In response to the shooting in Lancaster County, I have seen multiple photos and film clips with the Amish plastered all over the media. These people are dealing with enough trauma, it is unthinkable to me that in our news coverage, we have to capture them on film so blatantly, which goes against Amish beliefs.
Of course some pics and video is going to get an individual in the background and there are some creative ways to get pictures such as in silhouette. But CNN.com (and they aren't the only ones) has a closeup of an Amish man talking to someone right on the FRONT PAGE! And other media features closeups of Amish children playing, and Amish bystanders at the school milling around consoling each other. I think this is horribly disrespectful.
Please reporters and photographers...show some tact.
2006-10-02 18:28:11 · 12 answers · asked by musicimprovedme 7 in News & Events ➔ Current Events
dh1977 you are misinformed about the taxes, and I disagree with you about a lot of things in your answer but thanks for the commentary.
In fact, the Amish DO pay taxes, and accept almost no help. They pay property taxes to fund schools that their children do not attend. They pay income and sales taxes. All citizens have the right to police and fire protection, even people of deep faith that separates them from larger society.
Other points: there are no food restrictions in the Amish faith. While some loopholes seem to water down things a bit when you look from the outside, understand these make a LOT of concessions to live with their faith.
I'm sure there must be some unique problems when the two worlds collide.
Yes if you weigh the two, anyone else who has commented, please know that I agree the shooting is a much bigger violation than the media. Just seems to me that we should be more sensitive as outsiders than to violate them even more. It's self-serving on our part.
2006-10-02 19:05:23 · update #1
It bothers me a lot. I spent several years living in Pennsylvania Dutch country and have profound respect for these people. It seems that every news source is showing multiple pictures of grieving family and friends. Perhaps the Amish are too distraught to voice their objections but the local media knows better and someone from the major national news outlets like CNN and MSN should have pulled the pictures before they were shown. At the very least before they were shown the tenth time. I hate it when they show Muslim women without their veils (the ones who obviously always wear one and are uncomfortable without it). I suppose they feel they can afford to offend the Amish, after all they don't watch tv or use computers.
2006-10-02 18:46:08 · answer #1 · answered by Kuji 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
That's a good point, but it's a news story. I'm pretty sure that when a bomb blows up in Iraq the journos don't ask the bystanders if they would like to be on CNN or not, even though some Muslims feel the same way about photographs of people as the Amish do. That being said, I think the journos could get their stories, and show some sensitivity at the same time.
2006-10-02 18:43:12 · answer #2 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Amish people do not have TV sets. Don't know if they read the newspaper though....Think those directly involved were so taken by the violent event that they really didn't pay attention to the media....It is disrespectful because of their beliefs, but given the situation, It was news coverage unlike what we have seen once again,so it got coverage...Think the guy who did it was a coward and a parasite on this planet...So sick in the head to do something like that....We hear the aftermath, what disturbs me, is the amount of terror they must have gone through, such as any school shooting...This world has just gone nuts..Very sad....
2006-10-02 18:57:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you ask an Amish, which of the following is a greater problem:
1) having 4 innocent girls killed for no reason
2) pictured
which one dya think they'll choose. I mean come on here, 4 innocent girls are dead and ure talking about being videotaped or pictured violating a respectable principle. Besides, I'm sure the Amish know that they're not being photographed to take advantage of them or to put them down in any way. And I'm confident that if the Amish community asks a crew not to take a picture or a video tape, they'll respect that. the news media is telling a story about a crime here, and I haven't seen excessive videos or pictures when compared to other news worthy reports.
2006-10-02 18:37:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
LOL....NOT 'Funny Bird'...but Funky Bird instead...you don't pay very much attention to details do you? And why would you want to know if it's okay to make fun of the Amish for? They are a very decent group of religious people who just do not believe in modern technology and what not. So that suddenly makes them weird and not normal then? And what exactly is 'normal' anyways? There's no real normal out there to define anyone or any group anymore!
2016-03-27 02:56:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've already answered it, but I agree with you. Not that it makes it any more acceptable to have happened anywhere else, but TV isn't something these children know of. They aren't familiar with the stories of school shootings and other horrible current events we have become all to accustomed to sitting down to dinner with every day now.
If you've ever been through Lancaster, you understand, otherwise it's hard for someone sitting at their PC to imagine someone not hearing of this stuff.
The idea of what happened to their lifestyle today is more than enough, but to see police and media and helicopters and the whole blown out event, invading them, I feel terrible for them.
Another show of ignorance in America. Not taking the time to understand someone else can lead to innocent and unforeseen conflict.
I too am sickened by today's media circus in Lancaster, PA
2006-10-02 18:54:05 · answer #6 · answered by Cinderella 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't bother me with the amish particularly, what irks me is the way the media overplays any world event and shows horrible scenes of human tragedy for long periods of time. September 11th is a similar situation, although much worse. Media will follow horrible events because people like too see and hear about the horrible events that happen in the world. Too answer your question yes it does bother me, just like ay other event that the media will exploit.
2006-10-02 18:38:32 · answer #7 · answered by franklin d 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The pictures don't bother me, the violent act against innocent children does. While it is awful what happened in that community today, the Amish cannot have it both ways. If you want to get technical about it, the Amish don't pay taxes (due to their religious affiliation) so they are not entitled to Police services. Should they not be allowed Police, EMS, or Fire services in times of crisis? There is a large Amish community on the outskirts of my city, and I frequently see dozens of Amish people shopping at the same grocery store I shop at. The Amish believe in only growing their own food, yet they fill carts with Mountain Dew and Fruit Loops. They don't believe in having electricity, yet they have cellphones (how are they charging them) and buy light bulbs in bulk. They don't pay taxes, yet use city services and tear up the roads with the horse and buggy traffic. This is America in the 21st century. Enough rules, laws and conveniences have been granted that you or I certainly aren't afforded. I think they can deal with some photographs. Besides, I am sure they were more concerned about the tragedy in that schoolhouse.
2006-10-02 18:42:48 · answer #8 · answered by dh1977 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
i really do not think they are telling as much about the amish shootings as they would if it happened to regular people...so i think they are showing some respect for these people...i think that they should want justice and i think the public has a right to know why these innocent people were killed...it makes no sense to me why they continue to go into schools and shoot innocent people...i think children are going to be afraid to even go to school...and i wander if any of us is really safe these days...
2006-10-02 19:11:21 · answer #9 · answered by sanangel 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it doesn't bother me. People are going nuts and killing kids in schools. You know the world has gone nuts to go after the Amish.
2006-10-02 18:56:27 · answer #10 · answered by nite_raideress 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