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February 20,
2004
Rep.
Pitts opposes Amish “reality show”
“Do
not put our Amish youth in a cage to be laughed at like animals at the
zoo.”
“I
am standing here today on behalf of the more than 20,000 Amish constituents
I represent, and the tens of thousands more who live throughout the country,
to publicly protest CBS and UPN’s proposed reality TV series ‘Amish in
the City,’ and to request that CBS President Leslie Moonves stops this
show from going to production,” said Congressman Pitts. “Last
week, I joined more than 50 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives
and Senate in sending a letter to network executives objecting to the plan
to produce an Amish reality TV show. “According
to Moonves, the proposed ‘reality’ series ‘Amish in the City’ will
be of interest to the public because Amish youth have led ‘sheltered
lives,’ and Americans will want to see their reactions to a new world they
are seeing for the first time. Viewers
will watch as Amish teens leave family farms and workshops and ‘test the
waters’ of the big city. “But
this series is not a documentary on how Amish teenagers struggle with their
cultural and religious identity – it’s a deliberate attempt to exploit
the beliefs and practices of the Amish.” CBS
has recently come under heavy criticism for other offensive programming,
most notably the exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast during the Superbowl
halftime show. Additionally, CBS has apologized for a music performance
during the Grammy Awards that offended Native American communities.
A proposed “reality show” which would have portrayed “real life
Beverly Hillbillies” has apparently been dropped after heavy criticism. “Unless
CBS wants a permanent reputation as the network of sleaze and disrespect, I
suggest they cancel this program too before it ever starts,” said
Congressman Pitts. “No reassurance that network executives can offer will
convince me that this series is anything but exploitation for profit.
Mr. Moonves, do not put our Amish youth in a cage to be laughed at
like animals at the zoo.” The
Lancaster New Era reported on February 12 that an 18-year-old Amish
woman was approached by UPN at a restaurant where she worked in
Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania.
They reportedly offered make her a “television star.”
According to her employer, “When the conversation got to the money,
the girl backed off.” The
Amish community in Indiana has reported similar incidents. According
to the Census Bureau, there are Amish communities in 33 states.
Amish do not permit themselves to be filmed or photographed,
believing that such images violate the biblical ban on “graven images.”
In order to appear on the proposed television, any Amish youth would
therefore first have to break with one of the most well-known tenets of
Amish doctrine. Amish
youth traditionally go through a period called the rumspringa when
they temporarily shed the external constraints of Amish life and then
reenter the church as a matter of free choice.
The UPN network proposes to film Amish youths during this rite of
passage, also known as the “running around period.”
While the external constraints of the faith are removed during this
period, Amish youth are in no way encouraged during this time to conduct
themselves in ways contrary to Amish belief. # # #
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Willow
Street, Pennsylvania—Congressman Joe Pitts (R, PA-16) joined dozens of
community leaders today in calling on the UPN Network to cancel its planned
“reality show” which would feature Amish youths pared with mainstream
youths in an urban setting.