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I think the Amish have very endearing qualities. I felt so bad for them when they were at the door and the city kids were just making so much fun of them. Ouch. I only hope I'm never disrespectful like that. I love the show and it's one I'll keep watching. Of course my favorite part was when Ariel and Mose were organic shopping and talking about Abe Lincoln!Ariel's a doofer. I cannot stand Nick and I hope he gets pushed off his high horse real soon. :phhht
Well, in all honesty and to go against the grain, I wouldn't say the city kids were that mean to the Amish. They got comfortable around them quickly - and like the black girl said (sorry their names still escape me) that city kids gossip and talk smack. I'm not sure about the Amish but a lot of city kids really do that, even about their own friends. I'm not educated on the Amish but I imagine that they're really nice people who don't like controversy or at least people talking so blatently behind your back and the way that the city kids act was obviously new to them.
I mean, the worst fight was between Reese and that other guy, right? I didn't catch what the fight was about but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the Amish (correct me if I'm wrong here). I would have mentioned that the one Amish guy wasn't picking up after himself too, because I personally didn't know that he wouldn't think he had to, you know? And Ruth said that the city kids didn't understand that he wasn't raised to pick up after himself, but she didn't seem to tell the city kids that. How are the city kids supposed to know the Amish aren't used to it, etc. if the Amish don't tell them? The Amish get defensive and Ruth goes to cry but there is a really big lack of communication there and the only solution to fixing it I can see is pretty much placed on the Amish realizing that the city kids aren't used to them just as much as the Amish aren't used to the city kids. I don't think the city kids even realized that they were offending the Amish so much when the Amish don't really bring it up, except when they're on the defensive.
And don't get me wrong, I think the city kids are really immature and I think the Amish seem sweet and genuine, I just think there was a lack of communication between the two groups and I think the Amish are as much to blame as the city kids. Just my $0.02 anyway.
Cool show, but yeah - the city kids are mostly lame.
Makes me wonder if they could have built this show the same, but without the addition of city kids. Just throw the Amish kids into the nice house in LA, give 'em some cash and daily messages that dictate the day's activities. Maybe eventually mix in some hotties just for fun? But leave the Amish to their own devices, instead of pushing some rude city kids in their faces.
Ok well, saying the Amish were as much to blame was a little harsh I guess. I just think that it wasn't all on the city kids because the city kids don't know Amish lifestyle just as much as the Amish don't know city lifestyle. I mean, I'm sure the Amish would have been much more hospitable than the city kids were to the Amish if the city kids suddenly lived in an Amish community, but I think that's because it's their lifestyle to be that way. LA is a city of gossip, etc. and an Amish community isn't. The city kids didn't know the Amish weren't used to that and if the Amish don't tell them, they're not going to know until they see the show.
You're right about the communication problem, Anonymous. That's true when you put any two cultures together, especially if the people are really young and don't have a lot of experience with other cultures. I hope they will learn to talk together and express their feelings. I think with the Amish, they have been raised to be peaceful and to put others before themselves, so maybe it doesn't cross their minds to enter into a discussion that could cause a scene. Remember, Jonas is the one who confronted the city kids at the end, and he is a self-confessed "bad boy" in his community.
Yes, the big fight was bizarre, and I think it was because the club-planner guy (sorry, I forget his name) really is physically attracted to Kevan, and Kevan isn't interested. I think you throw a little alcohol into the mix and things can get ugly. I will say that apart from that incident, both Kevan and the club guy were very nice to the Amish kids.
When I think about it, the first big shock when they saw the Amish kids on the step outside was the rudest part, and they got better after that. I think that when the kids were making fun of Mose in the van on the way back from the beach, that was what any group of (spoiled) young guys might say about a guy in their group that made a big deal out of almost drowning; at least in my experience teens and young men are like that. However, the Amish people don't understand this behavior because I really don't think it is in their culture to act that way. Honestly, so much of their day is taken up by hard physical labor and church, so they don't have a lot of time to sit around and make fun of others. Plus, the others that they are in contact with most of the time are just like they are. So that was another example of culture clash, and while the city guys weren't being nice, they weren't being that awful, either.
I'm not saying that every Amish person is an angel, but their upbringing is much stricter than the average city kid's upbringing, and they don't have as much free time to get into trouble, so their lives are very much focused on what is real and immediate. I think I read that Ruth is the oldest of 11 children and spends her time cooking and cleaning and raising the others. The city kids haven't learned to live that sort of life, which is a life in which you take most things very seriously.
I think it's a little strange that more people aren't talking about the "fight" between Reese and that other guy. There was violence involved in that one, yet people are more concerned about Ruth crying because someone was asked to pick up dishes.
The city kids treat each other horrible too, if not more horrible than they're treating the Amish. Without the Amish, it's basically just another season of The Real World. It's our society, and how we're so accepting of hate in our community. We might say we aren't, but if the Amish are so taken back by how they're being treated (and Ruth even said a fight between two guys isn't normal to her and it didn't even include one of the Amish kids), there's a reason why. You know?
ETA: And for the record, I don't think all Amish are the same as these particular ones. In this case though, it just shows how different we both are from each other. Throwing two cultures together that are totally different and seeing what happens will cause things like this. And IMO, the city kids have been more hurtful towards each other as opposed to the Amish, while the Amish all stick up for each other. That says a lot right there.
I live in Kansas. I agree about some things being accurate, I remember seeing this age group out partying, before they made their decision to join the church. I have to admit I was in my early 20's before I saw the ocean and I was awestruck at the beauty of it. What I was typing about was Whitney expxression on people seeing the beach for the first time and she seemed to be shocked that everyone had not see it before. Heck in Kansas we are just lucky to see water at times.Originally Posted by libra2680
Amish in the City is going to be a good show! Last night's show was funny and very realistic. It's going to be one big soap opera. After the 2-hour show last night, I already have my favorites and not-so-favorites! I was worried about a self-centered vegan Ariel going grocery shopping, but luckily she took Mose and Miriam with her and they thought of others. When people were giving their food requests, she kept replying "if I can remember" - has anyone ever heard of making a list and writing it down?! She was doing that on purpose because she thinks she's above everyone else. She's going to starve and get bone-skinny!! ha ha.
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