I saw the show and thought it was really interesting.
Some of my thoughts:
1) The way the city kids treated the Amish was so rude and hurtful. It brought back memories of being laughed at as a kid. (I don?t think the Amish ?over-reacted? at all. Actually, I think if any of those city kids had been treated like that, they would have ?reacted? much more.)
2) I noticed when Miriam (Amish) said something like, ?I broke up with my ex-boyfriend because he was making out with some ugly Amish girl!? I knew what she was really saying. It was all in how she used the word Amish. She was trying to fit in with the city kids?to be one of them, to be seen as normal?She was put down the girl by calling her ?ugly? and ?Amish?! She was saying, ?I?m not like them. I?m like you.? Again, memories were triggered for me from when I was a kid, trying to fit in.
3) The sheer awe and happiness the Amish felt at seeing the beach, the city of Los Angeles, ART in a museum, etc?was, in a way, beautiful.
4) I thought it was interesting that the girl from South Central LA seems in many ways sheltered by how she grew up, too.
5) Moses almost drowns in the ocean and cries when he thinks of never seeing his family again if he had died. He cries and cries. *****I think it is clear they are choosing between being free, or seeing their family again.*****
6) The vegan girl needs psychiatric help. Seriously.
7) I think it is interesting that people here report that the Amish are making a big deal about saying that these young people left the Amish faith before they went on this show. ????***********Isn?t that just what the JWs say about any JW who shows up on TV and makes them look not-so-good?**********
8) I think they talk about having left the group in the past tense because they have left the group?for Rumspringa. Right now, they are out of the group and not under the rules. Physically, they have ?left? the Amish. Most of them seem to be honestly questioning, deciding if they will go back.
9) I noticed that Moses is older than the others, 24, and was not allowed to have Rumspringa when he was younger. He was ?forced? to get baptized. Perhaps young people taking Rumspringa is looked down on. Maybe they are actually thought of as having left the faith?.until they come back. ???
I enjoyed the show?but I didn?t really like the city kids. I wish they had picked some more ?average? city young people who were questioning their next step in life. Some of these city kids seem a little over the top...