Shielding the Amish from Exploitation
June 27, 2014
Years ago, state police reported that a tourist visiting Lancaster County had complained because Amish farmers working a field wouldn’t pose for photos. Apparently the tourist thought the Amish were akin to the costumed interpreters of Colonial Williamsburg.
So are you surprised that millions of TV viewers apparently think “Amish Mafia” is real? Or “Breaking Amish?” Or, more recently, “Return to Amish?”
Amish culture is having a moment in the national consciousness. A bad moment, measured by standards of truth and authenticity. And local filmmaker Mary Haverstick has had enough. She’s organizing opposition among the Amish community’s English neighbors to what she calls “Amish-sploitation.”
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