Sunday, September 21, 2008

well well well

David Weaver Zercher in an interview on Amish America

it seems to me that the extension of Amish forgiveness allowed observers who were disturbed by the violence to bring “closure” to this senseless act of violence when in fact quick and superficial closure was not warranted. And the media was more than happy to provide their consumers with a “happy” ending. I myself would have hoped for less closure and more reflection not only on forgiveness, but on the violence that occasioned the Amish response.
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Many tourists, however, are not all that interested in learning about Amish life.
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I would suspect that Americans are both more informed about Amish life and more misinformed at the same time. That may sound like a contradiction, but I think it’s possible to have a greater familiarity with a group and, by virtue of that familiarity, possess more incorrect information about them.


It's great to see some intelligent dialogue, but I call chicken shit on both the interviewer and Weaver Zercher for their silence on whether the police acted appropriately in their response to the Nickel Mines school shooting. The above quotes reveal a rare insight into the Amish, non-Amish relationship. Armed with that insight, how is it possible to not also be aware of the questions relating to the police response? Ignorance is bad enough, indifference is vile!

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