Tuned In Journal: ABC News tracks Amish teens

Monday, June 23, 2008
June 23, 2008 12:00 am

Share with others:

Print Email Read Later
By Rob Owen / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ABC News' "Primetime: The Outsiders" (10 p.m. Tuesday) puts a magnifying glass to the Amish teen rite of rumspringa. If you're unfamiliar with this rite of passage, "Primetime" may be worth watching as Amish teens from central Ohio run wild after leaving the confines of their farms.

As someone with an odd love of and admiration for the Amish, I'm always somewhat disheartened by "rumspringa" stories. I want these kids to want to be Amish. I'm not sure why. It might be some weird admiration for the purity and goodness the Amish project (but surely do not embody outside my imagination).

Anyway, if you saw Cinemax's 2002 documentary "Devil's Playground" or watched UPN's "Amish in the City," there's not much new in "The Outsiders" that makes it worth seeing.


First Published June 23, 2008 12:00 am

PG Products