MovieChat Forums > Devil's Playground (2002) Discussion > Uneducated

Uneducated

posted 16 years ago by jiffyxpop
24 replies | jump to latest

I felt their biggest handicap/injustice was being poorly educated - they have to drop out of school after 8th grade..Faron's opportunities in the outside world were terribly limited i.e. drug dealer, parking valet -- if he had been able to attend a college or a vocational school he might have gotten somewhere instead of prison. The other girl managed to go to Christian college but even that was something of a miracle because as she said, she hadn't gone to high school. While it appears to be in certain respects a "charming" religion, ultimately it is based on keeping their people subjugated through ignorance. There is more to the world than smoking, drinking, driving cars and getting laid. I wanted all the kids at 16 to go straight to high school instead of lousy rave parties.

[–] ddaaniel 16 years ago

They keep the kids uneducated so they won't question their religion. It's a typical form of indoctrination in any religion.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] aeternus_proeliator 16 years ago

Haha, you poor ignorant *beep*

Amish have almost no standard education. They know nothing of even the most basic primary school style subjects, let alone basic high school subjects.

Dont be a *beep* moron and spout that stupidity off again.

[–] sangsue 16 years ago

They may not be formally educated but I think what more of the issue was, was that they're not worldly. It's not fair to accuse them of being uneducated.

[–] aeternus_proeliator 16 years ago

Uneducated dosnt mean you are an idiot or are ignorant, it means you do not have a education.

[–] heathercsa-1 15 years ago

I don't see why everyone is making such a big deal about them only reaching 8th grade. Most Amish are farmers, carpenters, or some other job that doesn't require much education. They get as much education as they need to do their job. They're not going to be surgeons or scientists.

Besides.... less than 100 years ago, most Americans didn't even finish high school, let alone go to college. Even today, lots of "English" kids drop out.

[–] ciprianl 10 years ago

Do they use electricity or painkillers or toothpaste? If so, then they depend on non-believers and in an ideal world (with only true Amish faithful) they would either be in a really sorry shape or start to educate themselves in such sinful ways as medicine and engineering. If not, then I really don't envy them.

[–] Hello_Jill 13 years ago

Your post is counterproductive so you should follow your own advice.

[–] ShanerMD 10 years ago

Nice bigoted response, you boorish twat.

[–] schwatime 15 years ago

Most Amish children are better educated than the average non-Amish American high school graduate; this has been proven time and again through testing.

So tell me, how did they get these Amish to sit down for testing in well-structured studies "time and again"?

Not the funniest thing I've heard today. But close.

[–] badjuju_00 16 years ago

That's exactly what I thought as I watched this. The best way to hold someone back is by preventing education. This was one of those documentaries you watch and get annoyed because you witness a systematic pattern of abuse that spans generations. This reminds me of the way battered women return to their abusers because they have nowhere else to go and feel they cannot survive on their own.

Let's see if I have this right...

1. Have a child.
2. Provide minimal education
3. Encourage the child to quit school at a young age for a work with his hands.
4. As the child grows up, discourage contact with the outside world.
5. Isolate everyone and tell them it's God's work.
6. Treat them to a little rumspringa and ignore what they do. Let them smoke, drink, party, etc.
7. Even though the child may want to leave, they now realize how difficult and hopeless it will be. Tell them God is calling them.
8. Threaten to excommunicate them if they leave the church.
9. Have all the children you can - you're not doing anything else anyway.
10. Go back to step 1.

I also got a sense of hypocrisy. No TVs, no radio, no outside contact. I thought it had something to do with electricity, but I was wrong because they can buy washers and dryers, cell phones, etc.

I still find it odd that the kids spoke with a Northern accent and also used language used by people outside their community which leads me to believe they are not as isolated as they want us to believe.

