Can We Please Talk About Gender? “The Amish: A People of Preservation”

by V.B., Summer Intern | Sep 8, 2021 | Amish Entertainment

Our ideas about gender have changed dramatically since the so-called documentary The Amish: A People of Preservation aired on PBS in 1975 to great critical acclaim. That response, by the way, helped to ensure that the human and civil rights violations committed...

9 jaw-dropping lines from an acclaimed film that will infuriate you

by V.B., Summer Intern | Aug 2, 2021 | Amish Entertainment

The 1975 award-winning PBS documentary, The Amish: A People of Preservation, and its slightly edited 2000 update have a remarkable ability to say truly absurd things in a dry tone over pastoral images that are meant to make the toxic messages go down easier. (Keep...

How Romanticizing Amish Life Harms the Amish More Than It Helps Any Cause

by Althea Chokwe | Jul 14, 2021 | Amish Entertainment

What is “romanticizing”? This term refers to painting over a certain reality in order to make it more pleasing to the eye, ear, and mind. Such behavior, whether done consciously or unconsciously, is extremely harmful when serious social issues are involved and...

Father Knows Best: Why Amish Kids Can’t Think Outside the Box

by K.F., Summer Intern | Jul 12, 2021 | Amish Entertainment

The 1975 PBS documentary The Amish: A People of Preservation* written and directed by and featuring all males––all Mennonite except one––shows an idealized version of practicing Amish life. It emphasizes the simpler aspects of life, such as playing games, attending...

Why Is Ignorance Bliss When Filming the “Realities” of Amish Life?

by Althea Chokwe | Jul 6, 2021 | Amish Entertainment

Utopias do not exist. PBS’s documentary, The Amish: A People of Preservation, released back in 1975, was supposed to be an investigative piece into the realities of Amish society. The project, instead, was a fixture of the decades-long public relations campaign...