaker celebate, but nowthey have decided not to recruit any more members from the outside. So I guess that way of life will just die out.

Guinevere, LOL. When I was in college in Philadelphia I knew a graduate student in architecture who decided to write his masters thesis on the arcitechture of Quaker meeting houses. He travelled all over the country, and got all into the question of how Quaker religious beliefs were reflected in their building designs. He became so impressed with the simplicity of their doctrine that he became a Quaker.

Looking back, don't you feel that in spite of everything, you got a really good eduacation at the Friends school? They certainly have a strong reputation for excellence.

Mathman