RESPONSE TO "ANONYMOUS"

Anonymous said...
In this segment of writing, I have to
disagree. I don't see Dr. Kraybill as making a statement about whether this is a
good thing or a bad thing - he seems to be pointing to the reason, he believes,
the Amish successfully reap "compliant (read submissive) adults".

Here's Kraybill in the preface of "The Riddle of Amish Culture"

the following pages are both a venture in cultural analysis, that is ,
an attempt to understand the dynamics of Amish society, and an exercise in
social criticism- a reflective critique of contemporary culture.

Note, that he only seeks to understand Amish society, but he is willing to critique contemporary culture. He not only, does the Amish a tragic disservice by only trying to understand them. But in his failure to extend to them, what all societies need, (namely honest and fair critique) he implies that they are unworthy, or not equal, (like laboratory mice) important only in relation to their usefulness in improving us.