Breaking Amish Stereotypes: Extra Credit

Sara Dowler
sd719116@ohio.edu

Photo source: quotesgram.com

"We are not like the Amish Mafia."

This was one of the main things the Amish community members wanted the audience to take away from the Q&A Panel on "Life Through Their Lens: A Photo Collection by Amish and Mennonite Communities, Volume 1."

I believe that fact alone speaks loudly about the poor work by those in the media, including us as journalists, in regards to how we represent the Amish culture in the media.

While our goal as journalists is to seek truth and report it, too often do we break the Society of Professional Journalism code to "Balance the public's need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness."

Too often do we forget to minimize harm by utilizing this code. Our forgetfulness then allows for, what Melissa Thomas called during the panel, the "Disney World effect" to construe our views of the Amish community and lifestyle. 

The "Disney World effect" is basically the idea that people are so distracted by differences between the Amish community and themselves that they treat the Amish as an exhibit. Even in some cases invading members of the Amish community's privacy and personal space in order to feed their own curiosity.

In order to combat these stereotypes Thomas, got the idea to produce this book of photography to show the world what the Amish community is like from the Amish perspective. Stating that Thomas wanted to "Take a camera that has been used as a weapon and turn it into a window."

And Thomas and her team did just that and so much more.

For not only did they provide a window into the world of the Amish community, but they also recognized that this community's story was not theirs to tell and gave the Amish complete control over the project.

They even went as far as having the photographer, Talitha Tarro, give up all rights to the photos that she took and gave them all to the Amish community so that they could choose the photos to share their story.

I found this act especially profound, but what Tarro said about it even more so.

Tarro stated during the panel how she found the act of giving up the rights to her photos to be a liberating experience. She knew that this was not her story to tell and so she found it freeing to give control to the community to tell it the way they needed to through her own art.

This is a lesson I think most journalists can learn from. For too often do we get too wrapped up in the byline. As students, we are too concerned with building our portfolio to impress professors and future employers. As professionals, we are still focused on getting the praise of our employers and our readers.

Because of this, we sometimes are unable to step back and really ask the question: whose story are we telling? Because 9/10 it is not really our story.

As Thomas gave her closing remarks she told the audience a question that she was asked by another member of the Amish community when she first got involved with the community. A question that she says has stuck with her and has helped her to do all the work she has done with the Amish community: are you doing this for you? Or for the community?

If our answer as journalists is for ourselves. Then we are not doing our jobs.