since we've been hitting up documentaries lately, i figured i'd review this. an old friend recommended it me, but i have a sinister feeling it was a form of propaganda because of how she's "rediscovered christ" and totally committed herself to faith again. she probably figured "oooo, drugs, he'll like it." but after i saw through that bullshit, i thought the movie was really interesting.
first off, 90% of that movie was filmed in lagrange county, indiana, which is the county neighboring where i work to the east. i only have to drive 15 minutes from work to hit up hardcore amish town, and i've been to a bunch of landmarks in the movie: the bowling alley, goshen college, goshen in general.
but anyway, i was very shocked with some of the things i learned about the "amish" faith. i understand their tradition of
letting the kids go at 16 and allowing them to experience the real world, but i didn't realize the parents just
COMPLETELY let go. these kids go from 0-160 in about 50 seconds. what i was REALLY shocked to find out is
that they force their kids to stop going to school after eighth grade and start working! holy shit! and then they
expect these kids to go out into the real world and do anything? well i guess they don't because they have nothing! no education, remedial job skills, and basically a retarded social and mental development. that's why they go from being sober somber to fucking smoking crank on a $100 per day habit in about six months. the problem is that with their lack of social, job, and educational development, they community expects these kids to just come back and live the amish life. it's like they set them up to fail in the real world, for all intents and purposes.
and the way the story plays out with faron, or the skinny blonde dude, is pretty riveting. dude is like 17, gets
busted with weight, and rats out a dealer by wearing a wire? holy shit. his friend said he was to scared to do jail
time so he wore the wire to rat someone out, but that's one thing about being so isolated to society: he was so
naieve to think that he would do anytime for possession where he caved and pretty much ruined his life. you
have limited choices when you're young, amish, and have dealers with contracts on your head. you can't run
anywhere, you have no where to go, no money, no job skills, no nothing. you...are...fucked. which explains his
running to florida.
another thing: these people live such a basic and modest life that when these kids move out, they are living
place to place and living in these squalid ass trailers, but they fucking LOVE it because it has a washer and
dryer, electricty, 200 channels on direct tv, dirty magazines, and a fridge full of beer. can't have that at home. not that kids from upper middle class homes don't feel the same way, but i just kind of noticed that.
and all the party scenes and the amineties of not living at home are just like college. but for these kids, it's
even bigger because they are 16, which is incredibly young, and they hit the ground running. it's like binging
pretty much.
in a nutshell, these kids are much like stereotypical ghetto kids, except they live on farms instead of ghettos.
no education, no job skills, no nothing. the only thing they have to "save" them is rejoining the church.
and rack the chick who's trying to make it on the outside. you can tell real life has been a bitch for her.
Devil's Playground
Moderator: Jesus H Christ
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Screw_Michigan
who says they are running a farm by themselves or are capable of RUNNING a farm operation at 16? didn't think so, dipshit.
not a surprise the point completely flies over your head, but a lifetime of working on a farm until you are 16 doesn't really get you much in the "real world" except for manual labor and menial manufacturing jobs. not that there is anything wrong with manual labor, but both fields aren't exactly getting you on the fast track to a decent career.
not a surprise the point completely flies over your head, but a lifetime of working on a farm until you are 16 doesn't really get you much in the "real world" except for manual labor and menial manufacturing jobs. not that there is anything wrong with manual labor, but both fields aren't exactly getting you on the fast track to a decent career.
