If anyone thinks that the Discovery Channel is about actual discovery of, say, science, history, space, or tech, as their Web site claims, think again. Or if you think that its sister company, The Learning Channel (TLC), is about learning new insight or information, you are mistaken.After TLC’s first run of the reality television show “Breaking Amish,” with paid persons assuming the roles of rebellious ex-Amish, the Discovery Channel has produced a more scripted “Amish Mafia,” admitting on their site that scenes are reenacted. The show, which airs in early December, brags a behind-the-scenes “first-ever look at the men who protect and maintain peace and order within the Amish.”
They are wrong. The only thing that makes this endeavor a “first-ever” is that it’s perhaps the most offensive production yet from Hollywood regarding Amish people, after a long litany of offenses, from “Kingpin,” “For Richer or Poorer,” “Amish in the City,” “Deadly Blessing” and “Witness” among many others. Unfortunately, this trend of Amish and Mennonite mockery is nothing new.
Read Full Article »