My Thoughts on "Breaking Amish."

 (Original article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/538122-my-thoughts-on-quotbreaking-amishquot)

One of my guilty pleasure shows is "Breaking Amish." It debuted last year on TLC. The show follows four Amish young people, and one Mennonite woman, as they embark on a journey to New York City. There, they can explore the world around them, and figure out whether or not they want to return to their communities. In the Amish tradition, it is against the rules to venture out, especially after the age of Rumspringa("running around"), which happens at age 16. The men and women on the show were shunned by, not only their community, but, also their families, which made things monumentally difficult on these men and women.
After last season, the cast tells us that they received a TON of backlash due to leaving their communities behind. Amish and non-Amish people wreaked havoc on these men and women.
In my opinion, I do not think these men and women did anything wrong. It is a completely normal human emotion to be curious about the outside world. These folks aren't causing harm to anyone, and they are trying to make a place for themselves in the world. The drama the Amish and non-Amish people are presenting the cast is just hurtful and unnecessary. Two of the cast members fell in love and got married. One connected with her birth parents, one made her dreams come true by becoming a model in NY, and the other is just living his own life. How is that grounds for public ridicule? I understand that there are different customs in the Amish community, but, why create further trouble by going out of your way to hurt these adults? These young people left the community, move on.
-shausil82