This is a perfect lifestyle for people who do not want to challenge themselves or do more than the basics.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] crowsdreamofdeth-1 16 years ago

This is a gross misrepresentation of the Amish based on your own ignorance. Before you go and accuse others of being "uneducated" you might want to educate yourself on exactly who you are accusing. The Amish are actually well educated. They are also not totally isolated and uninformed about the outside world. They read local newspapers and some have even used the Internet, even though they may not have them at home. The purpose of the Amish of not using as much electricity and technology as the rest of the world does is because of their wish not to get caught up with our modern day obsession with consumerism and useless material possessions. Also, living within their own community would naturally create a greater sense of family, bonding, and a sense of belonging with the sharing of common values and beliefs, something our modern world is greatly lacking in. This isn't to say that the Amish are perfect, but your opinion shows a great lack of knowledge of who you are criticizing and shows, instead, the ignorance that comes when one culture misunderstands another culture.
Just because there are a some Amish teenagers that end up making bad decisions and getting mixed up in drug addiction, doesn't mean that is a reflection of Amish society as a whole. If that was a basis on which one could use to criticize an entire way of living then modern western societies such as the United States could easily be condemned and dismissed outright.
Much of the misinformed and prejudiced opinions expressed on this board tells me much about the bias that people hold their own way of living in. People will find anyway to be able to condemn any way of living that isn't pro-consumerist and ultra-liberal.

[–] ryanmorrison-1 16 years ago

I think that a lot of the views are based on the documentary. In the documentary, it specifies that amish teens are only allowed to stay in school until the eighth grade. Is this false?
You say that the Amish are "actually well educated," but leave us no evidence or proof of this. Reading local newspapers and using the internet does not make one educated. In some instances, quite the opposite. The documentary demonstrates that they are not stupid people though. They are quite thoughtful, even bilingual; but wisdom is not tantamount to education. How many Amish have PhDs? I guess it depends on your definition of educaion, but there exists an overwhelming, global underdstandable reality as to what it means to have a comprehensive education; and I do not think most Amish fall within these parameters. It says in the documentary that furthering one's education after the eighth grade is sinful, because it shows pride.
As for the drugs and what not, I say it's good for people to experiment and have fun, to meddle on the dark side. How can you get into heaven, if you've never confronted Hell (not that I beleive in either)? And I'm from Indiana and believe me, the amish kids are definately not as vile and *beep* up as the rest of us were. However, that dude in the documentary should've been owned for snitchin. It made Indiana look pussy because he didn't even get a beat down. It made the amish look like cowards. Dude got out of a 20 some year bid wearin a tap. Don't get me wrong, I don't want the dude to die, but damn, somebody should've *beep* his ass up.

[–] ogwhiz123 15 years ago

Have you ever been around home schooled children? The ones i have talked to seem much smarter than those taught in public schools especially when it comes to history.there are studies that prove this, look it up.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Hello_Jill 13 years ago

You are so uneducated and ignorant I feel second hand embarrassment for you.

[–] nmbv 12 years ago

I wonder if attending university has ever been a part of their rumspringas- might be difficult to get into without a high school diploma or financial resources (although many community colleges will accept without a high school diploma). There are also so many scholarships out there, but I suppose that would need to be information available to them.

I can imagine any kid that goes out, gets drunk and high constantly, and subsequently deals with those consequences would probably be turning back to their upbringing in no time. You are absolutely correct- there is more to "English" life than drinking, smoking, driving cars, and getting laid. I wonder how many of them get the opportunity to see that.

The night is a very dark time for me.

[–] hppg 12 years ago

I agree with you very much, it's horrible to try and keep them trapped by not educating them so they have a minimal chance of success in the "English" world. The fact they view it all as sex, drugs and crime is hilarious. So many non-Amish people are not like that. I think they even said in the movie that Amish kids have wilder parties. Most people I know at 16 were studying hard to get to uni, not running about like that.

[–] aethralis 11 years ago

I you care to do a search and not base your opinions upon prejudice, then you would find numerous studies that state something along these lines: "The quality of instruction varies considerably across the different Amish settlements. In some communities Amish pupils have scored very well on standardized achievement tests."

[–] hppg 11 years ago

At what levels? SATs? That's impressive if they stop school at 13. Or at earlier stages? That's entirely possible. Shame they can't continue to high school and college.

Does the variance extend to Amish groups that allow completion of high school and college? Do tell.

[–] timlin-4 11 years ago

Like the "English" educational system is any better: the majority of kids come out of 13 years of education without knowing much of anything, barely able to read or figure, and with almost zero life skills. The best students are prepared to be wage slaves. The truly successful rarely get there by wasting their time with such training.

[–] Movies_For_Life 8 years ago

Agree, but the Amish are not the only ones like this.